Presentation by Carolyn Puterbough, Economic Development Advisory with the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. Prepared for "What Makes A Good Funding Application?" members-only webinar hosted by Sustain Ontario and the Golden Horseshoe Food and Farming Alliance on August 6th, 2014.

1. What Makes a
Good Funding Application?

2. Presenter
Carolyn Puterbough, OMAFRA
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3. 3
Applicant Eligibility
• Is the Program eligibility broad or specific?
• Strong applications show alignment with program
outcomes
• Does the program require co-applicants or are
collaborations encouraged?
• Demonstrate support for the intent of the project, in-kind or
financial support will show a strong collaboration

4. 4
Completing the Application
• Use the application form and fill it out in full
• Finances : be sure to provide all of the information that is asked for in the
application or guidebook for example:
• 3 years of Financials
• Detailed budget for the project
• Demonstrate where the other funding is coming from (understand the limits of
public funding)
• Timing:
• Start date for the project should be 3 – 4 months later than the application date,
funding programs take time to internal assess applications before the approval
process takes place

5. 5
Elements of an Application:
Project Descriptions
• Projects should include a brief and concise project description (2 – 3
paragraphs). The activities should be clearly defined in the
description (less of the “why” and more of the “how”) and the
activities should match with the project budget
• Under “Why is the project needed”, applicants should indicate the
need for the project (again, brief and concise, 2 – 3 paragraphs),
including any previous planning that has identified the need for the
project (evidence-based planning should always be included for
implementation projects)

6. 6
Elements of an Application:
Project Outcomes/Benefits
• Short-term and long-term outcomes should be identified and should
be directly attributable to the project described and should be
measurable.
• The project should directly support the outcomes described in the
program guidelines and in some cases the program may specifically
tell the applicant how they would like those outcomes to be
measured
• Additional project benefits should be identified if applicable – these
result in a stronger score for alignment with program outcomes.

7. 7
Elements of an Application:
Project Contributions
• Read the guidebook to understand what role in-kind contributions can plan
in the project. In some cases, in-kind contributions show collaboration and
support for the project and should be documented but cannot be used as
matching contributions
• An applicant contribution can be sourced elsewhere but makes a weaker
application.
• In provincial funding programs, CFDC funding is considered a federal source
of funding – partnerships should be used to ensure that projects involving
CFDCs do not exceed the maximum of 75% (90% in special circumstances)
in federal and provincial funding sources.

8. 8
Elements of an Application:
Project Costs
• Applicants should include notes as to how the costs were estimated
when possible (identified in a previous planning exercise, based on
actual quotes or based on previous, similar activities, etc.).
• When consulting is included and then other costs are included (for
example, for project management) that would usually be included in
consulting fees, provide an explanation.
• The budget should clearly show the same project that was described
in Project Description.
• Costs for fiscal year should come to the total eligible costs (not total
project costs) and should match the project budget timeframe and
project start and end dates.

9. 9
Elements of an Application:
What makes a stronger application
• Letters of support
• Provide letters of support from a variety of stakeholders that will benefit from the
project
• Ask that the letters reflect the outcomes of the project and are individually drafted
• Evidence based data
• Show evidence to demonstrate why the project is needed
• Use data from sources such as OMAFRA’s Analyst tool, Census of Agriculture,
Business Retention and Expansion survey’s, focus groups etc.
• Ask for Feedback from OMAFRA Staff
• Well ahead of the deadline, ask an OMAFRA Economic Development Advisor that
covers your region, to review and provide feedback on the draft application

10. If you have program questions or would like to contact an
Agriculture and Rural Economic Development Advisor
for your area please contact:
Agricultural Information Contact Centre:1-877-424-1300
Presentation by:
Carolyn Puterbough
Agriculture and Rural Economic Development Advisor
Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs
705-324-6126
Carolyn.Puterbough@ontario.ca
www.ontario.ca/omafra
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