RTO4 is excited to launch Funding Futures: Grants & Programs that Power Potential — a free, five-part lunchtime webinar series designed to help you navigate Ontario’s most impactful grants and programs. Each session spotlights one or two funding opportunities with clear, practical guidance. You will learn who’s eligible, what’s funded, and how to strengthen your applications. Each webinar includes a live Q&A, so you can get your questions answered directly.
1. Oct 22, 2025 – Ontario Trillium Foundation (OTF)
This webinar with Natalie Normand, Program Manager at OTF, will explore some of the most common mistakes applicants make when submitting grant applications. This session will help you better understand eligibility and application requirements, so you can prepare a stronger submission and gain practical insights to support future applications. Register Now
Natalie Normand is a Program Manager with the Ontario Trillium Foundation. She previously worked at Tourism Sarnia-Lambton, a destination marketing organization in RTO1. With a passion for stakeholder engagement, she brings a thoughtful, solutions-focused approach to every project. Natalie thrives on connecting people and ideas to create meaningful impact. She’s excited to share insights, practical strategies, and common application mistakes to support growth and innovation in the tourism sector.
2. Nov 5, 2025 – Experience Ontario 2026 & Summer Employment Opportunities
Join Sweety for an informative 90-minute webinar exploring the Experience Ontario grant. This session will cover eligibility criteria, breakdown the key components of the grant, and provide practical tips. Sweety will also speak to the Summer Employment Opportunities grant. Register Now
Sweety Bharij is the Regional Development Advisor for RTO4, covering London, St. Thomas, Stratford, the counties of Elgin, Huron, Middlesex, Oxford, Perth, Dufferin, and Wellington as well as the Regional Municipality of Waterloo. Sweety has been in the Ontario Public Service for 15 years, and currently in the RDA role since March 2024. Through her role, her aim is to ensure Ontario’s regions are not just thriving economically but also vibrant, inclusive, and adaptable to changing environments.
3. Nov 12, 2025 – Experience Ontario & Data Collection, TREIM, Marketing
Caroline is currently employed with the Ontario Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Gaming as a Regional Industry Development Advisor specializing in the tourism economy. She worked for 17 years in the Greater Toronto Area – and recently moved back to the Niagara & Greater Hamilton regions where she enjoys working on the unique tourism challenges of diverse rural and urban municipalities and operators or all sizes and capacity.
4. Nov 19, 2025 – Ontario Cultural Attractions Fund
This webinar—led by Thomas Vaughan (CEO of OCAF)—will include a brief history of The Ontario Cultural Attractions Fund, a definition of organizations and events that are eligible for funding, including regional examples, a step-by-step guide on what makes a successful application, and provides information on other ways that OCAF supports the cultural tourism sector. Register Now
Thomas has over 20 years of experience in international, federal, provincial, and municipal public policy and administration and is well versed in policy analysis, program design, program evaluation, and decision-making processes at all three levels of government as well as the non-profit sector. Thomas began working at the Ontario Cultural Attractions Fund in 2012 and was named OCAF’s Executive Director in 2024. Thomas splits his time between Toronto and Burk’s Falls in the Almaguin Highlands.
5. Nov 26, 2025 – Propel Student Work Placement Program
Join this one-hour virtual session with Lwazi Sibanda & Joe Baker from Tourism HR Canada to learn what work-integrated learning is, and how it can benefit your business and how the Propel team can support you. Register Now
Joe Baker
Tourism HR Canada is a national workforce development council that offers a range of programming to help employers grow a world-class tourism workforce. Its Propel program offers travel, tourism, and hospitality employers access to wage subsidies to hire a post-secondary student for work-integrated learning: an internship, a co-op placement, and more.
We look forward to you joining us for this practical and forward-looking series to help fuel creativity and engagement in your community.