Non-Profit Funding Sources for Ontario Businesses: 10 Sources You’ve Probably Never Heard Of

Associations are typically trade groups based on a specific industry or area of an industry. Their membership consists of established companies that represent an industry or sector, such as manufacturing, construction, health services, food service, and many others.

The overall objective of associations is to promote the interests of the industry they represent. This can include:

Centres of excellence in Ontario are typically non-profits funded by a group of private sector companies, sometimes with additional backing by government.

The goal of these centres is to advance an industry through technological innovation and the commercialization of new technologies.

Centres of excellence support business in Ontario through:

Private foundations are often funded by one or more corporations and are focused on advancing a particular industry through technological innovation, skills training, and a variety of other interventions.   

Private foundations support business in Ontario through:

The main objective of business-focused networks in Ontario is to foster collaboration amoung businesses in a specific industry. In addition to connecting people and businesses, some networks also provide funding for start-ups.

Networks support business in Ontario through:

Niche non-profits typically focus on an issue (e.g. mental health or addiction), societal challenge (e.g. climate change), audience (e.g. youth, Indigenous peoples), or geographic region in their support of businesses.  

Niche non-profits provide a wide range of services for Ontario businesses:

A private sector fund is typically a contest or prize sponsored by a large corporation. They’re win-win, because in addition to providing funds for new businesses, they generate good PR for the sponsoring company.

Sector councils are non-profit groups of employees, employers, educators, and governments that are focused on specific industry sectors. The board of directors for a sector council is often made up of volunteers who are leading executives in industry.

The objective of a sector council is to improve the workforce of a specific industry sector. As such, sector councils concentrate on these activities:  

Superclusters are non-profits funded by the federal government and bring together for-profit businesses, non-profit groups, and educational institutions to help start-ups with groundbreaking ideas in cutting-edge industry sectors.

Superclusters are meant to significantly boost new job creation for Ontario while increasing Canada's overall GDP by promoting innovation and growth in every sector of business and all sizes and types of businesses.

Many universities in Ontario have programs supporting start-ups (particularly focused on tech sectors), including incubator and accelerator programs.

Ontario University Programs that Support Businesses:

Business owners in Ontario today have a wealth of non-profit funding sources to tap into for support. Given how competitive markets can be, these sources of grants, loans, equity investments, and in-kind support can make the difference between surviving and thriving!