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.

Manitoba — First Jobs Fund
- Maximum amount : 225,000 $
- All industries

OAC — Ontario Arts Presenters Projects
- Maximum amount : 7,500 $
- Educational services
- Arts, entertainment and recreation
- Public administration

Shine Across Canada and Internationally
- Maximum amount : 200,000 $
- Up to 60.000004% of project cost
- Arts, entertainment and recreation

CBDC Self Employment Benefit Program
- No Condition
- All industries

Toronto Retail Accelerator Program
- Maximum amount : 10,000 $
- Retail trade

Fonds Développement La Mitis - Regional Fund
- No Condition
- All industries

Social Development Fund of the City of Trois-Rivières
- No Condition
- All industries

Canada Arts Presentation Fund (CAPF) — Programming: Presenter Support Organizations
- Maximum amount : 200,000 $
- Up to 25% of project cost
- Educational services
- Arts, entertainment and recreation
- Public administration

Resilient Communities Fund
- Minimum amount : 10,000 $
- All industries

Beneficial Management Practices (BMP)
- No Condition
- Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting

Childcare Enhancement Grant program
- Maximum amount : 27,000 $
- Educational services
- Health care and social assistance

Creating, Knowing and Sharing — Small-Scale Activities
- Maximum amount : 3,000 $
- Arts, entertainment and recreation

Strategic Funds - Media Arts Equipment Acquisition Fund
- Maximum amount : 30,000 $
- Information and cultural industries
- Arts, entertainment and recreation

Alberta Innovates — Energy Storage and Minerals
- Maximum amount : 2,000,000 $
- Up to 50% of project cost
- Mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction
- Utilities
- Manufacturing
- Administrative and support, waste management and remediation services

Civil Forfeiture Grant Program - Gender-Based Violence
- Maximum amount : 40,000 $
- All industries

City Grant Program - Health, Social and Safety
- No Condition
- All industries

British Columbia Arts Council Funding
- No Condition
- Arts, entertainment and recreation

Main Street Revitalization – Planning Program
- Maximum amount : 20,000 $
- Up to 50% of project cost
- Public administration

Self-Employment Program (Nova Scotia)
- No Condition
- All industries

Musicaction — Album production
- Maximum amount : 25,000 $
- Up to 50% of project cost
- Arts, entertainment and recreation

CRIBIQ-BIOnext
- Maximum amount : 15,000 $
- Manufacturing
- Professional, scientific and technical services

Limestone Trucking Assistance Program
- Maximum amount : 32,000 $
- Up to 80% of project cost
- Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting

Cultural industries — Financial assistance
- No Condition
- Information and cultural industries
- Arts, entertainment and recreation
- Public administration

Community Workforce Response Grant — Community Response Stream
- From $20,000 to $300,000
- Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting
- Manufacturing

ArtStarts in Schools Society - Artists in the Classroom (AIC) Grants for Schools
- Maximum amount : 10,000 $
- Up to 70% of project cost
- Educational services
- Arts, entertainment and recreation
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United Way Hastings & Prince Edward Inc. - Community Impact Fund
- Minimum amount : 5,000 $
- All industries

Private Archives Support Program
- Maximum amount : 85,000 $
- Up to 75% of project cost
- Information and cultural industries

New Mobility Assistance Program (NOMO) – Stream 1
- Maximum amount : 1,500,000 $
- Up to 75% of project cost
- Transportation and warehousing
- Professional, scientific and technical services
- Educational services
- Health care and social assistance
- Maximum amount : 2,000 $
- Educational services

innovÉÉ — PARTENAR-IA — Academic
- Maximum amount : 150,000 $
- Up to 50% of project cost
- All industries

The Community Foundation of Prince Edward Island - PCU Impact Fund
- From $5,000 to $25,000
- All industries

- Up to 40% of project cost
- Professional, scientific and technical services

Tourisme Côte-Nord — EPRTNT – Structuring the tourism offer
- Maximum amount : 50,000 $
- Up to 90% of project cost
- Arts, entertainment and recreation
- Accommodation and food services

Support for Entrepreneurs and Economic Development (SEED) — Community Economic Development
- Maximum amount : 25,000 $
- Up to 30% of project cost
- All industries

SODEC — Production support
- Maximum amount : 4,000,000 $
- Up to 65% of project cost
- Information and cultural industries

Invest Nova Scotia — Acceleration Initiatives
- No Condition
- All industries

MRC L'Islet — RénoRégion and home adaptation programs (PAD)
- Maximum amount : 25,000 $
- Up to 95% of project cost
- All industries

Financial assistance program for regional service units in the areas of recreation, sports, outdoor activities, and physical activity (PAFURS)
- Up to 100% of project cost
- Educational services
- Arts, entertainment and recreation

AgriCommunication Program
- Up to 70% of project cost
- Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting
- Retail trade

2023 Open Call: Automation, Digital Technologies, and Demonstration in Agri-Food Production
- No Condition
- Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting
- Manufacturing
- Transportation and warehousing

DEPS — Social Economy Development Fund
- Up to 80% of project cost
- Health care and social assistance

Become a Partner Agency
- No Condition
- All industries

Agriculture Research and Innovation — Applied Research (Agriculture Industry Associations)
- Maximum amount : 60,000 $
- Up to 35% of project cost
- Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting

- No Condition
- Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting
- Transportation and warehousing

Social economy support program (PSES) – Stream 3
- Maximum amount : 100,000 $
- Up to 70% of project cost
- Other services (except public administration)
- Public administration

Nutrition North Canada retail subsidy program
- No Condition
- Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting
- Retail trade
- Health care and social assistance

ALS Society of Canada - ALS Canada Project Grant Program
- No Condition
- All industries
Improving Equity in Access to Palliative Care Cohort 2 Call for Applications
- Maximum amount : 100,000 $
- Health care and social assistance
Strengthening Primary Care in Northern, Rural and Remote Communities
- Maximum amount : 50,000 $
- Health care and social assistance

Canada Digital Adoption Program — Grow Your Business Online
- Maximum amount : 2,400 $
- Up to 20% of project cost
- Retail trade
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First Peoples Economic Growth Fund – Business Plan Assistance
- Maximum amount : 20,000 $
- Up to 75% of project cost
- All industries
Right Care Challenge
- Maximum amount : 34,250 $
- Health care and social assistance
- Public administration
Enhancing Integrated Care
- Maximum amount : 10,000 $
- Health care and social assistance

- Maximum amount : 1,000,000 $
- Health care and social assistance
- Other services (except public administration)

Archaeology and Palaeontology Research Support
- Maximum amount : 5,000 $
- Professional, scientific and technical services
- Educational services

Enbridge Gas Quebec — Cash incentives – Hood & Condensing Air Generator Combo
- From $3,350 to $3,700
- Up to 35% of project cost
- Accommodation and food services

Agricultural Climate Solutions
- Maximum amount : 100,000 $
- Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting

The Norfolk Community Foundation
- No Condition
- Educational services
- Health care and social assistance
- Arts, entertainment and recreation
- Other services (except public administration)

School Food Grants
- No Condition
- Educational services

Heritage Facilities
- Maximum amount : 500,000 $
- Information and cultural industries
- Arts, entertainment and recreation
- Public administration

Alberta Innovates — Bitumen Partial Upgrading Program
- Maximum amount : 2,000,000 $
- Up to 50% of project cost
- Mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction

My First Games
- Maximum amount : 1,000 $
- Educational services
- Arts, entertainment and recreation

Support program for economic development projects (PAPDE) — Component 3 : Promotion of foreign trade and prospecting for foreign investments
- Maximum amount : 500,000 $
- Up to 50% of project cost
- All industries

Heritage Core Funding
- Maximum amount : 100,000 $
- Information and cultural industries
- Arts, entertainment and recreation
- Other services (except public administration)
- Public administration

Music Company
- From $2,000 to $60,000
- Up to 50% of project cost
- Arts, entertainment and recreation

Efficiency Nova Scotia — Pay-for-Performance (P4P)
- Up to 10% of project cost
- All industries

Nunavut Toponomy Program
- Maximum amount : 25,000 $
- Information and cultural industries

Community Radio Grant
- Maximum amount : 15,000 $
- Information and cultural industries

La Ruche — Positive Footprint Fund
- From $5,000 to $100,000
- All industries

OASIS Program
- From $1,000,000 to $25,000,000
- Public administration

Public Library Services
- Maximum amount : 500,000 $
- Information and cultural industries
- Educational services

CanNor Jobs and Growth Fund — For-profit
- Up to 50% of project cost
- Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting
- Manufacturing
- Information and cultural industries
- Professional, scientific and technical services

Affordable Housing Innovation Fund
- No Condition
- Construction
- Real estate and rental and leasing
- Health care and social assistance

Culture and Heritage (Schedule B)
- Maximum amount : 75,000 $
- Information and cultural industries
- Arts, entertainment and recreation
- Other services (except public administration)
- Public administration

- No Condition
- Arts, entertainment and recreation
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Culture and Heritage (Schedule A)
- Maximum amount : 15,000 $
- Information and cultural industries
- Arts, entertainment and recreation
- Other services (except public administration)
- Public administration

- No Condition
- All industries

ESM — Digital Acceleration
- Maximum amount : 27,000 $
- Up to 45% of project cost
- Manufacturing
- Information and cultural industries
- Professional, scientific and technical services

Edmonton Arts Council - Invent & Adapt
- Maximum amount : 30,000 $
- Arts, entertainment and recreation

Toronto Commercial Space Rehabilitation Grant Program
- From $5,000 to $24,000
- Up to 50% of project cost
- Retail trade

Health Effects of Ultra-Processed Foods
- Maximum amount : 1,000,000 $
- Professional, scientific and technical services
- Educational services
- Health care and social assistance

Agri-Tech Innovation Initiative : Stream 2 – Agri-Tech Innovation
- Maximum amount : 100,000 $
- Up to 50% of project cost
- Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting
- Manufacturing

Indigenous Cannabis Business Fund — Business Planning, Design, and Capital
- Maximum amount : 250,000 $
- Manufacturing
- Retail trade

Buy BC Partnership Program — Industry Associations, Boards or Councils
- From $5,000 to $75,000
- Up to 50% of project cost
- Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting
- Manufacturing
- Wholesale trade
- Retail trade

i.d.e.a. Fund
- No Condition
- Manufacturing
- Professional, scientific and technical services
- Administrative and support, waste management and remediation services

Cultural Communications Program
- Maximum amount : 50,000 $
- Information and cultural industries
- Educational services
- Arts, entertainment and recreation

Edmonton Arts Council - Equity and Access in the Arts
- From $5,000 to $25,000
- Arts, entertainment and recreation

Agriculture Demonstration of Practices and Technologies (ADOPT) — Producers
- Maximum amount : 100,000 $
- Up to 5% of project cost
- Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting

Edmonton Arts Council - Operating & Programming Investments
- No Condition
- Arts, entertainment and recreation

CBDC Seafood Technology Adoption Program (S-TAP)
- Maximum amount : 99,900 $
- Up to 75% of project cost
- Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting
- Manufacturing
- Professional, scientific and technical services

Affordable Housing Partnership Program
- Up to 33% of project cost
- Construction
- Real estate and rental and leasing
- Health care and social assistance

Northern Technology Accelerator Program (NTAP)
- Maximum amount : 10,000 $
- Up to 50% of project cost
- Manufacturing
- Retail trade
- Transportation and warehousing
- Information and cultural industries

New Frontiers in Research Fund — Transformation Stream
- No Condition
- All industries

Equity and Inclusion in The Arts Fund - Sustain
- Up to 90% of project cost
- All industries

- No Condition
- Health care and social assistance

- No Condition
- Information and cultural industries
- Arts, entertainment and recreation

Stand With Owners — Telus Business
- Maximum amount : 200,000 $
- All industries

Quantum Quebec
- No Condition
- Manufacturing
- Information and cultural industries
- Professional, scientific and technical services
- Educational services

- Maximum amount : 6,000,000 $
- Up to 80% of project cost
- Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting

French Language Arts and Culture Development
- Maximum amount : 50,000 $
- Information and cultural industries
- Arts, entertainment and recreation