Défi-Québec, Sustainable City

Who is eligible?

• Incorporated private companies with significant sales over 36 months ago.
• Social economy enterprises (NPO and co-op) engaged in primarily commercial activities.
• Individual enterprises and general partnerships majority-owned by Indigenous individuals on Wendake territory.
• Businesses in agri-food, food processing, and healthy foods.
• Companies in digital arts, interactive entertainment, and financial technologies.
• Enterprises involved in optics-photonics, measurement and control technologies, and advanced electronics.
• Organizations in life sciences, biotechnology, and health technologies.
• Firms specializing in clean technologies: water, air, soil treatment, ecomobility, energy efficiency, renewable energies, and green chemistry.
• Social economy enterprises across all sectors with over 40% self-generated revenue.

Who is not eligible

• Social economy enterprises (NPO and co-op) that cannot demonstrate sound democratic governance.
• Applicants not discharged from a bankruptcy judgment.
• Businesses listed in the Register of enterprises ineligible for public contracts.
• Applicants who, in the two years prior to the request, failed to meet obligations related to a previous grant from the City of Québec.
• Applicants with outstanding amounts owed to the City of Québec.
• Projects of a discriminatory nature, involving controversy, or posing a negative image risk for the City of Québec.
• One-off projects of an event-driven nature.

Eligible expenses

• Professional fees, consulting services, and studies.
• Expenses necessary for the implementation of the project.
• Salaries for human resources assigned to the project at a rate equivalent to that paid by the beneficiary according to its salary policy, upon presentation of a resolution from its board of directors indicating the amount allocated for the project's execution and any relevant supporting documents.
• Purchases or rentals of goods, equipment, and assets related to the project.
• Marketing, promotion, and advertising activities and costs.
• General and administrative expenses necessary for the project's realization.
• Expenses for leasehold improvements, refurbishment, expansion, renovation, or construction of a building, including the acquisition of land or property.

Eligible geographic areas

• Agglomeration of Québec, including the cities of Québec, Saint-Augustin-de-Desmaures, and L’Ancienne-Lorette.
• Wendake.

• Quality and robustness of the responsible business model.
• Financial capacity of the applicant to complete the project and achieve its goals.
• Viability and coherence of the submitted project (project relevance, realistic financial setup, and involved partners).
• Organizational capacity.
• Distinctive and innovative nature of the project.
• Economic, social, and environmental impacts in the Quebec agglomeration.
• Demonstration of the need for financial assistance.
• Structuring effect.
• Support structure.
• Nature of equity, diversity, and inclusion.

• Step 1: Access Application Form
• Visit the City of Québec's official website to locate the Défi-Québec, Sustainable City grant section.
• Download the funding application form from the designated area.
• Step 2: Gather Required Documents
• Review the list of required documents as outlined in the funding application form.
• Prepare all necessary documentation to support your application.
• Step 3: Complete Application Form
• Fill out the funding application form with accurate and detailed information about your project.
• Ensure all sections of the form are thoroughly completed.
• Step 4: Review Application
• Carefully review the application form and attached documents for completeness and accuracy.
• Ensure the project complies with all criteria and requirements.
• Step 5: Submit Application
• Submit the completed application form and all required documents electronically or through the specified submission method by the deadline of April 9, 2025, at 4 p.m.
• Follow the instructions provided in the funding application form for the submission process.
• Step 6: Await Confirmation
• After submission, await confirmation of receipt of your application via email or another communication method as indicated by the City of Québec.
• Retain the confirmation for your records.

• If the company leaves the territory or ceases its activities, reimbursement clauses apply depending on the date of the event.