Financing for Small Businesses in Canada
Small Business Financing in Canada is essential for entrepreneurs looking to start or expand their ventures. Whether you are launching a new business or scaling an existing one, finding the right financing options can be crucial to your success. Understanding the various loans and credit options available can help you secure the funds needed to fuel your business growth. This article delves into the different loan programs, personal financing methods, and strategies for working with financial institutions to get your small business funded.
534 opportunities available
Grant and FundingOpen
PME MTL — Social Initiatives
Supports Montreal social economy projects from planning to growth
Grant and FundingOpen
Innovation and Development Labour Rebate Program
Supports innovation and development labour costs
Grant and FundingClosed
Alberta Innovates — Industry Commercialization Associates
Supports commercialization by funding salaries for business innovation talent
Grant and FundingClosed
OVIN — R&D Partnership Fund – Advanced Charging and Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G) Stream
Supports R&D collaborations for advanced EV charging and V2G technologies
Eligible Funding
- Maximum amount : 1,000,000 $
- Up to 33% of project cost
Eligible Industries
- Manufacturing
- Transportation and warehousing
- Information and cultural industries
- Professional, scientific and technical services
Types of eligible projects
CommercializationTechnologyEnvironment and ClimateInnovation
Grant and FundingOpen
Manitoba — Incoming Buyer Program
Supports Manitoba companies in inviting international buyers.
Grant and FundingOpen
JEDI — Aboriginal Development Fund — CED
Money for New Brunswick First Nation community economic development
Grant and FundingClosed
PRIMA — PARTENAR-IA — Academic
Funding for Quebec R&D collaborations in AI for advanced materials
Partnering and CollaborationGrant and FundingClosed
Island Community Food Security Program
Government of Prince Edward Island (PEI), Department of Agriculture and Land (PEI), Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership (SCAP)
Supports local food security and community education
Grant and FundingOpen
Trade Mission Support Program
Export assistance for not-for-profit organizations in Northern Ontario
Grant and FundingClosed
Canada United Small Business Relief Fund
Grant supports small businesses' COVID-19 operational adjustments
Grant and FundingClosed
Emerging Innovators Challenge
Money for GHG emissions reduction technologies in Alberta
Grant and FundingOpen
Alberta Innovates — Industry R&D Associates Program
Funds Alberta tech firms for in-house research expertise
Grant and FundingClosed
SMART Cluster’s 8th call for proposals – advanced manufacturing
Advance international R&D in manufacturing through SMART Eureka Cluster
Grant and FundingClosed
Volta AI
Volta, Scale AI Cluster, Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA), National Research Council Canada (NRC)
Helping artificial intelligence supply chain companies scale
Grant and FundingClosed
WinterTech Development
Money to develop automotive winter weather related technologies.
Grant and FundingArchived
Alberta Innovates — Agri-Food and Bioindustrial Innovation Program
Funding for agri-food and bioindustrial sector innovations
Partnering and CollaborationGrant and FundingArchived
Alberta Innovates — International Technology Partnership (ITP) Program
Support to de-risk the commercialization of innovative technology in Alberta
Grant and FundingArchived
Cranberry Industry Development Program (CIDP)
Supports New Brunswick cranberry growers upgrading varieties, renovations, and technologies
Grant and FundingOpen
MRC Charlevoix-Est — Business Support
Support for creating and sustaining businesses in Charlevoix-Est
Grant and FundingClosed
Agri-Food Supply Chain Infrastructure Investment Stream
Money for agri-food equipment and assets acquisition
Researchers And FacilitiesPartnering and CollaborationGrant and FundingOpen
Agriculture Research and Innovation — Applied Research (Agricultural Producers)
Government of Prince Edward Island (PEI), Department of Agriculture and Land (PEI), Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership (SCAP)
Supports PEI agriculture research and innovation
Grant and FundingOpen
Northern Indigenous Economic Opportunities Program — Community Readiness and Opportunities Planning
Money for economic development in the territories
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Grant and FundingClosed
Listen, Hear Our Voices — Large projects
Get funding to digitize heritage related documentary
Grant and FundingWage Subsidies And InternsClosed
Canada Book Fund Publishers Business Development — Business Planning — Aboriginal or Official Language Minority Firms
Financial support for book publisher business planning
Grant and FundingOpen
Alberta Export Expansion Program (AEEP)
Funding for Alberta exporters attending international trade events
Grant and FundingOpen
Community Participation Funding Program (CPFP)
Supports Indigenous engagement in marine transportation development
Grant and FundingExpert AdviceSuspended
CleanBC — Custom-Lite Program
Funding for building electrification upgrades
Grant and FundingClosed
Capitalization of Social Economy Enterprises (CAES) — Stream 1
Financial support for social economy enterprise capitalization projects
Grant and FundingClosed
NBIF — Corporate Cleantech Innovation Fund
Funding for cleantech innovation in New Brunswick
Grant and FundingClosed
Eastern Ontario Development Fund (EODF) — Community economic development projects
Grants for economic development in eastern Ontario
Grant and FundingExpert AdviceClosed
INNOGEC
Supports consulting and governance services for Montréal social enterprises
Grant and FundingClosed
Entrepreneurship and Innovation Fund — Small Businesses or Entrepreneurs Developing Agri-tech and Cleantech Solutions
Funding for agri-tech and cleantech solutions in York Region
Grant and FundingClosed
Small Cidery Program
Supports Ontario small cideries to scale and boost competitiveness
Grant and FundingClosed
AFA — Community Support Organizations Operating Funding
Annual funding for arts-supporting nonprofit organizations in Alberta
Grant and FundingClosed
Ontario Dairy Processing Modernization Initiative
Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership (SCAP), Government of Ontario (ON), Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC), Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Agribusiness (OMAFRA)
Funding for dairy processing equipment upgrades
Grant and FundingClosed
Canada Digital Adoption Program — Boost Your Business Technology — Digital Advisors
Call for Digital Advisors to support SMEs adopting new technologies
Grant and FundingWage Subsidies And InternsOpen
Alberta Innovates — R&D Associates Program
Wage subsidy for an R&D associate in Alberta
Grant and FundingClosed
AFA — Artist Manager Program Funding
Funding for Alberta musicians' professional development at CMI
Grant and FundingClosed
NGen — Advanced Manufacturing Quantum Program
Propel Canada's leadership in quantum innovation by funding transformative, collaborative manufacturing projects
Grant and FundingClosed
PRIMA — INNOV-R SME
Supporting innovative projects to reduce Quebec's GHG emissions
Grant and FundingArchived
MRC Beauce-Centre — E-commerce assistance program
Funding to support digital and e-commerce transformation for local businesses
Grant and FundingWage Subsidies And InternsOpen
Staffing UP
Financial support for recruiting, hiring, and retaining employees
Grant and FundingClosed
Organic Industry Development — Specialized Equipment
Government of Prince Edward Island (PEI), Department of Agriculture and Land (PEI), Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership (SCAP)
Funding for specialized equipment in Prince Edward Island for organic farming
Grant and FundingClosed
Ontario Transit Investment Fund (OTIF)
Supports the creation and expansion of sustainable transit services
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Grant and FundingClosed
Innovative Solutions Canada — Inclusive industrial protective headwear
National Research Council Canada (NRC), Natural Resources Canada (NRCan), Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED)
The PSPC Inclusive Industrial Protective Headwear Innovation Challenge.
Grant and FundingClosed
STIP — Community Airport Program
Maintains community airports for safety, development, and aviation operations
Grant and FundingOpen
Carbon Capture Kickstart
Funding pre-construction studies for industrial carbon capture projects in Alberta
Grant and FundingClosed
Ontario Creates-CMF — IDM Futures Forward Program
Funding for early-stage digital media project development
Grant and FundingClosed
Xecs call 4 – electronic components and systems
Xecs supports collaborative R&D in electronic components and systems
Grant and FundingOpen
INVEST North Program — Innovation – Industrial Research Chair
Money to establish and enhance research capacity
Other SupportGrant and FundingExpert AdviceOpen
MaRS — Supply AI
Canadian AI supply chain ventures accelerator program
Grant and FundingClosed
Community Investment Fund
Government of New Brunswick, Regional Development Corporation, Township of Centre Wellington, Regional Municipality of York
Support for NB non-profits
Grant and FundingLoans and Capital investmentsOpen
PacifiCan — Lytton Business Restart Program
Supports business recovery and revitalization in Lytton, BC
Grant and FundingClosed
Alberta Innovates — Commercialization Associates Program
Wage subsidy for commercialization associate's salary in Alberta
Grant and FundingWage Subsidies And InternsOpen
Apprenticeship START
Supports Nova Scotia employers hiring and training apprentices
Grant and FundingClosed
Lab Services Incentive Program (LSIP)
Alberta's pilot program enhancing lab access for tech developers
Grant and FundingOpen
Alberta Innovates — Micro Voucher Program
Supports Alberta tech companies in developing innovative technological solutions
Grant and FundingOpen
Évolution-Compétences — Innovation and knowledge component
Fosters innovative solutions to workforce skill development
Grant and FundingClosed
Business Development Support Program
Government of Newfoundland and Labrador, Department of Industry, Energy and Technology (NL) (IET), Canada Media Fund (CMF)
Money for business improvement in Newfoundland and Labrador
Grant and FundingClosed
Experience Ontario 2025
Experience Ontario 2025 funds impactful tourism events in Ontario
Partnering and CollaborationGrant and FundingClosed
Protein Industries Canada — Strengthening the Canadian Supply Chain Program
Supports Canadian plant-based innovation and local supply chain resilience
Grant and FundingOpen
Regional Quantum Initiative in British Columbia
Supports quantum product commercialization in British Columbia
Grant and FundingOpen
Musicaction — Musical Showcases – Stream 3 - National Showcase and Tour
Supports francophone artists' international exposure and career development
Grant and FundingClosed
Accelerating Innovations into CarE (AICE) – Market Access
Funding for Alberta health tech market access
Grant and FundingClosed
Accelerating Innovations into CarE (AICE) – Concepts
Accelerates Alberta health innovation with digital solutions
Grant and FundingClosed
CAAIN — Livestock Innovation Program 2025
Funding for innovation in Canadian livestock technology and research
Grant and FundingClosed
Toronto Retail Accelerator Program
$10,000 micro grant to help Toronto's small retail businesses thrive and expand
Find tailored funding for your business
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Grant and FundingOpen
Creating, Knowing and Sharing — Small-Scale Activities
Financial support for Indigenous artistic development
Grant and FundingClosed
Financial assistance program for regional service units in the areas of recreation, sports, outdoor activities, and physical activity (PAFURS)
Supports regional organizations in recreation, sports, and physical activity
Grant and FundingExpert AdviceClosed
Canada Digital Adoption Program — Grow Your Business Online
Financing to help SMEs adopt e-commerce
Grant and FundingClosed
Indigenous Cannabis Business Fund — Business Planning, Design, and Capital
Support for Indigenous business development in the cannabis sector
Grant and FundingExpert AdviceClosed
i.d.e.a. Fund
Funding and support for high potential businesses focusing on a sustainable and green recovery
Grant and FundingOpenClosing Soon
OAC — Literary Organizations Projects
Supports Ontario literary organizations in presenting and promoting literature
Grant and FundingClosed
EcoAction — Stream 2: Freshwater Sustainability and Innovation across Canada
Innovative solutions for freshwater ecosystem health in Canada
Grant and FundingOpenClosing Soon
Capital Project Grants - Social Policy - Social Medium Capital Grants
Supports upgrades to social-serving facilities for vulnerable Vancouver communities
Grant and FundingClosed
Disaster Financial Assistance Program — Small Business
Funding for Nova Scotia wildfire damage to small businesses
Researchers And FacilitiesGrant and FundingOpen
NBIF Innovation Voucher
Funding for R&D at a New Brunswick research institution
Grant and FundingClosed
MAPAQ — Ministerial Initiative for Plant Productivity
Enhancing Quebec's agricultural productivity through equipment funding
Grant and FundingArchived
Kakivak Association — Sivummut Grants to Small Businesses
Financial assistance for Inuit entrepreneurs to start or grow businesses
Grant and FundingClosed
EPRTNT — Digital development of a company
Digital Tourism Business Development Partnership in Quebec
Grant and FundingClosed
Canada–UK 2023-24 critical minerals sustainability and circularity
Canada-UK critical minerals innovation and sustainability collaboration program
Grant and FundingOpen
Multi-Species Research and Development Fund
Research and development of aquaculture species
Grant and FundingClosed
CQDM — PARTENAR-IA — Industry
Funding for Quebec innovative biopharmaceutical collaborations in AI
Grant and FundingOpen
Musicaction — International Commercialization – Stream 2 - Career development in a target market
Program supports international promotion and career development activities
Grant and FundingClosed
Grow Ontario Market Initiative
Grow Ontario Market Initiative funds agri-food market expansion
Grant and FundingOpening Soon
Commercialization, Consulting and Mentoring
Money for commercialization in Atlantic Canada
Grant and FundingClosed
Energy Savings for Business Program
Funding for Alberta SMEs to improve efficiency
Grant and FundingClosed
Alberta Media Fund — Alberta Made Production Grant
Government of Alberta, Alberta Ministry of Arts, Culture and Status of Women (ACSW), Alberta Municipal Affairs
Funds for small-budget productions in Alberta
Grant and FundingLoans and Capital investmentsOpen
General Business Loans
Financing for business development in Two Rivers, Ontario
Grant and FundingOpen
Official Languages Economic Development Initiative in Quebec — Not-for-profit
Funding for Quebec non-profits promoting official languages
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