Business Financing in Canada
Funding is a crucial element for any business looking to start, grow, or innovate. In addition to traditional options such as bank loans or relying on investors, there is a frequently underestimated alternative: grants. This detailed guide explores the various sources of grants available, as well as the financial services and sustainable funding strategies for businesses in Canada. By following the outlined steps, entrepreneurs can identify grants suited to their projects, whether they are government programs, innovation funds, or initiatives specifically targeting certain sectors. Grants are an advantageous solution, often non-repayable, allowing businesses to fund their projects without resorting to debt.

Laval Économique — Innogec Laval Fund
- From $5,000 to $15,000
- Up to 40% of project cost
- All industries

Regional Artificial Intelligence Initiative (RAII) in the Prairie Provinces
- From $250,000 to $5,000,000
- Up to 50% of project cost
- Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting
- Mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction
- Manufacturing
- Information and cultural industries

- Maximum amount : 15,000 $
- Up to 75% of project cost
- Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting

The Temiskaming Foundation - Englehart & Area Community Fund Grant
- No Condition
- All industries

Fight against poverty and social exclusion - Call for local projects
- No Condition
- All industries

District of North Vancouver Municipal Community Grants
- No Condition
- All industries

Multiculturalism and Anti-Racism Program – Organizational Capacity Building
- No Condition
- Information and cultural industries
- Educational services
- Arts, entertainment and recreation
- Other services (except public administration)

RBC Foundation - Community Investments
- Maximum amount : 500,000 $
- All industries

Community Funding Program - Capital Funding
- Maximum amount : 50,000 $
- Up to 50% of project cost
- All industries

Outdoor Play
- No Condition
- All industries

The Agriculture Water Infrastructure Program – Stream 2
- Maximum amount : 2,000,000 $
- Up to 50% of project cost
- All industries

Wine Sector Support Program
- No Condition
- Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting

Junior Mining Assistance Program
- Maximum amount : 50,000 $
- Up to 50% of project cost
- All industries

- No Condition
- All industries

Early Years Continuing Education Program
- Maximum amount : 5,000 $
- Educational services
- Health care and social assistance

MRC de Thérèse de Blainville — Créavenir
- Maximum amount : 5,000 $
- All industries

Fabulous Festivals and Events Program
- Maximum amount : 5,000 $
- Arts, entertainment and recreation
- Accommodation and food services

Public transit development assistance program – Stream 3 : Financial assistance for intercity bus transportation
- Maximum amount : 100,000 $
- Up to 75% of project cost
- Transportation and warehousing
- Public administration

Rangeland Sustainability Program (RSP)
- No Condition
- Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting
- Educational services
- Other services (except public administration)
- Public administration

Ottawa — Tourism Accessibility Fund (TAF)
- Maximum amount : 25,000 $
- Up to 70% of project cost
- Retail trade
- Arts, entertainment and recreation
- Accommodation and food services
- Other services (except public administration)

Self-Employment Program
- Maximum amount : 26,000 $
- All industries

Racialized and Indigenous Supports for Entrepreneurs (RAISE)
- Maximum amount : 10,000 $
- Retail trade
- Accommodation and food services

Energy Innovation Program — Battery Industry Acceleration
- No Condition
- Utilities
- Manufacturing
- Professional, scientific and technical services

Cultural Funding - Creation and production fund for artists
- Maximum amount : 15,000 $
- Information and cultural industries
- Arts, entertainment and recreation

Public Art Grants
- Maximum amount : 100,000 $
- Arts, entertainment and recreation
Discover how much grant funding is available for your business
Subsidize your projects with grants!
Use our free grant estimator to quickly identify the available grant amounts for which your company may be eligible.

Fonds Développement La Mitis - PM 150
- No Condition
- All industries

Continental Defense and Security Technologies
- Maximum amount : 2,300,000 $
- Professional, scientific and technical services
- Public administration

Toronto — Capacity Buyback Program
- No Condition
- Manufacturing
- Wholesale trade
- Retail trade
- Educational services

Operate - Activate
- Maximum amount : 25,000 $
- All industries

NGen — Sustainable Manufacturing Challenge
- No Condition
- Manufacturing

Organizational Development Program
- Maximum amount : 20,000 $
- All industries

Federated Co-operatives Limited - Community Investment Fund
- From $500 to $10,000
- All industries

- No Condition
- All industries

Canada History Fund
- Up to 75% of project cost
- Information and cultural industries
- Educational services

Market Development and Access
- Maximum amount : 45,000 $
- Up to 50% of project cost
- Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting

Alberta Manufacturing Productivity Grant (AMPG)
- Maximum amount : 30,000 $
- Up to 50% of project cost
- All industries

Alternative Land Use Services Program
- No Condition
- Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting

- Maximum amount : 15,000 $
- Health care and social assistance

Higher Education
- No Condition
- All industries

Musicaction — Artist career, skills and business development
- Maximum amount : 100,000 $
- Up to 50% of project cost
- Arts, entertainment and recreation

OVIN — Content Partnerships Program
- Maximum amount : 100,000 $
- Manufacturing
- Transportation and warehousing
- Educational services

First Peoples Economic Growth Fund - Aftercare Program
- Maximum amount : 20,000 $
- Up to 75% of project cost
- All industries

Addressing the Agriculture Labour Task Force Grant Program — Stream 2
- From $5,000 to $30,000
- Up to 90% of project cost
- Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting
- Manufacturing

Artificial Intelligence Behaviour Monitoring Solution
- Maximum amount : 1,000,000 $
- Public administration

The Lyle S. Hallman Foundation - General Operating Support
- No Condition
- All industries

Great Lakes Local Action Fund
- Maximum amount : 100,000 $
- All industries

Neighbourhood Climate Action Grants
- Maximum amount : 7,500 $
- Educational services
- Arts, entertainment and recreation
- Other services (except public administration)
- Public administration

Brownfields Redevelopment Program - Rehabilitation
- Maximum amount : 3,000,000 $
- Up to 50% of project cost
- Construction
- Real estate and rental and leasing
- Administrative and support, waste management and remediation services

Life Sciences Scale-Up Fund (LSSUF)
- Maximum amount : 2,500,000 $
- Up to 33% of project cost
- Health care and social assistance

Tourism Product Diversification and Marketing Program — Marketing Assistance for Tourism Businesses
- Maximum amount : 250,000 $
- Up to 15% of project cost
- Arts, entertainment and recreation
- Accommodation and food services
Find tailored funding for your business
Discover more grants on the helloDarwin platform
Look through over 4,000 grants, tax credits, loans and more financial aid on the helloDarwin application.

Youth Climate Action Fund
- From $1,400 to $7,000
- Utilities
- Construction
- Transportation and warehousing
- Professional, scientific and technical services

AFA — Public Art Galleries Operating Funding
- Up to 22% of project cost
- Arts, entertainment and recreation

North American Partnership for Environmental Community Action (NAPECA)
- Maximum amount : 185,000 $
- Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting
- Professional, scientific and technical services
- Other services (except public administration)
- Public administration

Seafood Accelerator Program – Quality and Food Safety
- Maximum amount : 15,000 $
- Up to 50% of project cost
- Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting
- Manufacturing

Young Entrepreneurs Program
- From $500 to $10,000
- Up to 25% of project cost
- All industries

Municipal Community Grants Program
- No Condition
- All industries

Efficiency Nova Scotia — Affordable Multifamily Housing Program
- Maximum amount : 150,000 $
- Up to 80% of project cost
- Real estate and rental and leasing
- Health care and social assistance
- Other services (except public administration)
- Public administration

RDAR — Agriculture Funding Consortium (AFC)
- Up to 10% of project cost
- Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting
- Manufacturing

Inclusive Diversification and Economic Advancement in the North — Not-For-Profit
- No Condition
- All industries

CMF — Regional Production Funding
- Maximum amount : 1,000,000 $
- Up to 35% of project cost
- Information and cultural industries

STDP AO 10.1 Space R&D – Advanced technologies
- Maximum amount : 1,000,000 $
- Up to 75% of project cost
- All industries

Community Catalyst Grant
- Maximum amount : 7,500 $
- All industries

Toronto Circular Food Innovators Fund
- From $5,000 to $35,000
- Up to 75% of project cost
- Accommodation and food services

- Maximum amount : 50,000 $
- Health care and social assistance

Environment - Transforming Development Finance
- No Condition
- All industries

Gaelic Language and Culture in the Community
- Maximum amount : 2,500 $
- All industries

- No Condition
- Educational services
- Health care and social assistance
- Other services (except public administration)

Community Funding - Civic Events Funding
- Maximum amount : 3,000 $
- Arts, entertainment and recreation
- Other services (except public administration)
- Public administration

- No Condition
- All industries

Racial Equity Fund
- From $10,000 to $30,000
- All industries

Saskatchewan Knights of Columbus Charitable Foundation - Annual Grants
- No Condition
- Other services (except public administration)

Jewish Community Impact & Ongoing Grants
- No Condition
- All industries

Racial Equity Research Grants
- Maximum amount : 75,000 $
- All industries

Annual Global Funding
- No Condition
- All industries

Culture and Heritage Grants and Contributions Program - Arts Contributions
- No Condition
- All industries
Access over 10 000 different funding opportunities
Try the helloDarwin platform today and find programs that fit your needs
The helloDarwin application makes it easy to unlock grants so your business can grow faster—with less hassle and more impact.

Northern Housing Incentive Program
- Maximum amount : 200,000 $
- Construction
- Real estate and rental and leasing
- Public administration

Host a municipal intern
- Maximum amount : 62,500 $
- Public administration

EcoAction — Stream 1: Community-led freshwater action across Canada
- From $25,000 to $100,000
- Up to 50% of project cost
- Administrative and support, waste management and remediation services
- Educational services

Research Grants on Education: Large
- From $125,000 to $500,000
- Up to 15% of project cost
- Educational services

OCI — Ready 4 Market (R4M)
- From $500,000 to $250,000
- Information and cultural industries
- Professional, scientific and technical services
- Health care and social assistance

Seniors' Transportation Grants
- No Condition
- All industries

Métis Cultural Development Fund
- Maximum amount : 10,000 $
- All industries

OAC — Francophone arts service organizations – operations
- Minimum amount : 75,000 $
- Arts, entertainment and recreation

Sustainable Growth Investment — Young Entrepreneurs
- Maximum amount : 45,000 $
- Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting

LRCC — Business Grant & Loan Program
- Maximum amount : 99,999 $
- Up to 10% of project cost
- All industries

Skills for Success Program — Training and Tools Stream
- No Condition
- All industries

Digital Literacy Exchange Program
- From $50,000 to $2,000,000
- All industries

Accompaniment and technical support for Québec forestry companies (MASTE)
- Maximum amount : 50,000 $
- Up to 75% of project cost
- Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting

PrairiesCan — Alberta Indigenous Clean Energy Initiative
- No Condition
- Utilities

- Maximum amount : 500,000 $
- Up to 70% of project cost
- Arts, entertainment and recreation

Community Arts Investment Program (CAIP) - Arts Organizations Stream
- From $20,000 to $35,000
- All industries

Economic Development Organization Operating Support Program (PAFODE) — Component 2 : Operating support for organizations supporting strategic sectors and regional economic development
- Maximum amount : 800,000 $
- Up to 100% of project cost
- Manufacturing
- Professional, scientific and technical services
- Educational services
- Other services (except public administration)

Local Road Assistance Program
- No Condition
- Public administration

PME MTL — Commerce X Design
- Maximum amount : 10,000 $
- Up to 20% of project cost
- Retail trade

FRWIP — Water Development Projects
- From $500 to $150,000
- Up to 50% of project cost
- Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting

ARBJ — Business start-up, expansion and succession program (PDERE)
- Maximum amount : 125,000 $
- Up to 35% of project cost
- All industries

AgriMarketing Program: Market Diversification for SMEs
- From $14,000 to $100,000
- Up to 70% of project cost
- Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting
- Manufacturing

Alberta Innovates — Strategic Networking and Development Program
- Maximum amount : 25,000 $
- Professional, scientific and technical services

Business Assistance — Immigrant Investor Program
- Up to 10% of project cost
- All industries

Atlantic Fisheries Fund – Atlantic innovation, infrastructure or science partnerships funding
- Up to 70% of project cost
- Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting
- Manufacturing
- Professional, scientific and technical services
- Educational services