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Défi-Québec, Sustainable City - Québec - QC - Canada

Défi-Québec, Sustainable City

Last Update: June 2, 2025
Québec, QC
Support eco-friendly projects in Québec businesses

Défi-Québec, Sustainable City at a glance

Eligible Funding
  • Max. $50,000
Timeline
  • Continuous Intakes
Financing Type
Grant and Funding
Eligible Industries
  • Manufacturing
  • Transportation and warehousing
  • Finance and insurance
  • Arts, entertainment and recreation
Grant Providers
  • Quebec City
Status
Open

Overview of the Défi-Québec, Sustainable City program

Défi-Québec, Sustainable City, provides grants to support projects promoting sustainable development and eco-responsible practices within businesses with a focus on areas such as reducing greenhouse gases, circular economy, and sustainable production. Eligible activities include energy recovery in urban agriculture and the creation of innovative eco-friendly products, with specific conditions such as location and industry sector determining eligibility; however, the maximum funding amount isn’t specified.

Financing terms and conditions

  • Non-repayable contribution of up to $50,000 per project for both private enterprises and social economy enterprises.
  • Private enterprises can receive a maximum of 50% of eligible expenses covered.
  • Social economy enterprises can receive a maximum of 80% of eligible expenses covered.
  • Maximum of one contribution per enterprise over a two-year period.
  • The total active financing across all economic development programs from the City of Québec cannot exceed $500,000 over a two-year period, where non-repayable aid is accounted for at 100% of its value, and repayable aid at 50%.

Eligible projects & activities

  • A non-profit organization (NPO) operating an urban greenhouse implements an energy recovery project.
  • A food processing company offering healthy products launches a project to recover unsold produce from market gardening businesses to upcycle it.
  • A manufacturing company, with a supply chain mostly based in Quebec, starts producing an innovative and eco-friendly new product.
Examples of admissible projects:

$ 50,000

Project to upcycle unsold produce into new products

$ 50,000

Urban greenhouse energy recovery project implementation

$ 50,000

Producing an innovative and eco-friendly new product

Eligibility criteria of the Défi-Québec, Sustainable City program

  • The applicant must be an incorporated private company or a social economy enterprise (NPO or co-op) that primarily carries out commercial activities.
  • The company's first significant sale must have occurred more than 36 months before the application deadline.
  • Individual enterprises and general partnerships held in majority by Indigenous persons and located on the Wendake territory are eligible.
  • The project must be located in the Agglomeration of Québec, which includes the cities of Québec, Saint-Augustin-de-Desmaures, L’Ancienne-Lorette, and Wendake.
  • The project must address at least one aspect such as water, raw materials, circular economy, reduction of greenhouse gases, sustainable production, logistics, or transportation.

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.

Eligibility criteria of the Défi-Québec, Sustainable City program

  • 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.

How to apply to the Défi-Québec, Sustainable City program

1
Preparation of the application
  • Carefully read the funding application form to understand the specific information needs.
  • Gather all necessary documents mentioned in the form.
2
Drafting of the project proposal
  • Describe the project by highlighting eco-responsible practices and the economic, social, and environmental impacts.
  • Include a demonstration of the need for financial assistance and the structuring effect of the project.
3
Submission of the request
  • Complete the funding application form with all required information.
  • Submit the application and supporting documents by the appropriate means before April 9, 2025, at 4 PM.
4
Receipt Confirmation
  • Wait for confirmation of receipt of your request from the organization.
  • Keep all communications for your future records.

Additional information

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

Contact {{GrantProviderName}}

defiquebec@ville.quebec.qc.ca
4186416411
Apply to this program

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