Community Enhancement Program — Enhance Your Community Stream

Communities across Northern Ontario often face challenges when it comes to attracting investment, retaining local businesses, and maintaining assets that support long-term economic growth. The Community Enhancement Program — Enhance Your Community Stream is designed to help nonprofit organizations and community groups turn priority economic development plans into action. Delivered by the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation, this stream focuses on projects that strengthen local economies and respond to regional needs, rather than short-term or routine improvements.

This funding stream supports a wide range of community-driven initiatives, from business retention and attraction strategies to projects that identify and unlock new investment opportunities. It can also help cover the construction or renovation of capital assets that play a role in community economic development, as well as non-capital activities like technical expertise or incremental project staffing tied directly to an approved initiative. Funding is non-repayable and can reach up to roughly $2 million for larger, high-impact projects, making it particularly relevant for communities undertaking ambitious, multi-year efforts aligned with Northern Ontario’s economic priorities.

Applications are reviewed by the NOHFC and ultimately assessed by its board, with funding decisions based on strategic fit and available resources. For nonprofit organizations looking to move an important economic development project forward in Northern Ontario, learning more about how this program works could be an important next step.