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.

Ontario Anti-Hate Security and Prevention Grant (2025-26)
- From $5,000 to $10,000
- Educational services
- Health care and social assistance
- Arts, entertainment and recreation
- Other services (except public administration)

Age Well at Home (AWAH) - Scaling Up for Seniors Stream
- From $100,000 to $2,000,000
- Health care and social assistance

SODEC — Support for book and publishing companies – Component 1
- Maximum amount : 200,000 $
- Information and cultural industries

Critical Minerals Infrastructure Fund – Preconstruction Stream
- Maximum amount : 50,000,000 $
- Up to 50% of project cost
- Mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction
- Utilities
- Transportation and warehousing
- Public administration

Aboriginal Funds For Species At Risk (AFSAR)
- Minimum amount : 10,000 $
- Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting

Sport Support Program - Canadian Sport Centre (CSC))
- No Condition
- Arts, entertainment and recreation

Ecocamionnage Program — Acquisition of used heavy vehicles component
- No Condition
- Transportation and warehousing

Regional Artificial Intelligence Initiative (RAII) for Northern Ontario
- Up to 75% of project cost
- Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting
- Mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction
- Manufacturing
- Health care and social assistance

Doing business in French
- Up to 100% of project cost
- Manufacturing
- Professional, scientific and technical services

Hosting Program - International Multisport Games for Aboriginal Peoples and Persons with a Disability (IMGAPPD)
- No Condition
- Health care and social assistance
- Arts, entertainment and recreation

Enabling large-scale sovereign AI data centres
- No Condition
- Utilities
- Information and cultural industries
- Professional, scientific and technical services

Ambition-Compétences — Training for resilience and competitiveness in employment
- Up to 85% of project cost
- Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting
- Manufacturing
- Transportation and warehousing

Innovation Program — Stream 1 – Support for innovation projects
- Maximum amount : 500,000 $
- Up to 50% of project cost
- All industries

Accelerating the local climate transition - Component 2
- Up to 80% of project cost
- Public administration

MAPAQ — Prime-Vert — Component 1
- Maximum amount : 125,000 $
- Up to 50% of project cost
- Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting

Quebec City — Major projects
- Maximum amount : 1,000,000 $
- Up to 25% of project cost
- Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting
- Manufacturing
- Information and cultural industries
- Finance and insurance

Aid measure for the decarbonization of Quebec's industrial sector (MADI)
- No Condition
- Mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction
- Manufacturing

Ecocamionnage Program — Collaborative shared electric delivery project
- Maximum amount : 2,000,000 $
- Up to 50% of project cost
- Transportation and warehousing

MAPAQ — Food Processing Program — Subcomponent 4.1 - Competitiveness of slaughterhouses and cheese dairies
- From $7,500 to $150,000
- Up to 50% of project cost
- Manufacturing

Aquatic Ecosystems Restoration Fund
- No Condition
- Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting
- Professional, scientific and technical services
- Educational services
- Other services (except public administration)

Access to Justice in Both Official Languages Support Fund
- No Condition
- Educational services
- Other services (except public administration)
- Public administration

Le Fonds d’initiatives locales (FIL) Village
- Maximum amount : 50,000 $
- Retail trade
- Information and cultural industries
- Arts, entertainment and recreation
- Other services (except public administration)

Official Languages Support Programs
- No Condition
- Information and cultural industries
- Educational services
- Arts, entertainment and recreation
- Other services (except public administration)

Support for innovation projects
- No Condition
- Manufacturing
- Professional, scientific and technical services
- Other services (except public administration)
- Public administration

Zero Emission Vehicle Infrastructure (ZEVIP) — Delivery Organizations
- Maximum amount : 5,000,000 $
- Up to 50% of project cost
- Public administration
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Innovation for Defence Excellence and Security (IDEaS)
- Up to 100% of project cost
- Professional, scientific and technical services
- Public administration

Canada Book Fund Publishers Business Development — Business Planning
- Maximum amount : 50,000 $
- Up to 75% of project cost
- Information and cultural industries

Canada Periodical Fund – Collective Initiatives
- Maximum amount : 500,000 $
- Up to 75% of project cost
- Information and cultural industries

OCI — Digital Modernization and Adoption Plan program (DMAP)
- From $15,000 to $15,000
- Up to 50% of project cost
- Manufacturing
- Information and cultural industries
- Professional, scientific and technical services

Digital Main Street – Digital Transformation Grant Program
- No Condition
- Retail trade

Zero Emission Vehicle Awareness Initiative — Medium- and Heavy-Duty Vehicles and Clean Fuels
- Maximum amount : 300,000 $
- Up to 50% of project cost
- Utilities
- Manufacturing
- Transportation and warehousing
- Educational services

Theatrical documentary program
- From $400,000 to $500,000
- Up to 49% of project cost
- Arts, entertainment and recreation

Energy Innovation Program — Off-Site Construction Challenge
- No Condition
- Construction
- Manufacturing

Rural Economic Development program — Economic Diversification and Competitiveness Stream
- Maximum amount : 150,000 $
- Up to 50% of project cost
- Retail trade
- Information and cultural industries
- Arts, entertainment and recreation
- Public administration

Investment and Growth Fund
- From $500,000 to $10,000,000
- Up to 50% of project cost
- Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting
- Manufacturing
- Transportation and warehousing
- Arts, entertainment and recreation

International Association of Fire Fighters, Canada Hazardous Materials Training Initiative
- No Condition
- Public administration

Capital Retrofits
- Maximum amount : 1,000,000 $
- Up to 50% of project cost
- Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting
- Mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction
- Utilities
- Construction

Energy Management Information Systems (EMIS)
- No Condition
- Utilities
- Manufacturing

Team Grant : Pan-Canadian Network: Emerging LHS in Perinatal Mental Health
- Maximum amount : 6,000,000 $
- Educational services
- Health care and social assistance

Capital project: Organic Waste-to-Energy
- Up to 80% of project cost
- Utilities
- Administrative and support, waste management and remediation services
- Public administration

Canada Book Fund Publishing Support
- Maximum amount : 850,000 $
- Up to 75% of project cost
- Information and cultural industries

Business case: Community Energy Systems
- Maximum amount : 100,000 $
- Up to 50% of project cost
- Utilities
- Public administration

- Maximum amount : 500,000 $
- Up to 80% of project cost
- Manufacturing
- Transportation and warehousing
- Professional, scientific and technical services
- Educational services

MEDTEQ+ — PARTENAR-IA — Industry
- Maximum amount : 150,000 $
- Up to 50% of project cost
- Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting
- Mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction
- Manufacturing
- Health care and social assistance

Production program — English market budgets under $3.5M
- Maximum amount : 4,000,000 $
- Up to 49% of project cost
- Information and cultural industries

SynergiQc program for biopharmaceutical research
- From $500,000 to $7,500,000
- Up to 40% of project cost
- Health care and social assistance

InnovEnSol Program
- Maximum amount : 1,000,000 $
- Up to 75% of project cost
- Professional, scientific and technical services
- Administrative and support, waste management and remediation services
- Educational services
- Public administration

Study: Organic Waste-to-Energy
- Maximum amount : 200,000 $
- Up to 50% of project cost
- Utilities
- Administrative and support, waste management and remediation services
- Public administration

Business case: Organic Waste-to-Energy
- Maximum amount : 100,000 $
- Up to 50% of project cost
- Utilities
- Administrative and support, waste management and remediation services
- Public administration

Incentive Fund for Signage and Language Policies
- Maximum amount : 4,000 $
- Up to 60% of project cost
- Public administration
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Translation and Interpretation Reimbursement Fund for Municipalities
- No Condition
- Public administration

Social economy enterprises — Digital transformation
- Maximum amount : 20,000 $
- Up to 80% of project cost
- All industries

AI Compute Access Fund
- From $67,000 to $3,350,000
- Up to 67% of project cost
- All industries

Apply for funding for Social Development Partnerships Program – Children and Families – Financial Empowerment of Low-Income People
- No Condition
- Educational services
- Health care and social assistance
- Public administration

- Maximum amount : 3,500 $
- Retail trade

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

The Initiative for Sustainable Aviation Technology (INSAT)
- No Condition
- Manufacturing
- Transportation and warehousing
- Professional, scientific and technical services

Financial assistance for businesses located in areas affected by major infrastructure projects
- Maximum amount : 30,000 $
- Up to 5% of project cost
- All industries

National Adaptation Strategy & Hydrologic prediction and innovation
- No Condition
- Professional, scientific and technical services
- Educational services
- Other services (except public administration)
- Public administration

National Capacity Building Grants
- From $100,000 to $600,000
- Health care and social assistance
- Other services (except public administration)
- Public administration

Youth Initiative to Combat Climate Change - Education and Awareness
- No Condition
- Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting
- Utilities
- Construction
- Manufacturing

Regional Tariff Response Initiative (RTRI) — British Columbia
- From $200,000 to $10,000,000
- Up to 75% of project cost
- Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting
- Manufacturing

Laurentides Tourism — Regional Partnership and Digital Transformation Agreement in Tourism (EPRTNT) – Digital development of a company
- From $10,000 to $95,000
- Up to 50% of project cost
- Arts, entertainment and recreation
- Accommodation and food services

EcoAction - Freshwater Sustainability and Innovation across Canada Stream
- From $25,000 to $200,000
- Up to 50% of project cost
- Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting
- Utilities
- Manufacturing
- Professional, scientific and technical services

Financial support program for government initiatives in community and volunteer action
- No Condition
- Educational services
- Health care and social assistance
- Arts, entertainment and recreation
- Other services (except public administration)

OTF — Community Building Fund – Capital Stream
- Minimum amount : 10,000 $
- Up to 100% of project cost
- Other services (except public administration)
- Public administration

OTF — Organizational Mentors
- Up to 15% of project cost
- Educational services
- Health care and social assistance
- Arts, entertainment and recreation

Technology Maturation Program – PSOv2d
- Maximum amount : 475,000 $
- Up to 80% of project cost
- Professional, scientific and technical services
- Educational services

Digital Citizen Research Program - Joint Initiative for Digital Citizen Research
- From $7,000 to $50,000
- Up to 50% of project cost
- Information and cultural industries
- Professional, scientific and technical services
- Educational services
- Public administration

Canada Service Corps Program - Micro-grants Diversity stream
- No Condition
- Educational services
- Health care and social assistance
- Arts, entertainment and recreation
- Other services (except public administration)

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

Regional Defence Investment Initiative in Atlantic Canada
- No Condition
- Public administration

PME MTL — Call for projects : Innovation
- Maximum amount : 50,000 $
- Up to 80% of project cost
- Manufacturing
- Information and cultural industries
- Professional, scientific and technical services
- Educational services

Cyber Security Innovation Network
- Up to 50% of project cost
- Professional, scientific and technical services
- Educational services

Support for commercial arteries — Component 1 - Support for urban revitalization projects
- Maximum amount : 25,000 $
- Up to 65% of project cost
- All industries
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Startup in residence
- Maximum amount : 15,000 $
- Information and cultural industries
- Finance and insurance
- Real estate and rental and leasing
- Professional, scientific and technical services

Net Zero Accelerator Initiative
- No Condition
- Mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction
- Utilities
- Manufacturing
- Transportation and warehousing

Call for projects in social innovation
- Maximum amount : 800,000 $
- Up to 80% of project cost
- Educational services
- Health care and social assistance

- From $5,000 to $200,000
- Information and cultural industries
- Professional, scientific and technical services
- Arts, entertainment and recreation

Supporting Artistic Practice — Literary Publishers
- Maximum amount : 300,000 $
- Arts, entertainment and recreation

Water reduction program for paper mills
- No Condition
- Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting
- Manufacturing

EDC Trade Impact Program
- No Condition
- All industries

BC Agriculture and Food Export Program
- From $5,000 to $75,000
- Up to 50% of project cost
- Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting
- Manufacturing

Organic Waste Management Support Program for Industry, Commerce, and Institutions (PMOICI)
- From $75,000 to $500,000
- Up to 70% of project cost
- Manufacturing
- Retail trade
- Administrative and support, waste management and remediation services
- Educational services

Purple Leash Project
- From $4,500 to $23,850
- Health care and social assistance

EPRTNT — Studies and consulting services
- From $10,000 to $50,000
- Up to 30% of project cost
- Accommodation and food services

CED — Black Entrepreneurship Program
- Minimum amount : 100,000 $
- Up to 90% of project cost
- All industries

Canada Music Fund - Collective Initiatives
- No Condition
- Information and cultural industries
- Arts, entertainment and recreation

Cyber Security Cooperation Program 2025
- Maximum amount : 300,000 $
- Up to 75% of project cost
- Professional, scientific and technical services
- Educational services
- Public administration

ACOA — Black Entrepreneurship Program Ecosystem Fund in Atlantic Canada
- No Condition
- Other services (except public administration)
- Public administration

Évolution-Compétences -Partnership for training and innovation
- Maximum amount : 50 $
- Up to 50% of project cost
- Educational services

Strategic sectors
- Up to 50% of project cost
- Utilities
- Manufacturing
- Information and cultural industries
- Professional, scientific and technical services

PacifiCan — Black Entrepreneurship Program Ecosystem Fund in British Columbia
- Maximum amount : 3,000,000 $
- All industries

- No Condition
- Manufacturing
- Accommodation and food services
- Other services (except public administration)
- Public administration

Harnessing Agriculture for Research, Value-add Environmental Solutions, and Technology (HARVEST)
- From $525,000 to $750,000
- Up to 33% of project cost
- Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting
- Manufacturing

Gaspésie Tourism — EPRTNT 2025-2027 – Structuring the regional tourism offering
- From $50,000 to $200,000
- Up to 50% of project cost
- Arts, entertainment and recreation
- Accommodation and food services

Regional Tariff Response Initiative (RTRI) — Northern Ontario
- Maximum amount : 1,000,000 $
- Up to 50% of project cost
- Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting
- Mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction
- Manufacturing

Trade Diversification Corridors Fund (TDCF)
- No Condition
- Transportation and warehousing

Funding for Social Development Partnerships Program – Children and Families – Social Inclusion of Vulnerable Children and Youth
- No Condition
- Educational services
- Health care and social assistance
- Public administration

Zero Emission Vehicle Awareness Initiative — Light-Duty Vehicle — For-profit
- Up to 50% of project cost
- Utilities
- Manufacturing
- Transportation and warehousing
- Professional, scientific and technical services