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.

OAC — Music – French-language projects
- Maximum amount : 10,000 $
- Arts, entertainment and recreation

Livestock Price Insurance Program
- No Condition
- Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting

- No Condition
- All industries

Entrepreneurial Assistance Program (PAEN)
- No Condition
- Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting
- Mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction
- Utilities
- Construction

Zero-Emission Trucking Program - Call for Proposals
- Maximum amount : 1,000,000 $
- Up to 75% of project cost
- Transportation and warehousing

Sponsorship Opportunities
- Maximum amount : 10,000 $
- Health care and social assistance

Volunteer Coordination & Supports Enhancement Grant
- From $50,000 to $75,000
- All industries

Aboriginal Business Financing Program (ABDP) — Community project
- Up to 75% of project cost
- All industries

- From $75,000 to $1,000,000
- Up to 50% of project cost
- All industries

Community Interaction Program — Study projects
- Maximum amount : 200,000 $
- Up to 70% of project cost
- Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting
- Other services (except public administration)

First Nations and Inuit Summer Work Experience Program
- Up to 100% of project cost
- Educational services

AFA — Queen's Platinum Jubilee Scholarship for Visual Arts
- Maximum amount : 7,000 $
- Arts, entertainment and recreation

NGen — Cluster Building Project
- Maximum amount : 150,000 $
- Up to 50% of project cost
- Manufacturing

Indigenous Participant Funding Program — Project-based component
- Maximum amount : 3,500 $
- Up to 15% of project cost
- Public administration

Cultural Funding - Equity and inclusion in the arts fund
- Maximum amount : 20,000 $
- Up to 90% of project cost
- Information and cultural industries
- Arts, entertainment and recreation

Yukon Cultural Industries Training Fund (CTIF)
- No Condition
- Information and cultural industries
- Arts, entertainment and recreation

- Maximum amount : 500,000 $
- Professional, scientific and technical services
- Health care and social assistance

True Patriot Love Foundation - Local Community Fund
- From $5,000 to $75,000
- Health care and social assistance
- Arts, entertainment and recreation

- No Condition
- All industries

JEDDI Training Bursary
- Maximum amount : 1,000 $
- Educational services

Fuel Savings Transportation Program
- Maximum amount : 250,000 $
- Up to 50% of project cost
- Transportation and warehousing

AgriAssurance Program — Kosher and Halal Investment – For-profit
- Maximum amount : 50,000 $
- Up to 50% of project cost
- Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting

Youth Opportunity Grant
- Maximum amount : 75,000 $
- All industries

Strategic Investments Program — Nunavut Business Investment Fund
- No Condition
- All industries

Toronto Foundation - Vital Signs Grants
- Maximum amount : 15,000 $
- All industries
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Rail Safety Improvement Program - Public Education and Awareness (E&A)
- No Condition
- All industries

- From $100,000 to $250,000
- Up to 50% of project cost
- All industries

Transformation Grants
- No Condition
- All industries

Musicaction — Incubator project
- No Condition
- Arts, entertainment and recreation

Territorial and sectoral development program — Stream 2.2
- From $5,000 to $250,000
- Up to 50% of project cost
- Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting

Innovative Enterprise Program
- Maximum amount : 38,000 $
- Up to 95% of project cost
- Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting
- Manufacturing

Nova Scotia Film and Television Production Incentive Fund
- Minimum amount : 25,000 $
- Up to 26% of project cost
- Information and cultural industries

Regional Economic Growth Through Innovation & Southern Ontario Prosperity Program — Indigenous
- No Condition
- All industries

NADF Financing
- Maximum amount : 500,000 $
- All industries

Défi-Québec, an entrepreneurial city
- Maximum amount : 50,000 $
- Up to 50% of project cost
- Utilities
- Manufacturing
- Information and cultural industries
- Professional, scientific and technical services

Innovative Solutions Canada - Vehicle theft prevention
- Maximum amount : 150,000 $
- Professional, scientific and technical services

Collaborate 2 Commercialize
- From $20,000 to $150,000
- Up to 50% of project cost
- Manufacturing
- Professional, scientific and technical services

Small Business Support Program — Small Business Opportunities Fund
- No Condition
- Retail trade
- Arts, entertainment and recreation
- Accommodation and food services

PRIMA — SI2TEC – Feasibility Studies
- Maximum amount : 75,000 $
- Up to 50% of project cost
- Manufacturing
- Professional, scientific and technical services
- Administrative and support, waste management and remediation services

Unpuzzling: Greening Your Food Manufacturing Operation (Atlantic Companies Only)
- Maximum amount : 25,000 $
- Up to 70% of project cost
- Manufacturing

Slate Development
- Maximum amount : 50,000 $
- Up to 30% of project cost
- Arts, entertainment and recreation

- No Condition
- Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting
- Information and cultural industries
- Health care and social assistance
- Other services (except public administration)

Marketing Initiative Program
- Maximum amount : 20,000 $
- Up to 50% of project cost
- Arts, entertainment and recreation
- Other services (except public administration)
- Public administration

Agriculture Water Infrastructure Program – Stream 3
- From $20,000 to $200,000
- Up to 50% of project cost
- Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting

Initiatives program (FIP)
- Up to 80% of project cost
- Arts, entertainment and recreation
- Accommodation and food services

Biofood Innovation Program Component 4 – Financial support for innovation partnership initiatives
- From $50,000 to $901,700
- Up to 60% of project cost
- Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting
- Professional, scientific and technical services
- Educational services

Supporting the Charitable and Nonprofit Sector
- No Condition
- All industries

Programme d’appui au développement des secteurs stratégiques et des créneaux d’excellence (PADS)
- Maximum amount : 1,500,000 $
- Up to 50% of project cost
- Manufacturing

Arts Abroad — Translation
- Maximum amount : 20,000 $
- Up to 50% of project cost
- Information and cultural industries
- Arts, entertainment and recreation

SOCAN — Professional Development Assistance
- Maximum amount : 1,500 $
- Arts, entertainment and recreation
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Rouyn-Noranda — Childcare Services Fund
- No Condition
- Health care and social assistance

Invest Ottawa Scale-Up Platform
- No Condition
- Information and cultural industries
- Professional, scientific and technical services

Creative Saskatchewan - Feature Film & TV Production
- Maximum amount : 5,000,000 $
- Up to 30% of project cost
- Information and cultural industries

Disaster Financial Assistance Arrangements (DFAA)
- Up to 90% of project cost
- Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting
- Utilities
- Construction
- Manufacturing

Indigenous Employment Training Partnerships Program
- No Condition
- All industries

Rio Tinto Alcan Canada - Diavik Communities Contribution Programme
- No Condition
- Educational services
- Health care and social assistance
- Arts, entertainment and recreation

Responsive Community Grants
- Maximum amount : 10,000 $
- All industries

HIV Community Wellness Initiative
- From $25,000 to $50,000
- All industries

2025 International Overdose Awareness Day Grants
- No Condition
- All industries

Contaminated Sites On-Reserve program
- No Condition
- Administrative and support, waste management and remediation services
- Educational services
- Public administration

OAC — Multi and Inter-Arts Organizations: Operating
- No Condition
- Arts, entertainment and recreation

Public transit development assistance program – Stream 4 : Other financial assistance
- Maximum amount : 200,000 $
- Up to 75% of project cost
- Transportation and warehousing
- Public administration

OAC — Literature – French-language projects
- Maximum amount : 12,000 $
- Arts, entertainment and recreation

Food Processing Growth Fund (FPG)
- From $100,000 to $1,000,000
- Up to 75% of project cost
- Manufacturing

Support for Entrepreneurs and Economic Development (SEED) — Business Intelligence and Networking
- From $1,000 to $8,000
- All industries

Indigenous cultural partnership
- From $5,000 to $1,500,000
- Up to 75% of project cost
- Information and cultural industries
- Arts, entertainment and recreation

- From $10,000 to $35,000
- All industries

Développement Vaudreuil-Soulanges — FSE
- No Condition
- All industries

Vehicle Retrofit Program — Persons with disabilities
- Maximum amount : 8,000 $
- Up to 80% of project cost
- Transportation and warehousing

The Ontario Trillium Foundation - Grow Grants
- Maximum amount : 600,000 $
- All industries

Government Assistance Program for Public Transportation Infrastructure (PAGITC)
- No Condition
- Transportation and warehousing

Taking Action on Tower Renewal Program (TATR)
- Maximum amount : 5,000,000 $
- Up to 25% of project cost
- Real estate and rental and leasing

Efficiency Nova Scotia — Fisheries and Aquaculture Energy Efficiency Innovation Fund
- Maximum amount : 250,000 $
- Up to 75% of project cost
- Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting
- Manufacturing

- Up to 75% of project cost
- Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting

- No Condition
- All industries
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- From $1,000 to $7,500
- All industries

C/AV and Smart Mobility — Stream 2
- Maximum amount : 1,000,000 $
- Up to 66% of project cost
- Transportation and warehousing

Community Enhancement Employment Program
- No Condition
- All industries

Community Facilities Improvement Program
- Maximum amount : 50,000 $
- Up to 75% of project cost
- All industries

EUP OHAMR Joint Transnational Call
- Maximum amount : 600,000 $
- Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting
- Professional, scientific and technical services
- Health care and social assistance

- No Condition
- All industries

Canada-Japan Corporate Co-innovation Program
- Maximum amount : 75,000 $
- Up to 50% of project cost
- Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting
- Manufacturing
- Transportation and warehousing
- Information and cultural industries

National Cost-Sharing Program for Heritage Places
- No Condition
- All industries

Canada Book Fund Support for Organizations — Not-for-Profit
- Maximum amount : 2,000,000 $
- Up to 50% of project cost
- Information and cultural industries

AFA — ISCP Residency in New York Funding
- Maximum amount : 15,000 $
- Arts, entertainment and recreation

SIF — Business Innovation and Growth projects
- No Condition
- Manufacturing
- Professional, scientific and technical services

Active Communities Initiative
- From $50,000 to $1,500,000
- Up to 50% of project cost
- Arts, entertainment and recreation

Alberta Innovates — Alberta Digital Traction Program
- Maximum amount : 50,000 $
- Up to 75% of project cost
- Information and cultural industries
- Professional, scientific and technical services

Canadian Goods Abroad program
- Up to 50% of project cost
- All industries

Sustainable New Agri-Food Products & Productivity Program — Productivity Enhancement
- Maximum amount : 10,000 $
- Up to 50% of project cost
- Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting

Territorial and sectoral development program — Stream 2.3
- From $5,000 to $200,000
- Up to 80% of project cost
- Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting

- Maximum amount : 25,000 $
- Health care and social assistance

Social Development Partnerships Program - Disability Component (SDPP-D) - Intersectional Capacity Development Stream
- From $500,000 to $700,000
- All industries

Tourism Market Readiness Subsidy Program
- Maximum amount : 2,500 $
- Up to 25% of project cost
- Accommodation and food services

Support program for remote communities
- Maximum amount : 950,000 $
- All industries
Fondation Choquette-Legault
- No Condition
- All industries

Child Sexual Abuse Programme
- From $25,000 to $7,000,000
- All industries

Water Program — On-farm irrigation stream
- Maximum amount : 35 $
- Up to 50% of project cost
- Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting

Market Opportunities and Diversification Program
- Maximum amount : 75,000 $
- Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting
- Manufacturing

Gatineau — Green Fund
- Maximum amount : 25,000 $
- Up to 75% of project cost
- All industries