Government Funding for Wood Manufacturers
In partnership with Belmark Advisory, WMCO members access non-dilutive government
funding and the strategy to put it to work.
Below is a list of currently available programs!
There is real funding available for the projects our members are already planning, but knowing which
program fits, how to combine them, and when to apply is where most of the value is won or lost. WMCO has made
Belmark Advisory our preferred funding advisory associate to help members find, secure, and manage it. Your first
conversation is free.
Moses Odemuyiwa, P.Eng, PMP, Managing Director, Belmark Advisory.
Moses is a professional engineer and
certified project manager who works at the intersection of the two things that decide funding outcomes: the
technical detail that determines what qualifies, and the project structuring that determines what gets approved. He
helps Canadian manufacturers recover the non-dilutive funding they are owed, from SR&ED and tax credits to
grants and financing, and builds multi-year roadmaps that stack and sequence programs so this year’s projects
compound next year’s eligibility. He works alongside owners and operators as a principal, staying involved from
strategy through to claims.
Interested in government funding? Complete the funding form and Belmark will follow up. To learn more, contact below:
Brayden DeWitt |Phone: 705-441-6987| Email: bdewitt@wmco.ca| – Administration Specialist, WMCO
Amanda Braz |Phone: 647-321-9877| Email: abraz@wmco.ca| – Administration Specialist, WMCO
Overview
A quick map of the main programs, and why the order you pursue them in matters.
• SR&ED. For R&D and the process and product problem-solving you already do.
• Ontario Made Manufacturing Investment Tax Credit (OMMITC). A refundable credit on buildings and
equipment for Ontario manufacturers.
- Regional Tariff Response Initiative (RTRI). FedDev support for tariff-impacted businesses: equipment,
modernization, and market diversification. - Ontario Together Trade Fund (OTTF). Provincial support to diversify markets, expand capacity, and respond to
trade disruptions. - Advanced Manufacturing and Innovation Competitiveness (AMIC). Capital equipment, technology, and skills
for advanced manufacturers. - Other FedDev Ontario programs. Growth, productivity, and AI adoption.
- Other regional programs. Regional development funds and sector supports across Ontario.
- Ontario Job Grant (OJG). Offsets the cost of third-party training.
- CanExport. Entering and growing in new markets.
- IRAP. Technical and innovation projects.
Why sequencing and stacking matters
Most projects can draw on more than one program, but the order and the combination matter. Only SR&ED and
the Ontario Made Manufacturing tax credit are retroactive: you claim them after the work is done. Every grant
above must be applied for and approved before you start the project or spend the money. Apply after you have
started and you are usually ineligible, no matter how strong the project. Stacking rules also cap how much you can
layer, and some programs will not combine with others. Planning the sequence before you commit is often the
difference between funding a project once and funding it several times over.
An illustrative example
Most manufacturers recover less than half the funding they qualify for, largely because the programs are handled
separately instead of structured together. Here is how a single project can be split across programs to capture more
of it.
- SR&ED federal credit (35% on $400K of eligible R&D) _________________$140K
- OMMITC (15% on $600K of equipment and facility) ___________________$90K
- Regional or FedDev grant (net of SR&ED interaction) __________________$80K
- Total funding captured (about 31% of project cost)___________________$310K
Operator training on the new line is funded separately through the Ontario Job Grant.
Illustrative only. Subject to the 75% government assistance ceiling and program stacking rules; SR&ED expenditures are reduced by grant assistance received. Actual recovery is determined during structuring.
One project, several funding sources, each pursued in the right order. That sequencing is the work, and it is what
turns a project that is funded once into one that is funded several times over.
The types of projects funding is available for
Equipment and automation, facility expansion, AI and software adoption, hiring and workforce training, export and
new markets, and product development and R&D.
How Belmark Advisory can help
Belmark matches the right programs to your project, plans the sequence and the stack so nothing is left on the
table, gets the applications in ahead of the deadlines that matter, and manages the reporting and claims after the
award. You stay focused on the project.
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