Enhance Your Community Stream

The Enhance Your Community Funding Stream is designed to support priorities of northern communities and organizations that contribute to a healthy and strong community.

Who is Eligible?

Municipalities, Indigenous communities, not-for-profit organizations, and Local Services Boards located in Northern Ontario.

What Projects are Eligible?

Incremental improvements, repairs, and/or renovations to improve and extend the useful life of capital assets including; social and recreational facilities, municipal assets and community halls, that contribute to a healthy and vibrant community.

The implementation of priority economic development initiatives that respond to an economic opportunity and / or contribute to improved quality of life for a community and/or region, such as:

• Business retention and attraction strategies
• Projects identifying and implementing investment opportunities
• The construction and/or renovation of capital assets that support community economic development
• Implementation of community economic development projects, including non- capital costs, technical expertise, incremental project-related human resources
• Projects aligned with NOHFC’s strategic initiatives, as identified by the NOHFC Board of Directors, that address an economic priority in a region or sector

The NOHFC Board of Directors may consider exceptions to these eligibility criteria for projects that address a priority need in Northern Ontario.

Evaluation Criteria

Applications will be evaluated using the following criteria:

• Identification and alignment with a planning process such as community or organizational plan.
• Support for the sustainability and well-being of communities.
• How the project builds on and optimizes the capacity and efficiency of existing infrastructure.
• Strength of project plan that identifies the technical, managerial and financial capacity for implementing the project and sustaining the facility.
• Applicant should demonstrate how an NOHFC investment is necessary to make the project viable.

Funding

• Funding is in the form of a conditional contribution, and will generally, not exceed the lesser of 50% of eligible costs or $2,000,000.
• Funding for each project is determined by the NOHFC Board of Directors, and limited funding is available. Not all projects meeting the criteria will necessarily receive funding.
• NOHFC may decline funding where support for a project is considered to fall within the mandate of another federal or provincial government program, except that NOHFC may provide additional assistance to a project once a decision is made under such other program, at NOHFC’s sole discretion.

What is Not Eligible?

• Core infrastructure such as municipal public services including roads, bridges, water, and sewer
• Administrative space or office buildings
• Residential projects
• Operating expenses, including routine and on-going maintenance
• Rolling stock
• Stand-alone equipment purchases
• Stand-alone furniture purchases
• Stand-alone studies (feasibility, engineering, strategy etc.)

Program Requirements

• All buildings, facilities or land improved with NOHFC funding must be owned or leased by the applicant.
• The applicant may be required to reimburse NOHFC if assets financed by NOHFC are sold within the first three years after project completion.

FAQ