St. Thomas, Ontario - Joe Preston, MP for Elgin-Middlesex-London today, announced funding under the Southwestern Ontario Development Program (SWODP) to support business and skills development, community capacity building and the retention and attraction of youth.

SWODP funding will be delivered to 22 Community Futures Development Corporations in Southwestern Ontario including Elgin Business Resource Centre with each CFDC receiving $450,000.

Preston said, “it is important that we continue to provide funding to these types of organizations; it is the right action at the right time to create jobs.”

Community Futures Development Corporations are a community-based, not-for-profit organization funded through the Community Futures Program. They are run by boards of local volunteers and are staffed by professionals who encourage entrepreneurship and the pursuit of economic opportunities.
Applications for funding are due Oct 20, 2009. Subsequent application deadlines will be the last Friday of each month until fund depletion or the end of December 2009, whichever comes first. For further information, contact John Regan, General Manger at 519-633-7597, ext 34 or jregan@elgincfdc.ca.