Canadian Experiences Fund application guide

Overview

This Application Guide has been developed to provide instructions to applicants on how to complete FedDev Ontario’s Canadian Experiences Fund Application for Funding.

In addition to this Guide, please review the Canadian Experiences Fund Program Guidelines for information on the Fund, eligibility requirements, funding levels, and the application review process.

The purpose of the Canadian Experiences Fund Application for Funding is to:

  1. Provide a detailed description of the proposed project, what the business or organization hopes to achieve by undertaking the project, and how the project will benefit southern Ontario’s tourism sector; and
  2. Demonstrate that the applicant has the management, technical and financial capacity to complete the project.

This Guide is organized according to the sections of the Canadian Experiences Fund Application for Funding. Fields that are self-explanatory are not referenced in this Guide. When completing the Application for Funding, applicants are expected to complete the fields in each section or indicate if a field is not applicable.

Please limit individual answers to the space provided in the Application for Funding. The use of point form (or bulleted lists) is acceptable, provided that the information is clear. Supplementary materials, other than those identified in the Application for Funding, will not be reviewed as part of the submission.

All applications will be screened initially for completeness. Due to the high volume of funding requests, applicants with an incomplete application will not be contacted. Incomplete applications will not be assessed and will be considered ineligible for funding.

By signing and submitting the Application for Funding, the applicant acknowledges that the information contained therein is subject to the Access to Information Act and the Privacy Act.

Applicants are encouraged to contact FedDev Ontario at 1-866-593-5505 if they have any questions regarding the Application for Funding.

Completing the Canadian Experiences Fund Application for Funding

This section provides information on how to complete the various sections of the Canadian Experiences Fund Application for Funding.

Applicant information

  • Legal name of Applicant: The name of the incorporated business or organization.
  • Operating name: The name under which business is publicly conducted. e.g., 123456 Ontario Ltd operating as XYZ Technologies.
  • Type of organization – Is the Applicant a subsidiary? If yes, identify the parent entity and its location (city, country): A subsidiary is a company, which has a controlling interest in its shares owned by another company. Provide the legal name of the parent entity and head office location.
  • Business number: The business number is a unique 9-digit number assigned by the Canada Revenue Agency.
  • Nature of your organization? Please select what industry most accurately reflects the organization, not the project activities.
  • Date of incorporation (YYYY-MM-DD): The date stated on the company's Articles of Incorporation.
  • If applicable, number of years, the organization was in operation before incorporation: This is to indicate when business operations first started, if they pre-date incorporation. These are the years in which business revenue was reported in a Canada Revenue Agency tax return.
  • Is the Applicant a public or private corporation? A public corporation is one, which has its shares traded on a public stock exchange. For not-for-profit organizations and all other businesses, indicate “private corporation.”
  • Number of full time employees in Canada: A full time employee usually works between 35-40 hours or more in a regular work week.
  • Number of part-time employees in Canada: A part-time employee usually works less than 35 hours in a regular work week.
  • Number of employees outside of Canada: Indicate the total number of employees (full time and part-time) working for the business or organization outside of Canada.
  • Is the applicant, its directors or officers a party to legal proceedings that may adversely affect the business? Indicate if there are any current legal actions, which could, directly or indirectly, affect the company.
  • Will the project occur in an Official Language Minority Community? Official Language Minority Communities generally consist of Francophone minority communities in southern Ontario.

Authorized project contact

  • Provide contact information for the person who is authorized to represent the business or organization, and who will be the main point of contact regarding the project. Note this cannot be a consultant, as FedDev Ontario will only communicate with the applicant.
  • If the contact person is not a signing officer of the business or organization, confirmation of that person's right to represent the company may be required.

Project information

  • Estimated start date of project: This date is the first day you anticipate incurring expenses for your project, typically the date of a submitted application.
  • Estimated end date of project: This date is the last day you anticipate incurring expenses for your project. This date cannot be after the program end date of December 31, 2020.
  • Canadian Experiences Fund: Briefly describe which Canadian Experiences Fund priority segment the project will support:
    • Tourism in rural and remote communities;
    • Indigenous tourism;
    • Winter and shoulder season tourism;
    • Inclusiveness, specifically for the LGBTQ2+ community; and
    • Farm-to-table tourism, also known as culinary tourism.
  • Provide a short project description (2-3 sentences) summarizing the project and outlining the project's expected results: Briefly describe the project's main activities and the anticipated outcome(s) of the project.
  • Outline the objectives and detailed expected result(s) anticipated from the project: The objectives are the business/organization's reason(s) for undertaking the project and the outcomes are the anticipated results from the project. These should be described from the business/organization's perspective, and would be applicable whether funding is obtained or not.
  • List any key project partners and their role and contribution to the project: Key project partners may include for-profit and not-for-profit organizations, post-secondary institutions, community stakeholders and other government departments (federal, provincial or municipal) invested in the completion and/or the success of the project through the provision of either financial and/or non-financial contributions. Please describe the financial and/or non-financial contributions made by each identified key project partner.
  • If project partners are providing financial or in-kind contributions, please complete the following table: List any identified project partners in the table provided. Add the value of their contribution(s) in dollars.
    • Cash contribution: Cash asset transactions that are provided by interested parties in support of a federally approved transfer payment project or initiative.
    • In-kind contribution: In-kind contributions involve non-cash asset transactions (e.g., securities, equipment, use of facilities, labour, goods, etc.) that are provided by interested parties in support of a federally approved transfer payment project or initiative. For greater clarity on all other project proposals, applicants are encouraged to contact FedDev Ontario to inquire whether or not in-kind contributions can be considered as part of the eligible investment. In-kind contributions are restricted to projects led by not-for-profit organizations.
  • Describe the need for FedDev Ontario funding and the impact on the project if funding is not received: Please explain whether the project will proceed without funding, whether the scope of the project will be smaller, and/or whether the timelines will be affected if FedDev Ontario funding is not received.
  • Describe the project's key risks and mitigation strategies: Examples of risk may include: financial, competitive, technical, regulatory, supply chain, and/or any risks that may influence a successful project outcome.
  • Are any of the activities of the proposed project expected to occur on federal lands? Federal lands are defined in the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act, 2012:
    • Lands that belong to Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Canada, or that Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Canada has the power to dispose of, and all waters on and airspace above those lands, other than lands under the administration and control of the Commissioner of Yukon, the Northwest Territories, or Nunavut;
    • The following lands and areas:
      • The internal waters of Canada, in any area of the sea not within a province;
      • The territorial sea of Canada, in any area of the sea not within a province;
      • The exclusive economic zone of Canada; and
      • The continental shelf of Canada.
    • Reserves, surrendered lands and any other lands that are set apart for the use and benefit of a band and that are subject to the Indian Act, and all waters on and airspace above those reserves or lands.

Project outcomes

Describe how this project aligns with the Canadian Experiences Fund priorities:

It is expected that the demand for funding will exceed the funds available. If the Canadian Experiences Fund is oversubscribed, the extent to which your project addresses the following criteria will be used by FedDev Ontario to prioritize whether, and the extent to which, the request for funding is supported or not. In addition, project proposals could be given preference should they meet one or more of the following criteria:

  • skills development;
  • job creation;
  • economic sustainability; and/or
  • environmental sustainability.

In completing this section, applicants should also describe how the project will support one or more of the following:

  • Product and service planning, development and implementation: designing new or improved tourism services and products (e.g., attractions, festivals, tours).
  • Market readiness training: working with tourism associations to provide market readiness training to business; and
  • Creating or improving tourism facilities: physical assets used by tourists (e.g., trails, campgrounds, shelters).

Please refer to the Canadian Experiences Fund Program Guidelines for more information on the key objectives and eligible activities.

Economic benefits

All values provided under this section must be measurable and verifiable. If the applicant selects “No” for any of the options, then it is not necessary to provide a value in the “Amount” column.

All amounts reported in this section must be measured from the estimated Start Date of the Project to the End Date of the Project. Any benefits that fall out of this timeframe that the applicant wishes to highlight should be included in the prior question relating to how the project aligns with the Canadian Experiences Fund priorities.

Foreign investment in Canada: Indicate if the project will result in an increase of foreign tourists and the development of new tourism products and/or services.

Number of businesses supported: Indicate the number of businesses forecasted to be supported as a direct result of this project. In order to be deemed a supported business, the business must receive a direct benefit from the project (e.g., direct funding from FedDev Ontario or funding or services provided directly from the applicant to an ultimate recipient). If the applicant is the only business or organization supported, then indicate “1” for the number for businesses/organizations supported.

Number of new products or services: Indicate the number of new tourism-related products or services that will result from this project. This can include products or services commercialized by either the applicant or a project partner.

Funding leveraged: Funding leveraged is calculated by subtracting the FedDev Ontario contribution from the total eligible and supported project cost. This can include funding provided by the applicant, project partners or other funding organizations.

If applicable, please indicate if your business or organization is led or majority-owned by one or more of the underrepresented groups listed on the Canadian Experiences Fund Application for Funding, such as women, Indigenous Peoples, members of Official Language Minority Communities (OLMCs), youth, persons with disabilities, newcomers to Canada and visible minorities.

Led or majority-owned organizations constitutes an individual and/or a group from one of the identified underrepresented groups listed either:

  1. Owning 50 percent or more of the organization; or
  2. Having long-term control and management of the business, contribution of capital and an active role in both strategic and day-to-day decision making.

If applicable, please indicate if your project will influence any of the federal inclusive growth priorities listed on the Canadian Experiences Fund Application for Funding.

Inclusive Growth is defined as a multidimensional approach to growth that includes economic and non-economic dimensions. Inclusive growth includes initiatives that ensure more equal access to these dimensions for targeted sectors of society. These initiatives lead to improvement in quality of life and chances of success in the economy for underrepresented groups.

Based on the above definition of Inclusive Growth, do project investments capitalize on the untapped entrepreneurial talent within underrepresented groups; including, but not limited to: women, Indigenous peoples, members of Official Language Minority Communities (OLMCs), youth, persons with disabilities, newcomers to Canada, and visible minorities, with the aim to reduce barriers and encourage their full participation in economic activity, yielding benefits for all.

Jobs to be created and maintained: In the chart provided, indicate the total number of full time equivalent (FTE) jobs to be created and maintained in the timeframes listed. Calculate any FTE jobs as the employment of one person full time, or more than one person part time, such that the total working time as equivalent of one person working full time. Generally, full-time positions will involve between 35-40 hours in a regular work week. Do not include FTEs employed by suppliers or contracted services. Jobs must be a direct result of project activities.

Project budget

  • By completing this section, you will be providing FedDev Ontario with the key project financing information it needs to assess whether resources requested are appropriate for further review. It is in this section where you will identify the cost of the project, broken down by year, cost category and funding source(s). It is also, where you will identify the amount of assistance you are requesting from FedDev Ontario (based on eligible support thresholds outlined in the Funding section of the Program Guidelines).
  • This section should only contain information pertinent to the project as proposed in the rest of the Canadian Experiences Fund Application for Funding. Please refer to the Program Guidelines for more information on eligible funding.

Corporate information

  • Please keep your responses brief. For management biographies, please limit 2-3 lines per person and highlight the expertise required to manage and/or complete the project. For large companies, not-for-profit organizations or municipalities where a description of the management team and/or technical team is more appropriate, please provide information for the key team leaders. For board of directors, please list each member's name, job title and organization.

Financial information

This section will allow FedDev Ontario to assess your organization's capacity to undertake the proposed project.

Describe any federal or provincial funding received by your business/organization in the last five years?

Describe your business or organization's current financial performance (i.e., cost structure, revenue streams): Provide a description of your business/organization's main revenue sources. Please explain how your business/organization generates revenue and any notable financial pressures.

Describe how your business or organization will be sustained beyond the project completion: Provide an explanation for how your organization will be financially sustained beyond the project completion. FedDev Ontario funding is normally not intended to be used for ongoing operational costs.

Certification

Carefully read the Certification section and indicate that you have read and agree with the applicant acknowledgements and certify that all statements and information furnished in this application are true, complete and correct to the best of your knowledge. The individual authorized to sign the application on your behalf has reviewed the application and agrees that the information provided is accurate.

  • Check “I Agree” and have signature from authorized company signatory.
  • Provide Name, Title, Signature, and Date.
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