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.

Brant Community Foundation - City of Brantford Community Grant Program
- Maximum amount : 15,000 $
- Health care and social assistance
- Arts, entertainment and recreation
- Public administration

CAAIN — 2024 – 2025 Open Competition
- Maximum amount : 3,000,000 $
- Up to 40% of project cost
- Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting

- From $10,000 to $10,000
- Other services (except public administration)

Web Presence Assistance
- Maximum amount : 2,500 $
- Up to 50% of project cost
- Retail trade

- No Condition
- All industries

Tremplin Grant – Indigenous Arts
- Maximum amount : 3,000 $
- Up to 100% of project cost
- Arts, entertainment and recreation

Investor Education and Protection Grants Program
- Maximum amount : 100,000 $
- Finance and insurance
- Professional, scientific and technical services
- Educational services

- Up to 60% of project cost
- Arts, entertainment and recreation

Northwest Territories Arts Council Funding
- Maximum amount : 5,000 $
- Arts, entertainment and recreation

Digital Equity Accelerator
- From $100,000 to $100,000
- Other services (except public administration)

Enabling Agricultural Research and Innovation
- Maximum amount : 90,000 $
- Up to 35% of project cost
- Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting

ChildCareBC New Spaces Fund
- No Condition
- Educational services
- Health care and social assistance
- Public administration

Beach Infrastructure Program
- Maximum amount : 5,000 $
- All industries

Adapted Business Grant Program
- No Condition
- All industries

OTF — Grow Grant
- From $50,000 to $600,000
- Health care and social assistance
- Arts, entertainment and recreation
- Other services (except public administration)
- Public administration

Community Futures Manitoba — Indigenous Business Development Services
- Maximum amount : 7,500 $
- All industries

Farm Technology Program
- Up to 50% of project cost
- Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting

Alberta Innovates — Product Demonstration Program
- Maximum amount : 150,000 $
- Up to 75% of project cost
- Professional, scientific and technical services

CREATE ACTION
- Maximum amount : 50,000 $
- Educational services
- Health care and social assistance
- Other services (except public administration)

- Maximum amount : 20,000 $
- Up to 40% of project cost
- All industries

Tourisme Baie-James — EPRTNT – Hosting
- From $25,000 to $200,000
- Up to 50% of project cost
- Accommodation and food services

CICE 2023 Directed Call for Innovation — Measurement, Monitoring and Verification (MMV) of Carbon Management
- No Condition
- Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting
- Utilities
- Manufacturing
- Transportation and warehousing

Creative Entrepreneurship Program
- No Condition
- Arts, entertainment and recreation
- Other services (except public administration)
- Public administration

PISAQ – Stream 1
- From $7,000 to $150,000
- Up to 75% of project cost
- All industries

Emissions Performance Standards program
- No Condition
- Manufacturing
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Gender-Responsive Climate Finance Window
- From $40,000 to $500,000
- Finance and insurance
- Professional, scientific and technical services
- Other services (except public administration)

Humanities Program
- No Condition
- All industries

Export Funding NB
- From $5,000 to $15,000
- Up to 65% of project cost
- All industries

Artist to Market Program (AMP)
- Maximum amount : 10,000 $
- Information and cultural industries
- Arts, entertainment and recreation

Programme Action-Climat Québec
- Maximum amount : 1,500,000 $
- Public administration

New Frontiers in Research Fund — Exploration Stream
- Maximum amount : 500,000 $
- All industries

Canada-Québec initiative to help mitigate the impact of excess rainfall in Québec in 2023 on certain regions and agricultural productions
- From $75 to $350,000
- Up to 70% of project cost
- Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting

Non-Profit Organizations Grant
- No Condition
- All industries

Programme de restauration et de création de milieux humides et hydriques
- Maximum amount : 1,000,000 $
- All industries

Heart of Georgian Bay Community Forward Fund
- Maximum amount : 20,000 $
- Educational services
- Health care and social assistance
- Arts, entertainment and recreation
- Other services (except public administration)

CMF — Conceptualization Program
- Maximum amount : 15,000 $
- Up to 75% of project cost
- Information and cultural industries

Alberta Innovates — Water Innovation Program
- No Condition
- Professional, scientific and technical services

Regional Development Fund — Regional Development Program
- Maximum amount : 10,000 $
- Up to 25% of project cost
- All industries

Alberta Export Expansion Program (AEEP)
- Up to 50% of project cost
- All industries

British Columbia History Digitization Program
- Maximum amount : 15,000 $
- Up to 50% of project cost
- All industries

Genomic Applications Partnership Program (GAPP)
- From $100,000 to $6,000,000
- Up to 1% of project cost
- Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting
- Professional, scientific and technical services
- Health care and social assistance
- Public administration

Small Business Support Program — Entrepreneur Development Fund
- No Condition
- Retail trade
- Arts, entertainment and recreation
- Accommodation and food services
- Other services (except public administration)

RecreationNL - Eat Great and Participate Funding Program
- Maximum amount : 1,000 $
- Arts, entertainment and recreation

RecreationNL - Teen Challenge Physical Activity Funding Program
- Maximum amount : 250 $
- All industries

RecreationNL - Parasport and Recreation for Persons with a Disability Funding Program
- No Condition
- All industries

Indigenous Cultural Heritage Program
- Maximum amount : 15,000 $
- All industries

True North Treasure Initiative – Labrador Trough
- No Condition
- Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting
- Mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction
- Utilities

Opportunities Fund for Persons with Disabilities — National or Regional Component
- No Condition
- All industries

Canadian Relations Support Program - Tier 1: Expertise exchange
- Maximum amount : 10,000 $
- All industries

FRWIP — Small Dams
- From $500 to $75,000
- Up to 50% of project cost
- Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting
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Technology showcase - pre-commercialization of innovation
- Maximum amount : 250,000 $
- Up to 50% of project cost
- Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting
- Manufacturing
- Information and cultural industries
- Finance and insurance

Alberta Innovates — Tech2Farm
- Maximum amount : 500,000 $
- Up to 50% of project cost
- Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting

Arts & Culture Grants - Celebrations & Events Grants
- Maximum amount : 18,500 $
- Up to 40% of project cost
- Arts, entertainment and recreation

Arts & Culture Grants - Programming & Project Assistance Grants
- Maximum amount : 12,500 $
- All industries

Entrepreneurship and Innovation Fund (EIF) — Non-Profits that Serve Underrepresented Communities
- From $10,000 to $10,000
- Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting
- Information and cultural industries
- Other services (except public administration)

Sponsorship and Donations
- No Condition
- All industries

Arts & Culture Grants - Operating Assistance Grants
- No Condition
- All industries

Energy Innovation Program — FEED Studies for Carbon capture, utilization and storage
- Maximum amount : 50,000,000 $
- Mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction
- Utilities
- Manufacturing
- Transportation and warehousing

United Way Greater Toronto - Cooksville Community Action Grants
- Minimum amount : 5,000 $
- All industries

Call for Indigenous Producers for ISO Delegation to Content London
- Maximum amount : 5,000 $
- Up to 51% of project cost
- Information and cultural industries

United Way Greater Toronto - Community Program Grants
- From $50,000 to $150,000
- All industries

STIP — Resource Road Program
- Maximum amount : 3,000,000 $
- Up to 50% of project cost
- Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting
- Manufacturing

Toronto Foundation - Free to Play
- From $20,000 to $150,000
- All industries

Port Coquitlam Community Foundation - Community Capital Projects Matching Grant
- From $1,000 to $10,000
- Up to 50% of project cost
- Arts, entertainment and recreation

Canada Foundation for Innovation - John R. Evans Leaders Fund (JELF)
- Maximum amount : 800,000 $
- All industries

Pathways to Safe Indigenous Communities Initiative
- Maximum amount : 1,000,000 $
- Health care and social assistance
- Public administration

Canada Foundation for Innovation - Innovation Fund
- Maximum amount : 4,000,000 $
- Up to 40% of project cost
- All industries

STDP AO 10.2 Space R&D – Small Businesses
- Maximum amount : 350,000 $
- Up to 75% of project cost
- Construction

- Maximum amount : 50,000 $
- All industries

Nunavut Filmmakers Funding — Short Film Fund
- Maximum amount : 25,000 $
- Up to 27% of project cost
- Arts, entertainment and recreation

Explore and Create — Professional Development for Artists
- Maximum amount : 10,000 $
- Arts, entertainment and recreation

Canada Foundation for Innovation - Biosciences Research Infrastructure Fund
- No Condition
- All industries

- No Condition
- All industries

Community Partnership Program (Employment)
- No Condition
- All industries

Canada Foundation for Innovation - Major Science Initiatives (MSI) Fund
- No Condition
- All industries
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Taking action for wildlife
- Up to 75% of project cost
- Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting
- Other services (except public administration)
- Public administration

Canada Foundation for Innovation - Northern Fund
- From $250,000 to $2,500,000
- Up to 50% of project cost
- All industries

Canada Foundation for Innovation - Exceptional Opportunities Fund
- No Condition
- All industries

Bee BC Program
- Maximum amount : 7,000 $
- Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting

David S. Howes Fund Grants Program
- No Condition
- All industries

Canada's Ocean Supercluster — Program Innovation ecosystem projects and activities
- Up to 75% of project cost
- All industries

- Maximum amount : 7,500 $
- All industries

Tourisme Baie-James — EPRTNT – Attractions, activities and facilities
- From $5,000 to $200,000
- Up to 50% of project cost
- Arts, entertainment and recreation
- Accommodation and food services

Alberta Innovates — Digital Innovation in Clean Energy (DICE)
- Maximum amount : 250,000 $
- Up to 50% of project cost
- Mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction

Novoclimat — Construction professionals — Homes
- Maximum amount : 4,000 $
- Up to 20% of project cost
- Construction

Organic Industry Development — Certified Organic Land Conversion
- From $400 to $60,000
- Up to 50% of project cost
- Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting

Sundance Native Lab 2025
- Maximum amount : 10,000 $
- Information and cultural industries
- Arts, entertainment and recreation

Bourses à la relève Agri-Marché – Dairy sector
- No Condition
- Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting

CMF-SODEC — Predevelopment Program for Television Series Based on Literary Adaptations
- Maximum amount : 50,000 $
- Up to 75% of project cost
- Information and cultural industries

Civil Forfeiture Grant Program - Anti-hate stream
- Maximum amount : 10,000 $
- All industries

Springboard for innovation
- Up to 66% of project cost
- Educational services

Green Construction through Wood (GCWood) Program
- Maximum amount : 5,000,000 $
- Up to 50% of project cost
- Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting
- Construction

Organic Industry Development — Increasing Market Competitiveness
- Maximum amount : 60,000 $
- Up to 70% of project cost
- All industries

PISAQ – Stream 4
- Maximum amount : 30,000 $
- Up to 90% of project cost
- Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting
- Educational services
- Health care and social assistance

Community Incentive Grant Program
- No Condition
- All industries
McConnell Foundation - Montréal Grants Program
- Maximum amount : 1,000,000 $
- Up to 10% of project cost
- All industries

Wildlife Damage Compensation Program
- From $500 to $35,000
- Up to 80% of project cost
- Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting

Strategic Investments Program — Nunavut Economic Foundations Fund
- No Condition
- All industries

Call for projects for digital cultural development in the Canadian Francophonie
- Maximum amount : 25,000 $
- Up to 75% of project cost
- Information and cultural industries
- Educational services
- Arts, entertainment and recreation

Research Investment Opportunities: Foundational Infrastructure: Foundational Infrastructure
- No Condition
- All industries