An independent registry of Northern Ontario funding Data updated Aug 17, 2026 · CC-BY-4.0
Northern Ontario Grants
Open, continuous intake Partly repayable

DNO Partnership Initiatives

by Destination Northern Ontario (RTO13)

Also known as: Tourism Industry Partnership Proposal Program · RTO13 Partnership Program

Destination Northern Ontario (RTO13) co-funds partnered tourism initiatives, product development, marketing, workforce training, investment attraction, with tourism operators, DMOs, municipalities and organizations across Northern Ontario. There are no published dollar caps or cost-share ratios: initiatives are scoped with a DNO Senior Coordinator and selected for alignment with DNO's business plan. In 2023-24 DNO ran 38 partnered initiatives worth $1.9M, leveraging provincial funds roughly 3:1. Start by emailing DNO.

Amount
No published per-project dollar caps or cost-share ratios. DNO co-invests in partnered initiatives rather than issuing standalone grants; in 2023-24 it implemented 38 partnered initiatives with 83+ partners, leveraging the province's investment three times over into $1.9M of partnered activity.

destinationnorthernontario.ca · Last verified Aug 17, 2026 · Auto-checked against official source

Instrument
Mixed instruments
Status
Open, continuous intake no fixed deadline; approvals on the funder's cycle
Who qualifies
Tourism operator, dmo, nonprofit, municipality, indigenous organization
  • Initiative must align with DNO's four pillars (Product Development, Investment Attraction, Workforce Development and Industry Training, Marketing) and DNO's strategic/annual business plans
  • Board priority: 50% of initiatives in non-marketing pillars
  • Initiatives are framed and managed with DNO Senior Coordinators, not fully self-directed

destinationnorthernontario.ca · Last verified Aug 17, 2026 · Auto-checked against official source

Application process

Call first. This funder expects contact with a program officer before you apply.

  1. Contact DNO (communications@destinationnorthernontario.ca) or submit the partnership interest form
  2. Scope the initiative with the relevant pillar Senior Coordinator
  3. DNO selects initiatives on potential outcomes and alignment with its strategic and annualized business plans
  4. Co-delivery with cost-shared contributions

destinationnorthernontario.ca · Last verified Aug 17, 2026 · Auto-checked against official source

Common questions

Is this a grant I apply for?

Not in the classic sense. DNO co-invests in jointly delivered initiatives rather than writing cheques against an application form. You propose an idea, a Senior Coordinator frames it within one of DNO's four pillars, and if selected it becomes a cost-shared partnered project.

How much money is available?

DNO publishes no per-project caps or match ratios. As a scale reference, its 2023-24 partnership activity totalled $1.9M across 38 initiatives, roughly $50K average per initiative, though individual amounts vary widely.

Who can partner with DNO?

Tourism operators, destination marketing organizations, municipalities, Indigenous organizations and sector groups in Northern Ontario (DNO is the RTO for the region; Muskoka falls under RTO12, not DNO).

Apply

Apply on the funder’s site and confirm current terms there:

destinationnorthernontario.ca