The Community Futures Program is a Government of Canada initiative which supports 61Community Futures Development Corporations (CFDCs) in Ontario— FedDev Ontario works with the 37 CFDCs in rural Eastern and Southern Ontario, while FedNor works with the 24 organizations in the North.
CFDCs offer a wide variety of programs and services supporting community economic development and small business growth.
In particular, they provide:
- Strategic community planning and socio-economic development;
- Support for community-based projects;
- Business information and planning services; and
- Access to capital for small- and medium-sized businesses and social enterprises.
These community-based, not-for-profit organizations are staffed by professionals and are each governed by local volunteer boards of directors familiar with their communities' needs, concerns and future development priorities.