Regional Relief and Recovery Fund - Application guide

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This guide provides instructions on how to complete FedDev Ontario's Application for Funding for RRRF applicants. Refer to the Program Guidelines for information on program objectives, eligibility criteria, funding and the application review process. Please consult the FAQ for answers to common questions.

Table of contents

• Helpful tips
• Steps to submit an Application for Funding
• How to complete the Application for Funding
  • Previous funding
  • Applicant information
  • Authorized organization contact
  • Financial contact within organization
  • COVID-19
  • Financial information
  • Total annual operating costs
  • Results
  • Equality and diversity
  • Supporting documentation
  • Certification
  • Other important details
• Annex – Glossary of terms: Financial statements & certificate

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Helpful tips

Complete all mandatory fields in each section of the application or indicate if a field is not applicable. Use the best and most accurate information at the time of submission.

Use only the space provided. The use of point form is acceptable, provided that the information is clear. Supplementary materials other than those identified in the Application for Funding should not be submitted.

Review the step-by-step instructions for submitting an Application for Funding, and follow this checklist:

• Complete the application form including the mandatory fields.
• Attach the mandatory documents – financial statements for the last two years, interim financial statements, and incorporation documents.
• Complete and attach the signed Officer’s Certificate.

Steps to submit an Application for Funding

Step 1: Refer to the eligibility section in the Program Guidelines to ensure your project meets the eligibility criteria.

Step 2: Download the Application for Funding:

• Right-click the ‘Submit your application’ link under the applicant toolkit menu and select ‘Save target as’ or ‘Save link’ to download the Application for Funding to your computer in Portable Document Format (PDF).
• Open the file using a PDF reader. If you do not already have a reader installed on your computer, there are several PDF readers available on the Internet for PC and MAC users. It is recommended that applicants use Adobe Reader 10 or higher. If you are using a software other than Adobe, you may receive an alert to close and re-open the Application for Funding using Adobe.
• If you are using Internet Explorer, the form will open automatically if you click ‘Submit your application’, and can be completed in the browser.

Step 3: Using the Application Guide, complete the Application for Funding. The sections below correspond with the sections in the Application for Funding. Prepare all requested documentation. Remember to save your work often.

Step 4: Attach all documentation to your Application for Funding by selecting the "Add Attachments" button at the top of the form.

Step 5: Once your application package is complete, ensure you are connected to the Internet and then select the "Submit" button on the last page to send your Application for Funding and required documentation to FedDev Ontario.

Step 6: Once your application package is received, a confirmation message will be displayed on your screen: "Your application has been successfully submitted to FedDev Ontario."

Step 7: Save and print a copy of the application package and the confirmation message for your records.

How to complete the Application for Funding

Previous Funding

 

Note: Please be aware that changing your selection (YES or NO) will reset the form and result in data or information provided in other fields to be lost.

1. Has your organization received RRRF funding from FedDev Ontario for which you have a signed contribution agreement? If your organization currently has a signed RRRF Contribution Agreement with FedDev Ontario, indicate yes and you will be provided with a shorter form to complete.

Applicant information

• Legal name of Applicant Organization: The name of the incorporated business or organization that appears on your incorporation documents, and/or Partnership Agreement, Letters Patent, or other relevant documentation. Legal and operating names may be different. Note: this is not your personal legal name.
• Operating name: The name under which the business is publicly conducted e.g., 123456 Ontario Ltd., operating as XYZ Technologies.
• Type of Organization: Select from the drop-down menu, what most accurately reflects your organization type (Canadian or provincially-incorporated businesses, Indigenous organizations, such as Indigenous-owned businesses, co-operatives (for-profit or not-for-profit), partnerships, limited partnership, joint ventures, or not-for-profit organizations).

2. Is the Applicant a subsidiary? If yes, identify the parent entity and its location: A subsidiary is a company that has a controlling interest in its shares owned by another company. Provide the legal name of the parent entity and head office location.
3. Business Number: This is a unique nine-digit number assigned to both businesses and not-for-profit organizations by the Canada Revenue Agency. This is essential for validating your eligibility for support under the RRRF.
4. Nature of your organization: Select what industry most accurately reflects the organization. If you select “other,” please specify in the allotted box.
5. Provide a brief description of your organization’s products or services including an overview of the ownership and management team: Provide details including date of establishment, ownership and management team (including residences), major products and/or services provided.
   • If you are a limited partnerships or joint venture, provide details on your corporate structure, including ownership and percentage.
   • If you are a subsidiary, provide details on the organization’s functional structure within its holding or parent company.
   • If you are a not-for-profit organization, provide details on your governance structure (i.e., Board of Directors and membership), your key services or mandate to support businesses, and your main sources of funding. Please also indicate the commercial activities your organization is engaged in, if applicable.
6. Applicant location: The complete address where the organization seeking RRRF funding is located. This could be different from its headquarters.
7. Applicant headquarters location: Indicate whether the Applicant Location (provided in line 6) is the same as the organization’s headquarters. If it differs, please provide the headquarters address.
8. Applicant mailing address: Provide the primary address of the location where eligible costs related to the request for funding are being incurred, if different from the "Applicant Location."
9. Official language for correspondence: Select between English or French as the preferred language for correspondence.
10. Date of incorporation/formation(YYYY-MM-DD): The date stated on the organization’s Articles of Incorporation, Letters Patent or other relevant documentation.
11. Date of organization’s fiscal year end: Provide the month and day of your organization’s fiscal year end.
12. Number of full-time employees in Canada: A Full-Time Employee (FTE) = the employment of one person full-time, or more than one person part-time, such that the total working time is equivalent to one person working full-time. Generally, full-time positions require between 35-40 hours in a regular workweek. For greater clarity, please count FTEs normally working at your location or within southern Ontario if you have multiple locations in the region. Please include employees who are working virtually in this total.
    Number of full-time employees outside of Canada: Indicate the total number of full-time employees working for the business or organization outside of Canada, not including employees who normally work in Canada but are working virtually in another country.

Authorized organization contact

13. Who is authorized to represent the organization, and who will be the main point of contact regarding the funding request? Ideally, the authorized organization contact is also a signing officer. If not, confirmation of that person's right to represent the organization may be required. Include this contact’s regular business number and cell phone number.
    Note: this cannot be a consultant, as FedDev Ontario will only communicate with the applicant.

Financial contact within organization

14. Provide contact information for the financial contact within the organization who will be the main point of contact for all finance-related matters concerning the funding request and who has signing authority for your organization. Include this contact’s regular business number and cell phone number.

COVID-19

15. The objective of the RRRF is to provide liquidity support to businesses and organizations that are not eligible for- or were declined for- other federal COVID-19 relief measures (whether temporary or ongoing), or that continue to experience financial hardship due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Before applying for the RRRF, applicants are expected to have taken steps to access other Government of Canada COVID-19 relief measures, for which they are/were eligible.

    • On the Application for Funding, use the drop-down menu to select any other federal or provincial measures for which you have applied. The most common measures are pre-populated. Applicants are required to indicate all other applicable measures, whether temporary or ongoing, using the “other” category. Multiple “other” measures can be inputted. These measures include, but are not limited to: 
      • Highly Affected Sectors Credit Availability Program (HASCAP)
      • Business Credit Availability Program (BCAP)
      • Canada Emergency Business Account (CEBA)
      • Emergency RRRF Loans through CFDCs
      • Indigenous Business Support Loans
      • Canada Emergency Commercial Rent Assistance (CECRA) - received by the property owner
      • Canada Emergency Rent Subsidy (CERS) - received by the applicant
      • Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy (CEWS)
      • NRC-IRAP Innovation Assistance Program (IAP) (ended June 2020)
      • CRA 10% Wage Subsidy (ended June 2020)
      • Service Canada Work-Share Program (COVID-19)
      • Emergency Support Fund for Heritage Organizations
      • Other, including provincial and/or municipal measures
    • Indicate the amount of funding requested, if still under review, or amount approved, and the status of your request.
    • If you have successfully accessed any of these relief measures, indicate either the exact or approximate date you received support.
      • If you have contacted a department or agency of the Government of Canada to inquire about your eligibility for any of the programs listed above and received verbal confirmation that you are not eligible, select the relevant Measure/Program Name, enter $1 as amount requested, and select “Rejected as not eligible” as your status.
    • Applicants must demonstrate that they have attempted to access other federal relief supports, including HASCAP, and were either ineligible or declined for funding, or that they are continuing to experience hardship despite having accessed other funding measures.
      Note: In the space provided in the Application Form, please explain the reason(s) why your organization was unsuccessful in receiving HASCAP funds, if applicable. For example: your application did not meet revenue decline requirements, your financial institution did not offer HASCAP, etc. RRRF applicants may be requested to provide verification from their financial institution that they were unsuccessful in accessing HASCAP. If your organization received funding but requires further assistance, please also provide details in section 16 of the Application Form.
    • Applicants must explain why they have not applied for existing federal COVID-19 relief measures, or provide more details if they are awaiting an application decision (such as the date your application was submitted for other COVID-19 relief measures).
    • FedDev Ontario will not provide funding to applicants that duplicates support received through other federal COVID-19 relief measures.
16. Hardships resulting from COVID-19: Describe as completely as possible, the current impact of COVID-19 on your organization, including length of closures, planned or actual layoffs, revenue impacts, etc. Where possible, measure the impact using year-over-year comparative data. If you are a seasonal or tourism-oriented business, explain how COVID-19 has impacted your season(s). Very detailed responses are encouraged.
17. Access to credit: Indicate whether your organization has access to or has accessed other forms of credit (e.g., lines of credit from an existing commercial lender). If not, describe the barriers that exist to accessing commercial financing for working capital.
18. Closures related to COVID-19: Indicate whether your organization had to close completely due to a public health request and/or government directive. Indicate the date of closure, and if you have since reopened. Recognizing that organizations may have closed and reopened multiple times during the first year of the pandemic, please use the plus/minus (+/-) buttons on the form to record each time your organization has closed and/or reopened.

• Quantifying the impact:  Specify the intended outcomes of accessing financial support through the RRRF, by indicating whether this funding is intended to avoid layoffs or bankruptcy or if your organization is at risk of permanently closing. Also, indicate how many jobs (or organizations) are expected to be maintained as a result of the funding received.

Financial information

 

Funding request greater than $60,000: Indicate if you are requesting funding greater than $60,000.
Financial Statement information: Using the information listed in your organization’s financial statements, provide the value in Canadian dollars for your organization’s total revenues and net income/loss. For requests greater than $60,000, provide the value in Canadian dollars for your organization’s current assets, current liabilities, long-term assets, long-term liabilities, operating expenses, and interest charges, for the periods from April 1, 2019, to March 31, 2020, and April 1, 2020, to March 31, 2021.
Tip: Additional information on financial statements can be found in the Annex.

 

22. Pre-revenue company: Are you a start-up company that has not yet generated any revenue streams from the products and/or services provided?
    Angel or venture capital investment: Has your company raised any angel or venture capital funding? If so, provide the name of the investor(s), amount and month and year the funding was received.
    • Please note: For pre-revenue firms that have received angel or venture capital funding, requests will be scaled to 50 percent of annual operating costs to maintain operations for six months up to a maximum of $500,000, less other federal COVID-19 relief measures.
23. Arrears on outstanding debt: Does your organization have a debt that is overdue after missing one or more required payments? The amount of the arrears is the amount accrued from the date on which the first missed payment was due.
24. Legal Proceedings: Is the applicant, its directors, or officers a party to legal proceedings that may adversely affect the organization’s operations? Please provide a brief summary of the proceedings, including parties involved, the date it was submitted to the court, expected time of resolution, and other pertinent details as they relate to your organization’s operations and this funding request.
25. What will the funding be used for: Detail the activities that you will undertake with the requested financial support, the reason(s) for requesting the funding, and the outcomes (i.e. anticipated results of the funding).
    Tip: In completing this field, please refer to the Eligible Activity and Costs sections of the Program Guidelines for more information, and indicate how the funding will impact such things as: the continuity of your operations, employee retention, and/or adjusting operations in the COVID-19 environment. If you are a not-for-profit organization dependent on private donors, memberships or other sources of funding, and have seen a decline in funding as a result of the crisis, please provide additional details in this section.
26. Federal lands: Indicate whether any of the proposed activities will occur on Federal Lands, as defined in the Impact Assessment Act. Activities on Federal Lands could be subject to additional requirements.

Total annual operating costs

27. The purpose of this program is to support non-deferrable operating costs that are not supported through other federal COVID-19 relief measures that have been, or are forecasted to be, incurred since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic (March 15, 2020).

    List your total incurred fixed operating costs since March 15, 2020. This includes costs such as:

    • Capital lease payments for existing equipment and machinery
    • Salaries and benefits (wages)
    • Property taxes
    • Utilities
    • Bank charges and interest payments
    • Professional fees
    • Monthly insurance payments
    • Rent
    • Cleaning expenses / personal protective equipment / safety measures
    • One-time stabilization expenditures (including sanitary, distancing measures and/or one-off adaptation costs related to operating in the context of COVID-19)
    • Other – please specify

Results

28. Estimate the total number of full-time equivalent (FTE) jobs that would be maintained at the end of the support period.
    • FTE jobs = the employment of one person full-time, or more than one person part-time, such that the total working time is equivalent to one person working full-time. Generally, full-time positions will involve between 35-40 hours in a regular workweek.
    • Do not include FTEs employed by suppliers or contracted services.
    • A job maintained is a job that would have been lost without this support.
    • Note: Estimated FTEs maintained should not exceed the total number of FTEs in the organization as identified in the response to question 12.

Equality and diversity

29. The Government of Canada is committed to equality and diversity so that all Canadians have the opportunity to participate in and contribute to the growth of the economy.

    • Filling in the following sections may influence a funding determination. If your organization does not meet the definitions provided or you do not wish to declare your status, leave the fields blank.
    • Is your organization led or majority-led by one or more of the following groups or will your organization support any of the following federal inclusive growth priorities?
      • Women
      • Indigenous peoples
      • Members of Official Language Minority Communities
      • Youth
      • Persons with disabilities
      • Newcomers to Canada
      • Visible minority who own or run an enterprise
      • LGBTQ2+
      • Other, please explain

• Led or majority-led is defined as an enterprise with one or more of the federal inclusive growth priorities groups, with a long-term control and management of the business and an active role in both strategic and day-to-day decision making.
• If you identified that your organization will support any of the federal inclusive growth priorities identified above, please explain how.

Please note, per the requirements of the RRRF, as set out by the Government of Canada and certified through the Application for Funding, the applicant does not promote violence, incite hatred or discriminate on the basis of sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, colour, race, ethnic or national origin, religion, age or mental or physical disability, contrary to applicable laws.

Supporting documentation

30. Include the following mandatory documentation as an attachment to the PDF form:
    1. historical financial statements for the last two fiscal years (2018 and 2019 or 2019 and 2020, if applicable) either in the form of an Audit, Review Engagement or Notice to Reader;
    2. most recent interim financial statement (2020 or 2021); 
    3. incorporation documents, and/or Partnership Agreement, Letters Patent or other relevant documentation; and
    4. a completed Officer’s Certificate.
       Note: Internally-prepared financial statements are accepted. At a minimum, this should include a balance sheet, income statement (including a breakdown of costs), and statement of cash flow.

• Applications submitted without these documents will be considered incomplete and will not be assessed.
  • If the organization has existed for less than one year, or if the organization's financial statements are not available for the current operating year, financial information provided must be attested by the CFO, or by the CEO or equivalent, if an organization does not have a CFO.
• Applicants are encouraged to attach any relevant records or documents regarding other COVID-19 relief measures for which your organization was approved or declined. This can include notifications, correspondence or other types of supporting documentation.

For more information on financial statements and key terms, please review the Annex.

Certification

• Certification is the act of signing a formal document to confirm that you are bound by its contents.
• Making a false statement or providing misleading information may result in the Minister exercising any remedy available to him/her at law.
• You must review each statement and sign the Certification.
• Checking ‘I Agree’ provides an authorized signature of your business or organization certifying the information provided on the application.

Other important details

Incomplete applications, with missing mandatory information or documentation, will not be assessed and will be considered ineligible for funding. Applicants are permitted to re-apply with a completed Application for Funding, however the application will be considered a new application and assessed in queue of submission.

The information contained in your Application for Funding is subject to the Access to Information Act and the Privacy Act.

Applicants are encouraged to contact FedDev Ontario at 1-866-593-5505 if they have any questions regarding the Application for Funding.

Annex – Glossary of terms: Financial statements & certificate

Financial statements are written records that convey the business activities and the financial performance of an organization. Financial statements are often audited by government agencies, accountants, firms, etc. to ensure accuracy and for tax, financing, or investing purposes. Financial statements include balance sheets and income statements.

It is a mandatory requirement under the RRRF that applicants provide internal, external, or interim financial statements, and submit an Officer’s Certificate. The glossary below can be used to support applicants in providing this information.

CFO/CEO Attested	A cover letter to a financial statement (balance sheet, and income statement) that is prepared by the company and attested to be true by the CFO or CEO of the company or equivalent. CFO/CEO equivalent will include the following: President, Vice President, Director of Finance, Finance Manager, or Controller.
External Financial Statements	Externally prepared financial statements such as audited financial statements, review engagement, or notice to reader.
Financial Statement	Balance Sheet – A financial document that comprehensively demonstrates a business’s financial position through the evaluation of assets, liabilities, and shareholder equity at a specific point in time. Income Statement – A financial document that demonstrates a business’s profitability through summarizing its revenue and expenses on a quarterly or annual basis. A financial statement is not: An income tax return /Notice of Assessment A bank statement or other banking information
Interim Financial Statement	A financial statement prepared by the company in the case that a company has existed for less than one year, or if the company's financial statements are not available for the current operating year. It does not include an attestation.
Internal Financial Statements	Internally-prepared financial statements such as a CEO/CFO or equivalent attested financial statement. At a minimum, these statements include a balance sheet, income statement (including breakdown of costs), and statement of cash flow.
Notice to Reader	A compilation of information provided by the company. The information undergoes no tests and the accountant preparing them offers no opinion or assurance. The cover letter by the accountant discloses what type of financial statement is being released (audited, review-engagement, or notice to reader).
Officer’s Certificate	An Officer’s Certificate identifies the officer and directors of an organization, and indicates that they have the authority to enter into a funding agreement on behalf of an applicant applying for funding. It also provides a specimen signature for each officer or director identified. This is a mandatory attachment.
Review Engagement	An accountant-reviewed financial statement focusing only on whether the statement is “plausible”—that is, likely to be accurate. The accountant preparing these statements does not give an opinion on their quality or accuracy. The cover letter by the accountant discloses what type of financial statement is being released (audited, review-engagement, or notice to reader).