Non-profits can apply for 70 per cent of cost-sharing funding up to $75,000 for projects including capital investments, improving accessibility, and revitalization initiatives. Eligible projects will benefit more than one county, region or district in rural Ontario with tangible outcomes.
“The investments are all about our hubs,” Peggy Brekveld, vice-president of the Ontario Federation of Agriculture, told Farms.com. Rural hubs are “places where we do business, and where we have sports activities. … When we improve our hubs, we make a better quality of life for farm families across the province.”
RED projects help to creatively increase the vibrance of rural communities that farmers are a part of, she added.
In the most recent RED project intake, more than 50 initiatives received funding. The projects included investing in public Wi-Fi in downtown Belleville, training farmers in Prince Edward County on direct-to-consumer sales, and securing a business retention and expansion coordinator in the County of Dufferin.
The application window for this round of RED funding is open from Sept. 21 to Oct. 9, and projects must be completed before March 31, 2021.
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