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.

SMART Cluster’s 8th call for proposals – advanced manufacturing
- No Condition
- Manufacturing

Site Readiness Program
- Maximum amount : 25,000 $
- Up to 50% of project cost
- Manufacturing
- Transportation and warehousing
- Professional, scientific and technical services
- Administrative and support, waste management and remediation services

Community Opportunity Readiness
- No Condition
- All industries

SOCAN — Work Commissioning Assistance
- From $1,000 to $3,000
- Arts, entertainment and recreation

Atlantic Canada Travel Trade Market Readiness Program
- No Condition
- Arts, entertainment and recreation
- Accommodation and food services

Maytree Grants
- No Condition
- All industries

- No Condition
- Health care and social assistance

Alberta Media Fund — Cultural Industry Organizations Grant
- Maximum amount : 20,000 $
- Up to 100% of project cost
- Information and cultural industries

Waste Heat Recovery — Stream 1: Feasibility study
- Maximum amount : 150,000 $
- Up to 75% of project cost
- Utilities

Creative Saskatchewan Investment Programs
- No Condition
- Information and cultural industries
- Arts, entertainment and recreation

Mission Grant
- No Condition
- Other services (except public administration)

Edmonton Arts Council - Emergency Support
- No Condition
- Arts, entertainment and recreation

Community Arts Programming Grant
- Maximum amount : 10,000 $
- All industries

Community Investment Program - Change Fund
- No Condition
- All industries

Marketing Initiatives Program
- Maximum amount : 20,000 $
- Up to 50% of project cost
- All industries

- From $180,000 to $180,000
- All industries

Council Discretionary Grants
- No Condition
- All industries

Cultural Infrastructure Program
- Maximum amount : 300,000 $
- Up to 70% of project cost
- Information and cultural industries
- Arts, entertainment and recreation

Economic Infrastructure Program
- Maximum amount : 300,000 $
- Up to 70% of project cost
- Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting
- Utilities
- Construction
- Manufacturing

Agriculture Awareness Program
- Maximum amount : 10,000 $
- Up to 50% of project cost
- All industries

Community Foundation of Central Alberta - Volunteer Central Legacy Grant
- Minimum amount : 500 $
- All industries

Community Action Initiative (CAI) - Rural, Remote & Indigenous Overdose Grants
- No Condition
- All industries

- No Condition
- All industries

CWCF Young Adult Arts and Culture Granting Program
- Maximum amount : 1,000 $
- Arts, entertainment and recreation

Addressing the Agriculture Labour Task Force Grant Program — Stream 1
- Maximum amount : 40,000 $
- Up to 80% of project cost
- Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting
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- Maximum amount : 5,000 $
- All industries

Canada-Saskatchewan Job Grant (CSJG)
- From $1,000 to $10,000
- Up to 66% of project cost
- Manufacturing
- Transportation and warehousing
- Finance and insurance
- Professional, scientific and technical services

Community Gaming Grants - Program Grants
- Maximum amount : 250,000 $
- Up to 75% of project cost
- Educational services
- Health care and social assistance
- Arts, entertainment and recreation
- Other services (except public administration)

Community Festivals and Events Program
- Maximum amount : 10,000 $
- Up to 10% of project cost
- All industries

Fonds Communautaire Du Grand-Havre
- From $4,000 to $4,000
- All industries

Community Places Program
- Maximum amount : 30,000 $
- Up to 70% of project cost
- Arts, entertainment and recreation
- Other services (except public administration)
- Public administration

- No Condition
- Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting

Good Neighbour Program
- No Condition
- All industries

- Minimum amount : 1,000 $
- All industries

Recreation Infrastructure Program
- Maximum amount : 300,000 $
- Up to 70% of project cost
- Arts, entertainment and recreation

AFA — Major Arts Presenters Operating Funding
- No Condition
- Arts, entertainment and recreation

Indigenous Community Capital Grants Program
- No Condition
- All industries

Canada Arts Presentation Fund (CAPF) – Soutien à la programmation : Festivals artistiques et diffuseurs de saisons de spectacles professionnels
- Maximum amount : 1,000,000 $
- Up to 25% of project cost
- Information and cultural industries
- Educational services
- Arts, entertainment and recreation

Community, Youth and Cultural Funding Program - Project Grants
- Maximum amount : 10,000 $
- Up to 80% of project cost
- All industries

MRC Kamouraska — Support Program for the Start-up of Religious Heritage Projects
- Maximum amount : 4,000 $
- Up to 10% of project cost
- Arts, entertainment and recreation

- Maximum amount : 3,000,000 $
- Up to 80% of project cost
- Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting

- No Condition
- Professional, scientific and technical services

Manitoba Council for International Cooperation Inc. - Theme Fund
- Maximum amount : 20,000 $
- All industries

Agri-Food Supply Chain Infrastructure Investment Stream
- Maximum amount : 150,000 $
- Up to 50% of project cost
- Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting
- Manufacturing
- Wholesale trade
- Retail trade

Universal Broadband Fund — Rapid Response Stream
- Maximum amount : 5,000,000 $
- Information and cultural industries

Edmonton Arts Council - Grants for Individuals and Collectives
- From $5,000 to $25,000
- Arts, entertainment and recreation

BDC Capital — Intellectual Property-Backed Financing
- No Condition
- Manufacturing
- Information and cultural industries
- Professional, scientific and technical services

Infrastructure de recherche et développement
- No Condition
- Manufacturing
- Information and cultural industries
- Professional, scientific and technical services
- Administrative and support, waste management and remediation services

- Maximum amount : 15,000 $
- Information and cultural industries
- Arts, entertainment and recreation

- Maximum amount : 5,000 $
- All industries
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- No Condition
- All industries

Spark Funds
- From $5,000 to $15,000
- All industries

Agriculture Research and Innovation — Applied Research (Agricultural Producers)
- Maximum amount : 80,000 $
- Up to 35% of project cost
- All industries

Recreation & Sports Funding
- No Condition
- Arts, entertainment and recreation

ERA — 2025 Industrial Transformation Challenge
- From $500,000 to $15,000,000
- Up to 50% of project cost
- Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting
- Mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction
- Utilities
- Manufacturing

Nova Scotia Seafood Innovation and Technology Adoption Program (NS-ITAP)
- Maximum amount : 99,900 $
- Up to 70% of project cost
- Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting

Musicaction — Support for presenters, promoters and venues – pilot program
- From $5,000 to $25,000
- Up to 50% of project cost
- Arts, entertainment and recreation

- No Condition
- Health care and social assistance
- Arts, entertainment and recreation

Aerie Real Foundation Community Grant
- From $5,000 to $10,000
- Health care and social assistance

- No Condition
- Health care and social assistance

Dragonfly Fund
- No Condition
- Professional, scientific and technical services
- Administrative and support, waste management and remediation services

CMF — Prototyping Program
- Maximum amount : 250,000 $
- Up to 75% of project cost
- Information and cultural industries

Events & Festivals Fund
- From $25,000 to $150,000
- Up to 25% of project cost
- Arts, entertainment and recreation
- Accommodation and food services

Financial assistance for the electrification of intercity and private transportation (Écobus)
- Maximum amount : 100,000 $
- Up to 30% of project cost
- Transportation and warehousing

New Mobility Assistance Program (NOMO) – Stream 2
- Maximum amount : 75,000 $
- Up to 75% of project cost
- Transportation and warehousing
- Educational services
- Health care and social assistance
- Other services (except public administration)

Northern Indigenous Economic Opportunities Program — Community Readiness and Opportunities Planning
- No Condition
- All industries

Listen, Hear Our Voices — Large projects
- From $25,000 to $100,000
- Up to 85% of project cost
- Information and cultural industries

BDIC — Standby Letters of Credit
- Maximum amount : 15,100 $
- All industries

Créavenir
- Maximum amount : 5,000 $
- All industries

Digital Strategy Fund
- Maximum amount : 50,000 $
- Information and cultural industries
- Arts, entertainment and recreation

Canada Book Fund Publishers Business Development — Business Planning — Aboriginal or Official Language Minority Firms
- No Condition
- Information and cultural industries

- Maximum amount : 10,000 $
- Information and cultural industries
- Educational services
- Health care and social assistance
- Arts, entertainment and recreation

Culture and Heritage Grants and Contributions Program - Heritage Core Funding
- Maximum amount : 100,000 $
- All industries

- Maximum amount : 10,000 $
- All industries

Climate Innovation Grant Program
- From $100,000 to $100,000
- All industries
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Agricultural and Sector Show Support Program – Stream 1.2
- Maximum amount : 95,000 $
- Up to 70% of project cost
- Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting

Development of Official-Language Communities Program (Official Languages Support Programs) - Infrastructure Projects
- No Condition
- Construction

Community Gaming Grants - Parent Advisory Council (PAC) and District Parent Advisory Council (DPAC) Grants
- From $2,000 to $2,500
- Educational services

Community Participation Funding Program (CPFP)
- Maximum amount : 5,000 $
- Transportation and warehousing

Whalesafe Gear Adoption Fund
- No Condition
- Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting
- Manufacturing
- Educational services

APCHQ Mauricie-Lanaudière Golf Tournament
- Maximum amount : 5,000 $
- All industries

Capitalization of Social Economy Enterprises (CAES) — Stream 1
- From $25,000 to $1,000,000
- Up to 35% of project cost
- Other services (except public administration)
- Public administration

ALS Society of Canada - ALS Canada-Brain Canada Discovery Grant Program
- From $125,000 to $500,000
- Up to 50% of project cost
- Professional, scientific and technical services
- Health care and social assistance

The Amir and Yasmin Virani Family Foundation
- No Condition
- Health care and social assistance

- Maximum amount : 10,000 $
- Arts, entertainment and recreation

Enhancement of Official Languages Program - Promotion of Linguistic Duality Component - Support for Interpretation and Translation
- Maximum amount : 5,000 $
- Up to 50% of project cost
- All industries

Multi-Year Grants
- Maximum amount : 150,000 $
- All industries

Agri-Food Energy Cost Savings Initiative
- Maximum amount : 300,000 $
- Up to 20% of project cost
- Manufacturing

Community Gaming Grants - Capital Project Grants
- Maximum amount : 250,000 $
- Up to 50% of project cost
- Educational services
- Health care and social assistance
- Arts, entertainment and recreation
- Other services (except public administration)

Efficiency Nova Scotia — Custom Energy Retrofits
- Maximum amount : 750,000 $
- Up to 50% of project cost
- All industries

Professional cultural organizations - Outdoor exhibitions
- Maximum amount : 6,500 $
- All industries

ArtStarts in Schools Society - Artists in Education (AIE) Grants for School Districts
- No Condition
- Educational services
- Arts, entertainment and recreation

Pierre Péladeau Scholarships
- Maximum amount : 75,000 $
- Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting
- Mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction
- Manufacturing
- Retail trade

- From $200 to $1,000
- Arts, entertainment and recreation

AgriMarketing Program — National Industry Associations
- Maximum amount : 2,000,000 $
- Up to 50% of project cost
- Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting
- Manufacturing
- Wholesale trade

- Maximum amount : 20,000 $
- Health care and social assistance

Professional cultural organizations - Mise en valeur du patrimoine par les arts
- Maximum amount : 30,000 $
- Up to 80% of project cost
- All industries

Business Development Program — Commercial Component
- Up to 75% of project cost
- Manufacturing
- Other services (except public administration)

Eastern Ontario Development Fund (EODF) — Community economic development projects
- Maximum amount : 1,500,000 $
- Up to 50% of project cost
- All industries

PEI Business Women's Association — Micro-Grant
- No Condition
- All industries