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.

Recreation Partner and Facility Investment Program
- Minimum amount : 50 $
- All industries

Community Projects - Capital Grant Program
- Minimum amount : 500 $
- Up to 50% of project cost
- All industries

- No Condition
- Other services (except public administration)

Alberta Culture Days Grant
- Maximum amount : 10,000 $
- All industries

Journalism Futures Fund - Organizational Funding Stream
- From $50,000 to $200,000
- Information and cultural industries

Enfant Soleil - Equipment Fund
- Up to 100% of project cost
- All industries

- No Condition
- Educational services
- Health care and social assistance

- Minimum amount : 50,000 $
- Other services (except public administration)

Sport Tourism Events
- Maximum amount : 40,000 $
- Up to 50% of project cost
- All industries

New Capacity Stream
- Maximum amount : 450,000 $
- All industries

Freshslice Cares
- No Condition
- Arts, entertainment and recreation

Research & Sector-Building Grants
- Maximum amount : 50,000 $
- Information and cultural industries
- Professional, scientific and technical services
- Arts, entertainment and recreation
- Other services (except public administration)

Operational Funding
- From $1,000 to $20,000
- All industries

Partnership (Grant) Applications
- No Condition
- Health care and social assistance
- Other services (except public administration)

The Home Program
- Maximum amount : 200,000 $
- All industries

United Way Simcoe Muskoka - Women United
- Maximum amount : 10,000 $
- Educational services
- Health care and social assistance

Age-Friendly Communities Grant
- Maximum amount : 20,000 $
- All industries

Grant financing for ICT research partnerships
- Maximum amount : 1,500,000 $
- Up to 80% of project cost
- Information and cultural industries
- Professional, scientific and technical services

United Way Simcoe Muskoka - Reaching Home
- Maximum amount : 500,000 $
- Health care and social assistance

Culture and Heritage Grants and Contributions Program - Inuit Language Promotion and Protection Grants
- Maximum amount : 15,000 $
- All industries

Donations and sponsorships
- No Condition
- All industries

Social Innovation Research Fund
- Maximum amount : 50,000 $
- Up to 66% of project cost
- Professional, scientific and technical services
- Educational services
- Health care and social assistance
- Other services (except public administration)

ViaSport - BC Ferries Disability Sport Experience Program
- No Condition
- All industries

Lab-to-Market Fund
- Up to 33% of project cost
- Professional, scientific and technical services

SurreyCares Community Foundation - Free to Play
- From $5,000 to $50,000
- Arts, entertainment and recreation
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- No Condition
- Health care and social assistance

Culture and Heritage Grants and Contributions Program - French Language Arts and Culture Development
- Maximum amount : 50,000 $
- Information and cultural industries

Designated Heritage Property Grant Program
- From $500 to $5,000
- Up to 50% of project cost
- All industries

Major Contributions Grant
- From $25,000 to $200,000
- Construction
- Public administration

- Maximum amount : 25,000 $
- Up to 50% of project cost
- Professional, scientific and technical services

SurreyCares Community Foundation - Community Prosperity Fund
- Maximum amount : 25,000,000 $
- All industries

Culture and Heritage Grants and Contributions Program - Inuit Societal Values
- Maximum amount : 100,000 $
- All industries

Grants, Donations and Sponsorships
- No Condition
- Educational services
- Health care and social assistance

Reaching Home Grant
- Maximum amount : 250,000 $
- All industries

- Maximum amount : 6,000 $
- Educational services
- Arts, entertainment and recreation

SurreyCares Community Foundation - SurreyCares Community Grants
- No Condition
- All industries

Youth Centred Communities Grant
- Maximum amount : 10,000 $
- Arts, entertainment and recreation

Exchanges Canada Program - Youth Forums Canada
- No Condition
- All industries

Donation Programs
- No Condition
- Other services (except public administration)

- Maximum amount : 25,000 $
- Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting

Partnership Funding - Servus Feel Good Fund
- No Condition
- All industries

Community Grants - Municipal Community Wellbeing Grants
- Maximum amount : 10,000 $
- All industries
Toronto Enterprise Fund (TEF) - Scale ESEs
- Maximum amount : 10,000 $
- All industries

Vital Community Grants
- No Condition
- All industries

Climate-Smart Agriculture and Food Systems - Interdisciplinary Challenge Teams
- Maximum amount : 3,000,000 $
- Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting
- Professional, scientific and technical services

Community Sport and Recreation Infrastructure Fund
- No Condition
- All industries
Toronto Enterprise Fund (TEF) - Catalyze New ESEs
- Maximum amount : 100,000 $
- Other services (except public administration)

HIV Endgame Funding Program
- From $25,000 to $150,000
- Health care and social assistance

Major Arts and Culture Organizations Grant
- Up to 10% of project cost
- Information and cultural industries

Program Funds
- Maximum amount : 8,000 $
- All industries
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Condition of Youth
- No Condition
- All industries

Culture and Heritage Grants and Contributions Program - Elder Initiatives
- Maximum amount : 50,000 $
- All industries

Culture and Heritage Grants and Contributions Program - French Language Services Program
- Maximum amount : 50 $
- All industries

Rio Tinto Alcan Canada - Rio Tinto Aluminum Canada Fund
- No Condition
- Information and cultural industries
- Educational services
- Health care and social assistance
- Arts, entertainment and recreation

Community Investment Grant Program
- Maximum amount : 30,000 $
- All industries

Accessibility Grants
- Maximum amount : 25,000 $
- All industries

Kootenay Savings Community Foundation
- No Condition
- All industries

Charitable contributions, donations and grants
- No Condition
- Educational services
- Health care and social assistance

Support for Korean Studies Resources
- Maximum amount : 5,000 $
- Up to 50% of project cost
- Educational services

AWS InCommunities Calgary Fund
- From $500 to $10,000
- Educational services
- Health care and social assistance
- Other services (except public administration)

- No Condition
- All industries

Support for Korea-Related Cultural Events
- No Condition
- Arts, entertainment and recreation

Adapted Sport and Recreation Grant
- No Condition
- All industries

Culture and Heritage Grants and Contributions Program - Elders and Youth Facilities
- Maximum amount : 200,000 $
- All industries

ServiceNow Community Improvement Fund Canada
- Maximum amount : 40,000 $
- Educational services

The Environmental Dispute Resolution Fund (EDRF)
- Maximum amount : 19,700 $
- All industries

GLOW Indigenous Health Grant: Guiding Local Opportunities for Wellbeing
- Up to 33% of project cost
- Health care and social assistance

Critical Food Infrastructure Grant
- No Condition
- All industries

Development of Official-Language Communities Program (Official Languages Support Programs) - Community Life Component
- No Condition
- All industries

School Food Infrastructure Grant
- Maximum amount : 50,000 $
- All industries

World Mental Health Day Community Fund
- Maximum amount : 620 $
- Health care and social assistance

Strategic Sponsorships
- Maximum amount : 2,000 $
- All industries

Advancing Indigenous Gender Equality through Innovation and Social Entrepreneurship
- Maximum amount : 1,000,000 $
- Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting
- Information and cultural industries
- Health care and social assistance
- Public administration

Taking Action on Family Violence Grant Program
- From $50,000 to $500,000
- All industries

Philanthropic Engagement Committee - Preventing social isolation together
- From $15,000 to $50,000
- Health care and social assistance
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Critical Service Grant Program
- From $20,000 to $30,000
- All industries

Social Sector Development Grants
- From $100,000 to $200,000
- All industries

Lineage Foundation for Good
- No Condition
- Health care and social assistance

Grant for hosting free tax clinics
- Maximum amount : 30,000 $
- All industries

Domtar Connects
- No Condition
- Educational services

Gift In Kind Program
- No Condition
- All industries

Culture and Heritage Grants and Contributions Program - Culture and Heritage
- Maximum amount : 75,000 $
- Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting
- Mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction
- Utilities
- Construction

HCi3 Grant Program
- Maximum amount : 50,000 $
- Up to 80% of project cost
- Utilities
- Construction
- Transportation and warehousing
- Professional, scientific and technical services

General Grants
- No Condition
- All industries

ERACM program - Business support: assistance and financing
- Maximum amount : 24,750 $
- Up to 55% of project cost
- Manufacturing
- Information and cultural industries
- Professional, scientific and technical services

Ockenden International Prize
- No Condition
- Health care and social assistance

Front Line Agency Funding
- Maximum amount : 150,000 $
- Up to 10% of project cost
- All industries

Systems Change Grants
- Maximum amount : 100,000 $
- All industries

- No Condition
- Information and cultural industries
- Educational services
- Health care and social assistance
- Arts, entertainment and recreation

Corporate Donations
- No Condition
- All industries

United Way of Central New Brunswick - Community Fund
- No Condition
- Health care and social assistance

Community Sustainability Fund
- Maximum amount : 20,000 $
- All industries

RFP: Play Learn Thrive
- From $300,000 to $1,500,000
- All industries

United Way of Central New Brunswick - United Way Maritimes Operational and Program Funding
- From $10,000 to $40,000
- Health care and social assistance

RME Right by You Ag Society Grant
- Maximum amount : 10,000 $
- Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting

RFP: Being
- Maximum amount : 1,500,000 $
- All industries

United Way Waterloo Region Communities - Community Impact Fund - General Operating Support
- From $20,000 to $160,000
- Health care and social assistance
- Other services (except public administration)

Culture and Heritage Grants and Contributions Program - Youth Initiatives
- No Condition
- All industries

Development of Official-Language Communities Program (Official Languages Support Programs) - Minority Language Education Component
- No Condition
- All industries

United Way Waterloo Region Communities - Community Impact Fund - Program/Project Grants
- From $20,000 to $160,000
- Health care and social assistance