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.

Major Sport Event Grant Program
- Maximum amount : 250,000 $
- Up to 50% of project cost
- Arts, entertainment and recreation

Inuktut Songwriting Contest
- Maximum amount : 5,000 $
- Information and cultural industries
- Arts, entertainment and recreation

Language Implementation Fund - Inuit Language Promotion and Protection (Schedule A-1)
- Maximum amount : 15,000 $
- Information and cultural industries
- Educational services
- Public administration

Language Implementation Fund - Inuit Language Promotion and Protection (Schedule B-1)
- Maximum amount : 100,000 $
- Information and cultural industries
- Educational services
- Other services (except public administration)
- Public administration

Saskatchewan Advantage Innovation Fund (SAIF)
- Maximum amount : 450,000 $
- Up to 30% of project cost
- Mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction
- Manufacturing
- Health care and social assistance

Trade Commissioner Service — CanExport Community Investment
- From $3,000 to $500,000
- Up to 50% of project cost
- All industries

Molly Towell Fellowships for Candidates with Special Aptitude for Research
- Maximum amount : 35,000 $
- Educational services

RDAR — One Health Targeted Call
- Maximum amount : 600,000 $
- Up to 60% of project cost
- All industries

Accelerating community energy systems
- Maximum amount : 200,000 $
- Up to 50% of project cost
- Public administration

CREB® REALTOR® Community Foundation - Transformation Grants
- No Condition
- Construction

- Maximum amount : 5,000 $
- Up to 50% of project cost
- Retail trade
- Accommodation and food services

Quantum Leap
- From $500,000 to $1,500,000
- Up to 33% of project cost
- Health care and social assistance

CREB® REALTOR® Community Foundation - Legacy Grants
- Maximum amount : 350,000 $
- Health care and social assistance

Food Ventures Program
- Maximum amount : 10,000 $
- Up to 75% of project cost
- Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting
- Manufacturing
- Accommodation and food services

Aboriginal Women’s Violence Prevention Grants Program
- No Condition
- All industries

Atlantic Innovation Fund — Universities, Colleges and Research Institutions
- No Condition
- Manufacturing
- Information and cultural industries
- Professional, scientific and technical services
- Educational services

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

Celebration and Commemoration Program - Celebrate Canada
- Maximum amount : 50,000 $
- Up to 100% of project cost
- All industries

RDAR — Producer Research and Evaluation Program (PREP)
- Maximum amount : 20,000 $
- Up to 80% of project cost
- All industries

Energy efficiency for industry – Industrial Facility Track
- From $40,000 to $5,000,000
- Up to 50% of project cost
- Manufacturing

Travel Alberta — Product Development Fund
- From $75,000 to $500,000
- Up to 25% of project cost
- Arts, entertainment and recreation
- Accommodation and food services

Allen and Loreen Vandekerkhove Family Foundation
- No Condition
- Other services (except public administration)

CALQ — Strategic Opportunities and Career Planning
- Maximum amount : 100,000 $
- Information and cultural industries
- Arts, entertainment and recreation

MRC Deux-Montagnes— Regional and Rural Fund (FRR) – Stream 2
- From $5,000 to $150,000
- Up to 20% of project cost
- Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting
- Arts, entertainment and recreation
- Other services (except public administration)
- Public administration

Développement Vaudreuil-Soulanges — Futurpreneur Canada
- Maximum amount : 60,000 $
- All industries
Discover how much grant funding is available for your business
Subsidize your projects with grants!
Use our free grant estimator to quickly identify the available grant amounts for which your company may be eligible.

OAC — Literary Organizations Projects
- Maximum amount : 12,000 $
- Information and cultural industries
- Arts, entertainment and recreation

ARBJ — Pre-start-up program (PPE)
- Maximum amount : 15,000 $
- Up to 50% of project cost
- All industries

Ottawa Valley Community Foundation - General and Bereavement Funds
- Maximum amount : 5,000 $
- Educational services
- Health care and social assistance
- Arts, entertainment and recreation
- Other services (except public administration)

Unsmoke Canada Cleanups
- From $5,000 to $10,000
- All industries

Ottawa Valley Community Foundation - Sports 4 All Fund
- Maximum amount : 10,000 $
- Arts, entertainment and recreation

Adoption Prep Grants
- Maximum amount : 75,000 $
- All industries

EcoAction — Stream 2: Freshwater Sustainability and Innovation across Canada
- From $25,000 to $200,000
- Up to 50% of project cost
- Professional, scientific and technical services
- Educational services
- Other services (except public administration)
- Public administration

Capital Project Grants - Social Policy - Social Medium Capital Grants
- From $25,000 to $50,000
- Up to 50% of project cost
- Health care and social assistance
- Other services (except public administration)
- Public administration

Humanitarian Grants Program - District Grants
- No Condition
- Educational services
- Health care and social assistance

Community Environmental Fund
- From $1,000 to $10,000
- All industries

Community Impact Grants
- No Condition
- All industries

Workplace Harassment and Violence Prevention Fund (WHVPF)
- Maximum amount : 2,000,000 $
- Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting
- Mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction
- Transportation and warehousing
- Information and cultural industries

Golden & District Community Foundation Community Grant Program
- From $1,400 to $5,000
- Information and cultural industries
- Educational services
- Health care and social assistance
- Arts, entertainment and recreation

Jack R. MacDonald Community Fund
- Maximum amount : 8,000 $
- Health care and social assistance
- Arts, entertainment and recreation
- Other services (except public administration)

CWCF Project Grants
- Maximum amount : 1,500 $
- All industries

Export 4.0 program — Advanced and Intelligent Technologies
- No Condition
- Manufacturing
- Information and cultural industries
- Professional, scientific and technical services

Bringing Circularity to Life in the Bioeconomy: From Envisioning to Planning
- Maximum amount : 75,000 $
- Up to 50% of project cost
- Manufacturing

Edmonton Arts Council - Connections & Exchanges Initiatives
- Maximum amount : 25,000 $
- Arts, entertainment and recreation

CHOICES Workplace Safety Incentive Program
- Maximum amount : 25,000 $
- Up to 10% of project cost
- Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting
- Mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction
- Utilities
- Construction

Museum Assistance Program - Collections Management
- Maximum amount : 200,000 $
- Up to 50% of project cost
- Information and cultural industries
- Educational services
- Arts, entertainment and recreation

CREB® REALTOR® Community Foundation - Community Grants
- No Condition
- Health care and social assistance

Field of Dreams Grants
- No Condition
- All industries

ESDC — Women in the Skilled Trades Initiative
- Maximum amount : 3,000,000 $
- Construction
- Manufacturing

Community Engagement Grants
- Maximum amount : 1,000 $
- All industries

Quebec Economic Development Program (QEDP)
- Up to 50% of project cost
- Manufacturing
- Professional, scientific and technical services
- Arts, entertainment and recreation
- 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.

First Peoples Economic Growth Fund – Skills Development Program
- Up to 75% of project cost
- Professional, scientific and technical services
- Management of companies and enterprises
- Arts, entertainment and recreation

Quebec Fisheries Fund — Science partnerships
- Maximum amount : 500,000 $
- Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting

Fondation Ellipse
- No Condition
- Educational services
- Health care and social assistance
Commemorative Partnership Program - Community Engagement
- Maximum amount : 50 $
- All industries

Housing & Homelessness Grants
- Maximum amount : 10,000 $
- Up to 60% of project cost
- All industries

Veterinary Incentive Program (VIP)
- Maximum amount : 50,000 $
- Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting

Community Investment Program - Food Security Fund
- Maximum amount : 500,000 $
- Up to 25% of project cost
- All industries

CED Aerospace Regional Recovery Initiative — Indigenous stream
- No Condition
- Manufacturing

Community Investment Program - B3 Fund
- Maximum amount : 60,000 $
- All industries

Reaching Each and Every One
- From $2,500 to $25,000
- Arts, entertainment and recreation

OAC — Music Production and Presentation Projects
- Maximum amount : 20,000 $
- Arts, entertainment and recreation

AFA — Music Individual Project Funding
- Maximum amount : 18,000 $
- Arts, entertainment and recreation

Treemendous Communities Program
- Maximum amount : 10,000 $
- Public administration

- No Condition
- All industries

Marketing Support Program
- Maximum amount : 16,000 $
- Up to 40% of project cost
- Manufacturing
- Information and cultural industries
- Professional, scientific and technical services

Non-profit SMART Grants
- Maximum amount : 75,000 $
- Up to 75% of project cost
- All industries

Disaster Financial Assistance Program — Small Business
- Maximum amount : 200,000 $
- All industries

OAC — Music Creation Projects
- Maximum amount : 20,000 $
- Arts, entertainment and recreation

Prostate Cancer Foundation Canada - Conference and Event Awards
- Maximum amount : 10,000 $
- Health care and social assistance

NBIF Innovation Voucher
- From $10,000 to $80,000
- Up to 80% of project cost
- Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting
- Manufacturing
- Information and cultural industries
- Professional, scientific and technical services

Water Program — On-farm water supply
- Maximum amount : 40,000 $
- Up to 50% of project cost
- Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting

MRC Thérèse de Blainville — Business start-up fund
- Maximum amount : 5,000 $
- Up to 20% of project cost
- Retail trade
- Accommodation and food services
Subventions pour des projets qui favorisent de saines habitudes de vie dans les écoles primaires du Québec
- Maximum amount : 5,000 $
- Educational services

Prostate Cancer Foundation Canada - Grant-in-Aid / Research Awards Program
- Maximum amount : 50,000 $
- Health care and social assistance

MRC Collines-de-l'Outaouais — FRR Stream 1
- Maximum amount : 3,000,000 $
- Up to 50% of project cost
- All industries
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.

Grassland and Rangeland Enhancement Fund
- No Condition
- All industries

MAPAQ — Ministerial Initiative for Plant Productivity
- From $5,000 to $50,000
- Up to 45% of project cost
- Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting

Enbridge Gas Quebec — Cash incentives – Smart Thermostat
- Maximum amount : 100 $
- Utilities

Event & Organization Sponsorship
- No Condition
- Professional, scientific and technical services
- Arts, entertainment and recreation

Strategic Operating Grant Program
- Maximum amount : 150,000 $
- Health care and social assistance

Ignite Innovation Grants Program
- Maximum amount : 100,000 $
- Professional, scientific and technical services
- Health care and social assistance

Indigenous Innovation Initiative
- From $100,000 to $250,000
- Information and cultural industries
- Professional, scientific and technical services
- Educational services
- Health care and social assistance

Organization Grants
- Maximum amount : 50,000 $
- All industries

- Up to 50% of project cost
- All industries

- Maximum amount : 30,000 $
- Professional, scientific and technical services
- Educational services
- Health care and social assistance

Biofood Innovation Program Component 1 – Financial support for research, transfer and dissemination organizations
- Maximum amount : 3,500,000 $
- Up to 90% of project cost
- Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting

Kakivak Association — Sivummut Grants to Small Businesses
- Up to 81% of project cost
- Arts, entertainment and recreation
- Accommodation and food services
- Other services (except public administration)

Enbridge Gas Quebec — Cash incentives – Fryer Energy Star
- Maximum amount : 950 $
- Accommodation and food services

Werklund Foundation
- Maximum amount : 25,000 $
- Health care and social assistance

Theatre Rental Grant Program
- No Condition
- Information and cultural industries
- Arts, entertainment and recreation

First Peoples' Cultural Council - Cultural Practices Grant
- From $10,000 to $25,000
- Arts, entertainment and recreation

EPRTNT — Digital development of a company
- From $10,000 to $30,000
- Up to 30% of project cost
- Accommodation and food services

Québec Research Fund - Health Sector (FRQS)
- No Condition
- Professional, scientific and technical services
- Educational services
- Health care and social assistance

Community Emergency Preparedness Grant
- No Condition
- All industries

First Peoples' Cultural Council - Arts Vitality Grant
- Maximum amount : 10,000 $
- Arts, entertainment and recreation

Joan Feynman Climate Change Fund
- Maximum amount : 5,000 $
- Up to 50% of project cost
- Other services (except public administration)
- Public administration

Canada–UK 2023-24 critical minerals sustainability and circularity
- Maximum amount : 500,000 $
- Up to 50% of project cost
- Mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction
- Manufacturing

EPRTNT — Festivals and events
- From $50,000 to $35,000
- Up to 50% of project cost
- Arts, entertainment and recreation
- Accommodation and food services

Family and Community Support Services (FCSS) Program
- Up to 80% of project cost
- Educational services
- Health care and social assistance
- Other services (except public administration)
- Public administration
- No Condition
- Information and cultural industries
- Professional, scientific and technical services
- Educational services
- Health care and social assistance