Eligibility and program overview

Who is eligible

To be eligible to apply to the Rural Ontario Development Program – Community Development, an Applicant must be:

• a Municipality
• a Not-For-Profit organization
• an Ontario Indigenous community or Indigenous Not-For-Profit organization
• a Local Services Board

The Province is committed to supporting the success of Indigenous communities and Indigenous non-profit organizations in Rural Ontario. Indigenous Applicants are encouraged to contact program staff for assistance at: RODprogram@ontario.ca or 1-877-424-1300.

Role of Applicant

Multiple applications from the same Applicant within the same intake are allowed but are discouraged.

An Applicant may not combine or stack funding from multiple Ontario government departments or programs for the same Project. Applications for ROD Program Community Development streams must be for Projects that are not concurrently supported by other Ontario government sources.

The Applicant will submit the application and, if successful, sign the Contribution Agreement with the Province of Ontario.

When working with a Partner, the Applicant is the contact for the Project and assumes full responsibility for the Project, including legal liability, receiving payments and submitting invoices.

Successful Applicants must comply with the Contribution Agreement and all other Requirements of Law.

Role of Partner

Applicants may choose to work with Partners on the Project.

Partners are organizations or community groups that contribute financial or In-kind resources to the Project.

To be considered a Partner, organizations or community groups must have a role in the Project and provide either financial or In-kind support to the Project.

In-kind support could include a commitment of resources such as staff time, expertise, equipment, or other non-monetary support.

Who is not eligible

The following are not eligible to apply to ROD Program – Community Development:

• an individual
• a business
• a research institution or organization whose core business or primary activity is research and development (for example, universities, colleges)
• a not-for-profit organization that is not incorporated or a registered charity

Definition of Rural Ontario

Projects must take place in and benefit Rural Ontario.

Rural Ontario for the purposes of the ROD Program is defined as:

• all Statistics Canada census subdivisions (including lower-tier and single-tier Municipalities) that either have a population of less than 100,000 people in the most recent Statistics Canada Census of Canadian Population, or;
• have a population density of 100 people per square kilometre or less, as identified in the most recent Statistics Canada Census of Canadian Population or;
• a rural postal code within areas considered urban. “0” as the second character of a postal code identifies a rural postal code.

Refer to the ROD Program “Rural and Urban Areas” map.

Community Development streams overview

This is an overview of the funding streams and sub-streams available for:

• Municipalities
• Not-For-Profits
• Indigenous communities and Indigenous non-profit organizations
• Local Services Boards