Community Futures Okanagan-Similkameen (CFOS)

The Community Futures Program is a federal government initiative, which was established in 1984 to assist rural communities in the development of strategies for dealing with a changing economic environment. The program is based on the philosophy that local decision-making and local development are the most effective means for communities to shape their future. We believe that providing small businesses with resources leads to job creation and economic growth. Over the past 31 years, B.C. has become a small business economy. Community Futures has played a leading role in that growth by providing financing and small business training. An evaluation of the Community Futures program during the period 2003 to 2008 was completed by the Federal Government using Business Information Numbers and Revenue Canada Data. The results showed that businesses assisted by Community Futures: •Increased employment by 18% compared with businesses not assisted at 10% •Increased revenue by 26% compared with 20% for unassisted businesses.