As we are not a funding agency, the Lunenburg Queens Regional Development Agency (LQRDA) is here to help you navigate through the funding opportunities that may be available to you. Our Community Development Officer specializes in working with non-profit organizations, whereas our Business Development Officer works with for-profit businesses.

Navigating through funding options can often be a challenging experience, even for seasoned professionals. Funding programs and services tend to be fluid; while some programs and services are phasing in, others are phasing out.

There are programs to support non-profit organizations and others to support for-profit. The type of business, product or service you offer, your stage of development, your business ownership, your credit history, and your funding needs can all have a direct bearing on whether you are eligible to apply for a particular funding program.

Programs and services vary considerably. There are funding programs through the Federal, Provincial and Municipal Governments and also through private lenders such as chartered banks, credit unions, foundations, angels and venture capital firms. Each has its own criterion that must be met before funding is offered to you. In private business, part of that criterion is usually a 10 – 30% personal investment in the funding project. In a non-profit organization, you may need to obtain the “buy in” and support of other partners or community organizations.

A good business plan and/or proposal outlining your organization’s structure, your management/business experience, the products/services you want to offer, the potential competitive impact based on solid market research, forecasted cash flow, financial statements and so forth can help you build a strong business case to acquire the funds you need.

The LQRDA is here to support you along your path. We can help direct you to community organizations that offer free step-by-step business plan support or to an on-line interactive business plan you can do yourself. We can guide you through our satellite Business Service Centre at our Bridgewater location where you will find several self-counsel reference books on topics such as writing winning proposals, writing successful business plans and market research made easy. Foremost, we can help you find the best funding programs and services out there for your particular needs.