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.

Nova Scotia — Export Development Program
- Maximum amount : 15,000 $
- All industries

Vancouver Sport Hosting Grants
- Maximum amount : 10,000 $
- Up to 30% of project cost
- Arts, entertainment and recreation

PARTENAR-IA — CRIAQ — Academic
- Maximum amount : 500,000 $
- Up to 40% of project cost
- Manufacturing
- Transportation and warehousing

Intellectual Property Ontario
- Up to 80% of project cost
- Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting
- Mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction
- Manufacturing
- Professional, scientific and technical services

Pride London Festival Endowment Fund
- No Condition
- All industries

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

Native Women’s Association of Canada — National Apprenticeships Program
- From $10,000 to $20,000
- Construction
- Manufacturing

- From $1,000 to $5,000
- All industries

Small Business Recovery (SBR) Consulting Rebate
- Maximum amount : 30,000 $
- Up to 85% of project cost
- Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting
- Mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction
- Manufacturing
- Retail trade

Supporting Artistic Practice — Literary Publishing Projects
- Maximum amount : 30,000 $
- Arts, entertainment and recreation

Market Diversification and Trade Resiliency Initiative
- No Condition
- Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting
- Manufacturing

- Maximum amount : 400,000 $
- All industries

Arts, Culture & Heritage Fund Grants
- No Condition
- Arts, entertainment and recreation

Mississauga Foundation - Catalogue of Community Needs Grants
- Maximum amount : 2,000 $
- All industries

Energy Innovation Program — On-road Transportation Decarbonization
- No Condition
- Manufacturing
- Transportation and warehousing
- Professional, scientific and technical services

Atlantic Fisheries Fund — Infrastructure
- No Condition
- Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting

Collective Entrepreneurship Capital Investment Program
- Maximum amount : 500,000 $
- Up to 50% of project cost
- All industries

Quebec Fisheries Fund — Innovation
- Maximum amount : 1,000,000 $
- Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting

Whistler Blackcomb Foundation - Whistler Blackcomb Foundation Envirofund
- No Condition
- All industries

Aboriginal Fisheries Strategy (AFS)
- No Condition
- Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting

- No Condition
- All industries

Sport Support Program - Community Sport for All Initiative
- No Condition
- All industries
EconoLease Community Grants Program
- From $5,000 to $5,000
- Up to 75% of project cost
- Accommodation and food services

Innovate BC — BC Fast Pilot program
- Maximum amount : 200,000 $
- Manufacturing
- Professional, scientific and technical services
- Other services (except public administration)
- Public administration

- Maximum amount : 10,000 $
- Up to 50% of project cost
- Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting
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PRCCM – Stream 2
- Up to 90% of project cost
- Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting
- Mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction

Community Food Fund
- No Condition
- All industries

Culture Funding - Arts funding program
- Maximum amount : 10,000 $
- Up to 90% of project cost
- Information and cultural industries
- Educational services
- Arts, entertainment and recreation

First Nations and Inuit Cultural Education Centres Program
- No Condition
- Information and cultural industries
- Educational services

ACOA Jobs and Growth Fund — Non Profit
- No Condition
- All industries

- Maximum amount : 150,000 $
- Information and cultural industries
- Arts, entertainment and recreation

- No Condition
- All industries

Agriculture Research and Innovation — Applied Research (Agribusiness and Academic Institutions)
- Maximum amount : 80,000 $
- Up to 75% of project cost
- Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting

Community Funding Program - Emergency Funding
- No Condition
- All industries

Musicaction — Event in Canada
- Maximum amount : 85,000 $
- Up to 75% of project cost
- Arts, entertainment and recreation

The Low Carbon Economy Fund - Low Carbon Economy Leadership Fund
- No Condition
- Utilities
- Construction
- Manufacturing
- Professional, scientific and technical services

Newfoundland and Labrador Seniors’ Social Inclusion Initiative
- No Condition
- All industries

Private Archives Processing Support Program
- From $5,000 to $20,000
- Up to 50% of project cost
- Information and cultural industries
- Educational services
- Public administration

Seniors Community Grant Program
- From $1,000 to $25,000
- Health care and social assistance

Canadian Experiences Fund (CEF)
- Up to 100% of project cost
- Arts, entertainment and recreation
- Accommodation and food services
- Other services (except public administration)
- Public administration

Heritage Grants - Heritage Conservation Grants Program
- No Condition
- All industries

Saskatchewan Lotteries Community Grant Program
- No Condition
- All industries

The Low Carbon Economy Fund - Low Carbon Economy Challenge
- Minimum amount : 1,000,000 $
- Up to 75% of project cost
- Manufacturing
- Administrative and support, waste management and remediation services

Ontario Endowment for Children and Youth in Recreation Fund
- Maximum amount : 10,000 $
- All industries

SSRIA – Innovation Fund
- Maximum amount : 300,000 $
- Up to 70% of project cost
- Construction

The Newfoundland and Labrador Disaster Financial Assistance Program (NL-DFAP)
- Up to 70% of project cost
- Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting
- Other services (except public administration)
- Public administration

Core Support Grants (CSG)
- No Condition
- Health care and social assistance
- Other services (except public administration)
- Public administration

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

Regional Initiatives Fund (FAIR)
- Maximum amount : 150,000 $
- Up to 90% of project cost
- Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting
- Utilities
- Construction
- Manufacturing

- No Condition
- Other services (except public administration)
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- Up to 50% of project cost
- Educational services

Irrigation Program — Irrigation Efficiency Program
- From $250 to $50,000
- Up to 30% of project cost
- Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting

CMF — POV Program
- Maximum amount : 400,000 $
- Up to 49% of project cost
- Information and cultural industries
- Arts, entertainment and recreation

ACOA Jobs and Growth Fund — For Profit
- Up to 50% of project cost
- Manufacturing
- Health care and social assistance

Montérégie Tourism — EPRTNT 2025-2027 – Attractions, activities and facilities
- From $50,000 to $130,000
- Up to 80% of project cost
- Arts, entertainment and recreation
- Accommodation and food services

The Leadership Fund
- From $1,500 to $3,000
- Health care and social assistance
- No Condition
- Other services (except public administration)

First Nations Clean Energy Business Fund — Capacity Funding
- Maximum amount : 500,000 $
- Up to 37.5% of project cost
- Utilities

FedDev — Regional Artificial Intelligence Initiative – Adoption Pillar 2 – Businesses
- Maximum amount : 5,000,000 $
- Up to 50% of project cost
- Manufacturing
- Transportation and warehousing
- Finance and insurance
- Health care and social assistance

Aboriginal Arts and Culture Leadership Grant
- From $15,000 to $30,000
- All industries

CMF — Program for Racialized Communities (PRC)
- Maximum amount : 750,000 $
- Up to 60% of project cost
- Information and cultural industries

QEPD — Hurricane Fiona Recovery Fund - CED (QC)
- No Condition
- Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting
- Arts, entertainment and recreation
- Other services (except public administration)

Job Creation Partnership Northwest Territories
- No Condition
- All industries

PSO – Organic food
- Maximum amount : 500,000 $
- Up to 27% of project cost
- Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting
- Manufacturing
- Professional, scientific and technical services

Aboriginal Business Loans — Youth and Womens Loans
- Maximum amount : 1,500,000 $
- Up to 75% of project cost
- Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting

Indigenous Cannabis Business Fund — Community Planning & Engagement
- Maximum amount : 12,000 $
- Manufacturing
- Wholesale trade
- Retail trade

Giving Voice Grants
- Maximum amount : 10,000 $
- All industries

ERA — Advanced Materials Challenge
- From $250,000 to $5,000,000
- Up to 50% of project cost
- Mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction
- Manufacturing
- Professional, scientific and technical services
- Administrative and support, waste management and remediation services

AQT - Young Enterprise Awards
- No Condition
- Information and cultural industries

Three Phase Network Access Program
- Maximum amount : 250,000 $
- Up to 75% of project cost
- Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting
- Manufacturing

Local Food Infrastructure Fund – Small Scale Projects
- From $25,000 to $500,000
- Up to 100% of project cost
- Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting
Nova Scotia Community Housing Capital Fund
- No Condition
- All industries

Skills for Success Program — Research and Innovation Stream
- Maximum amount : 7,500,000 $
- Up to 50% of project cost
- Educational services
- Health care and social assistance
- Other services (except public administration)
- Public administration

- No Condition
- All industries

Scale AI — STEM Youth Awareness Program
- No Condition
- Educational services
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PacifiCan — Jobs and Growth Fund — For profit
- Up to 70% of project cost
- Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting
- Manufacturing
- Information and cultural industries
- Professional, scientific and technical services

The Sisters of Providence Care of St. Vincent de Paul Community Impact Fund - ACEs & Resilience Stream
- No Condition
- All industries

Stait Family Fund
- Minimum amount : 1,000 $
- All industries

Regina Rosen Food First Fund
- Maximum amount : 1,000 $
- All industries

NSERC Alliance – Alberta Innovates Advance Program
- Maximum amount : 150,000 $
- Professional, scientific and technical services

Toronto Urban Health Fund (TUHF)
- No Condition
- All industries

Agri-Tech Innovation Initiative : Stream 1 – Agri-Tech Innovation
- Maximum amount : 49,999 $
- Up to 50% of project cost
- Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting
- Manufacturing

Support for Entrepreneurs and Economic Development (SEED) — Entrepreneur Support
- Maximum amount : 25,000 $
- Up to 20% of project cost
- Information and cultural industries
- Arts, entertainment and recreation
- Accommodation and food services
- Other services (except public administration)

The Economic Security Program for Cree Hunters
- No Condition
- Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting

Musagetes Grant Program
- No Condition
- All industries

- From $3,000 to $5,000
- Health care and social assistance

Community Response Grants
- No Condition
- All industries

Canada's Ocean Supercluster — Technology Leadership Project Program
- Minimum amount : 400,000 $
- Up to 40% of project cost
- Utilities
- Transportation and warehousing
- Professional, scientific and technical services

STDP AO 10.3 Space R&D – Next wave of technologies
- Maximum amount : 500,000 $
- Up to 75% of project cost
- All industries

Industry Expansion Program
- No Condition
- All industries

PacifiCan Business Acceleration Pilot (BizAP)
- Up to 50% of project cost
- All industries

Ontario Junior Exploration Program
- Maximum amount : 200,000 $
- Up to 50% of project cost
- Mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction

- No Condition
- All industries

Improving Crop and Livestock Health and Quality
- Maximum amount : 75,000 $
- Up to 50% of project cost
- Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting

Official Languages Economic Development Initiative in Quebec — For-profit
- Up to 50% of project cost
- Information and cultural industries
- Professional, scientific and technical services
- Other services (except public administration)

Off-Road Vehicle Financial Assistance Program - Wildlife and Habitat Protection Stream
- Maximum amount : 500,000 $
- Up to 75% of project cost
- Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting
- Transportation and warehousing
- Educational services
- Arts, entertainment and recreation

Fund for the Market Access Strategy for Official Language Minority Communities
- Maximum amount : 60,000 $
- Arts, entertainment and recreation

Local Food Infrastructure Fund – Large Scale Projects
- From $150,000 to $500,000
- Up to 75% of project cost
- Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting

CED — Regional Homebuilding Innovation Initiative
- Up to 90% of project cost
- Construction
- Manufacturing

- No Condition
- Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting
- Other services (except public administration)
- Public administration