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.

- Maximum amount : 250,000 $
- Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting
- Manufacturing
- Information and cultural industries
- Professional, scientific and technical services

- 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

Cultural Supports Program — Film and Television Stream
- Maximum amount : 2,000,000 $
- Up to 50% of project cost
- 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

Canadian Fish and Seafood Opportunities Fund
- Up to 70% of project cost
- Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting

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

Light Reflecting Materials Program
- From $500 to $30,000
- Up to 50% of project cost
- Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting
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

Plant Your Roots Program — New Entrant
- Maximum amount : 100,000 $
- Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting

CSSP — Lighting the path with AI: Advanced analytics and decision support for first responders
- Maximum amount : 2,000,000 $
- Information and cultural industries
- Professional, scientific and technical services
- Health care and social assistance
- Public administration
Discover how much grant funding is available for your business
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Farm fuel and rural utility programs
- Maximum amount : 5,250 $
- Up to 25% of project cost
- Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting
- Utilities

SHRF — Establishment Grant
- Maximum amount : 150,000 $
- Health care and social assistance

Capital Project Grants - Social Policy - Social Small Capital Grants
- Maximum amount : 25,000 $
- Health care and social assistance
- Other services (except public administration)
- Public administration

Ascension competition
- Maximum amount : 60,000 $
- Construction
- Manufacturing
- Retail trade
- Transportation and warehousing

Airports Capital Assistance Program
- Up to 100% of project cost
- Transportation and warehousing

CAAIN — 2025 Broadacre Cropping Program
- Maximum amount : 600,000 $
- Up to 40% of project cost
- Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting

Tourisme Baie-James — EPRTNT – Festivals and events
- Maximum amount : 50,000 $
- Up to 50% of project cost
- Arts, entertainment and recreation

Screen BC Short Film Award
- From $15,000 to $15,000
- Arts, entertainment and recreation

Post-Farm Food Safety Program
- Maximum amount : 20,000 $
- Up to 70% of project cost
- Manufacturing
- Transportation and warehousing

Milton Community Connections Grant
- Maximum amount : 2,500 $
- All industries

Mission Inclusion - Support for Quebec Organizations - Organizational Accompaniment
- Up to 66% of project cost
- All industries

Call for innovative projects in artificial intelligence: collaborative industrial research and support for innovative entrepreneurship
- Maximum amount : 1,500,000 $
- Professional, scientific and technical services

First Nation Infrastructure Fund (FNIF)
- Up to 10% of project cost
- Public administration

STIP — Local Municipal Initiatives
- No Condition
- Transportation and warehousing

Agri-Industry Development & Advancement — Business Development (Agricultural Organizations and Associations)
- Maximum amount : 100,000 $
- Up to 50% of project cost
- Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting

Regional Development Fund — Community Capacity Building
- Maximum amount : 10,000 $
- All industries

- Maximum amount : 5,000 $
- All industries

Livestock Strategy Program — Strategic Livestock Industry
- Maximum amount : 75,000 $
- Up to 50% of project cost
- Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting

Employee Training Program
- Maximum amount : 13,000 $
- Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting
- Mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction
- Utilities
- Construction

Youth Education Grants Program
- No Condition
- All industries

AFA — Professional Performing Arts Organizations Operating Funding
- Up to 10% of project cost
- Arts, entertainment and recreation

Articipate — Creation and Development Grant
- Maximum amount : 5,000 $
- Arts, entertainment and recreation

Emerging Opportunities Program
- From $2,000,000 to $1,000,000
- Up to 25% of project cost
- Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting
- Manufacturing

Ontario — Meat Processors Capacity Improvement Initiative
- Maximum amount : 150,000 $
- Up to 60% of project cost
- Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting
- Manufacturing

Fund to stimulate international business tourism – Stream 2 - Carrying out canvassing activities
- From $5,000 to $200,000
- Up to 50% of project cost
- 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.

Initiative for Sustainable Aviation Technology (INSAT)
- Up to 36% of project cost
- Transportation and warehousing

First Nations Land Management
- No Condition
- Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting
- Mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction
- Utilities
- Construction

Alberta Innovates — Agri-Food and Bioindustrial Innovation Program
- Maximum amount : 500,000 $
- Up to 75% of project cost
- Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting
- Construction
- Manufacturing

Innovation and Business Development Fund
- Up to 50% of project cost
- Mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction
- Utilities

Small Food Processor Scale-Up Program (SFPS)
- From $25,000 to $150,000
- Up to 75% of project cost
- Manufacturing

Mini-Grants Program
- From $2,500 to $2,500
- All industries

Ecosystem Services Grant Program
- Up to 50% of project cost
- Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting
- Educational services
- Arts, entertainment and recreation
- Other services (except public administration)
The Lewitt Family Foundation
- No Condition
- Educational services
- Arts, entertainment and recreation

- No Condition
- All industries

Equipment Grant Program
- Maximum amount : 3,000 $
- All industries

Major International Event Security Cost Framework
- Up to 100% of project cost
- Public administration

CMF — Iteration Program
- Maximum amount : 350,000 $
- Up to 75% of project cost
- Information and cultural industries

Digital Health Sandbox
- Maximum amount : 300,000 $
- Professional, scientific and technical services
- Educational services
- Health care and social assistance
- Public administration

Ontario REALTORS Care® Foundation
- No Condition
- All industries

Cultural Operating Funding (COF)
- No Condition
- Information and cultural industries
- Arts, entertainment and recreation

CFI — Innovation Fund
- Up to 40% of project cost
- Professional, scientific and technical services
- Educational services
- Health care and social assistance

Entreprendre Sherbrooke — Créavenir Estrie
- Maximum amount : 15,000 $
- All industries

Gender Equity Grant
- Maximum amount : 5,000 $
- Other services (except public administration)
- Public administration

Kakivak Association — Small Tool Grants
- Maximum amount : 25,000 $
- Arts, entertainment and recreation
- Accommodation and food services

Economic Development Fund — Tier 3
- Maximum amount : 500,000 $
- Up to 75% of project cost
- All industries

Livestock Strategy Program — Community Pasture
- Up to 50% of project cost
- Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting

ventureLAB — Accelerate AI
- No Condition
- Information and cultural industries
- Professional, scientific and technical services

CMF-SODEC — Corporate Financial Program for Television Production
- Maximum amount : 500,000 $
- Up to 75% of project cost
- Information and cultural industries

United Way East Ontario - Community Fund Call for Proposals
- Maximum amount : 50,000 $
- All industries

Financial assistance to improve infrastructure and ensure safe off-road vehicle use
- Maximum amount : 500,000 $
- Up to 75% of project cost
- Arts, entertainment and recreation
- Public administration
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.

Canada – Newfoundland and Labrador Job Grant
- Maximum amount : 15,000 $
- Up to 33% of project cost
- All industries

Cultural Spaces Grant Program - Cultural Infrastructure Grants (CIG)
- Maximum amount : 250,000 $
- Information and cultural industries
- Arts, entertainment and recreation

Brownfields Redevelopment Program - Development Charge Deferral
- Up to 50% of project cost
- Construction
- Real estate and rental and leasing
- Administrative and support, waste management and remediation services

- No Condition
- All industries

MRC L'Érable — Self-employment support (STA)
- Up to 20% of project cost
- All industries

BridgeGreen Fund
- No Condition
- All industries

- Maximum amount : 6,000,000 $
- Utilities
- Manufacturing
- Professional, scientific and technical services

OMIF — Music Industry Initiatives
- From $10,000 to $300,000
- Up to 50% of project cost
- Information and cultural industries
- Arts, entertainment and recreation

Livestock Incentive Loan Program
- Maximum amount : 75,000 $
- All industries
Movember Prostate Cancer Health Equity Initiative
- No Condition
- All industries

Environmental Grants Program
- No Condition
- All industries

ACOA — Aerospace Regional Recovery Initiative
- Up to 100% of project cost
- Manufacturing

Alberta Innovates — Health Innovations
- Maximum amount : 200,000 $
- Up to 75% of project cost
- Health care and social assistance

Building Safer Communities Program Grants (BSCP) - Youth Engagement Project Grants
- Maximum amount : 10,000 $
- Educational services
- Health care and social assistance
- Other services (except public administration)
- Public administration

CleanBC Industry Fund - Emissions Performance Request for Proposals
- Maximum amount : 25,000,000 $
- Up to 50% of project cost
- Manufacturing

PacifiCan — Regional Economic Growth through Innovation — Regional Innovation Ecosystems
- Up to 50% of project cost
- Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting
- Manufacturing
- Information and cultural industries
- Professional, scientific and technical services

ViaSport - Rally Together Fund: Sport Volunteering Grant
- No Condition
- All industries

OAC — Multi and Inter-Arts Projects
- Maximum amount : 20,000 $
- Arts, entertainment and recreation

Invest-AI — Funding AI adoption
- No Condition
- Professional, scientific and technical services

Accelerate HER PEI
- No Condition
- All industries

Industrial Energy Efficiency Program
- Maximum amount : 1,000,000 $
- Utilities
- Manufacturing

Discretionary funds
- Maximum amount : 5,000 $
- Public administration

SFU VentureLabs
- Maximum amount : 60,000 $
- Information and cultural industries
- Professional, scientific and technical services

Programme de traitement des matières organiques par biométhanisation et compostage (PTMOBC)
- Maximum amount : 5,500,000 $
- Up to 50% of project cost
- Administrative and support, waste management and remediation services
- Public administration

Small Distillery Program
- Maximum amount : 220,000 $
- Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting
- Manufacturing