Welcome to the NOW Program! Proudly assisted by FedNor, our goal is to foster the growth and success of women-owned and women-led businesses across Northern Ontario. Whether you are a startup founder looking to launch your business or an established entrepreneur looking to grow, the NOW Program is here to help you achieve your goals.
Since March 8, 2024 (International Women's Day!!), the NOW Program has implemented the SME Initiative which allows women entrepreneurs in Northern Ontario to apply for funding to help cover the cost of one-time professional services, the cost of establishing mentoring/coaching relationships and the cost of deepening their business knowledge through training courses.
The NOW Program opened in November 2019 with the goal of supporting women entrepreneurs in Northern Ontario. By the end of 2023, we had completed our 4-year pilot initiative for SMEs (small and medium enterprises) and thanks to the generosity of FedNor, we were able to award in excess of $1,700,000.00 to over 400 women across Northern Ontario.
When COVID hit (just 5 months after opening our doors), we had the opportunity to adapt and offer financial assistance to women in Northern Ontario who were looking to take a training course which would help them either start a business or take over a component of their business which they may have previously outsourced. For example, due to the closure of many brick-and-mortar businesses, women found themselves needing to move to e-commerce out of necessity. Ultimately, the Education component of the NOW program was able to reimburse 117 clients to the tune of $189,000.
In November 2020 (mid-pandemic), the NOW Program partnered with HRdownloads (a company whose sole focus is helping small businesses with their HR needs) so that we could offer Northern Ontario women the opportunity to apply for a free one-year HR subscription. 42 clients accepted this offer in the first year, with many asking if we could offer this HR support again as they found it invaluable in running their business. As a result, in mid-2023, the NOW Program partnered with HRdownloads (now Citation Canada) once again, and this time we were able to offer eligible and interested customers an HR subscription that lasted until March 2026.
LAMBAC (LaCloche Manitoulin Business Assistance Corporation), located on Manitoulin Island, is the host CFDC for the NOW program, and all Community Futures Development Corporations located in Northwestern and Northeastern Ontario are involved as partners. You can obtain a NOW application in a variety of ways - online through this website, by contacting your local CFDC or by emailing Susan Whynott at now@lambac.org.