New E-Business Grant Program

The UCPR and its partners unveil a new E-Business Grant Program to assist local SMEs
Posted on 09/04/2020
Headline introducing the new e-business grant program to help SMEs in the Prescott and Russell area posting a few people who use electronic toolsL’Orignal, September 3, 2020 – The United Counties of Prescott and Russell (UCPR) is proud to announce the launch of the new Prescott and Russell E-Business Grant Program for small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs).

Partners include the Municipality of The Nation, the Town of Hawkesbury, the Township of Russell, the Municipality of Casselman, the Township of Alfred and Plantagenet, the City of Clarence-Rockland, as well as the Prescott-Russell Employment Services Centre (CSEPR), the Hawkesbury Industrial Investment Association (HIIA), the Caisse Desjardins Ontario, the Eastern Ontario Training Board and the Prescott-Russell Community Development Corporation.

“This regional partnership, which has brought together a total of $66,000, was organized in response to the difficulties experienced by SMEs since the beginning of the pandemic,” stated Carole Lavigne, Director of Economic Development and Tourism for the UCPR. “It was created specifically to help business owners adapt and enhance their traditional online sales processes by incorporating a transactional e-commerce solution.”

This program is also an initiative resulting from the Prescott and Russell Economic Response and Recovery Plan, created in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Business owners in Prescott and Russell seeking an e-commerce platform or transactional e-business solution to enhance their online business activities may apply for up to $1,000 toward the implementation of their chosen solution.

The application form and guidelines are now available. You can also find them on its partners website. Applications will be reviewed and evaluated on a first-come, first-served basis until such time that all funds have been distributed. One particular element of the program is to honour e-commerce platforms that were implemented and paid for between March 15 and December 15, 2020.

“All initiatives to support our businesses are a priority right now, especially during these difficult times,” added Caroline Arcand, Executive Director of the CSEPR. “We felt it was essential to implement an e-business program for our SMEs, particularly as online sales are gaining momentum as a result of the uncertain economic climate.”

Additional coaching will be available to help businesses for training or financing opportunities regarding e-business for SMEs in Prescott and Russell.

The UCPR would like to thank the Rural Oxford Economic Development Corporation for its collaboration, which allowed this initiative to be made possible.