Open
Source verified August 4, 2026
DEPART Program
Supports business growth in targeted Quebec territories
Offered by
Funding available
$ 15,000 - $ 125,000
Deadline
Open continuously
Opened June 4, 2026
Location
Quebec, Canada
Who can apply
For-profit businesses with 250 employees or fewer that are legally constituted under the laws of Quebec or Canada.
See full eligibility
Overview
The DEPART Program offers non-repayable contributions of 60% to 70% of eligible expenses, from $15,000 to $125,000, to SMEs and collective enterprises carrying out projects in targeted Quebec MRCs to strengthen local economic vitality. Support covers feasibility studies, expansion or modernization investments, and innovative product or process development.
/100
Opportunity Score
Moderate potential, but conditions must align.
At a glance
Funding available
Financing goals
- Increase performance through digital transformation
- Increase production or service capacity
- Develop a new product or service
Eligible Funding
- Maximum amount : 125,000 $
- Minimum amount : 15,000 $
- Up to 60% of project cost
Funds Providers
Eligible candidates
Eligible Industries
- All industries
Location
- Quebec
Legal structures
- For-profit business
- Social economy enterprise
Annual revenue
- All revenue ranges
Organisation size
- 250 employees maximum
Audience
- Canadians
- Startups
Next Steps
1
Determine your project
2
Validate your eligibility
Activities funded
- Feasibility studies to analyze or assess the technical or economic parameters of implementation, modernization, or expansion projects, including site-selection studies, process or technology evaluation studies, and studies to meet or obtain standards.
- Investment projects involving the creation of a new business, or the expansion, modernization, enlargement, or technological transition of an existing business, including targeted business practices that generate major productivity gains.
- Tourism investment projects involving the development of cultural, scientific, recreational, outdoor, or other facilities and attractions for regular tourist use, and new tourist accommodation construction projects.
- Post-succession investment projects aimed at supporting a successor.
- Projects to develop or demonstrate new products, or to develop or demonstrate a new process to increase business productivity.
Documents Needed
- A completed and signed financial assistance application form, including the Declarations and Consent form with all boxes checked.
- A business plan prepared in accordance with the application guide.
- Annual financial statements for the two most recent available years, with at least a compilation engagement, or projected financial statements for a start-up.
- Service offers compliant with Annex A and partnerships, if applicable.
- Conditional documents, when applicable: valid proof of compliance with francization requirements, a copy of the declaration of compliance with the Employment Equity Program, a copy of the general by-laws for a social economy enterprise, and any other mandatory document based on the nature of the project under Annex C.
Eligibility
Who is eligible?
- For-profit businesses with 250 employees or fewer that are legally constituted under the laws of Quebec or Canada.
- Collective enterprises, including cooperatives and non-profit organizations, within the meaning of the Loi sur l’économie sociale and with mainly commercial activity.
- Businesses mainly active in the primary sector for second- or third-stage processing projects.
- Businesses in manufacturing, high-value-added tertiary sectors, or tourism.
- Businesses in the tourist accommodation sector, except tourism residences, bed and breakfasts, and campgrounds.
Who is not eligible
- Applicants listed, provisionally or permanently, in the Registre des entreprises non admissibles aux contrats publics (RENA), including subcontractors expected to carry out work under the project.
- Applicants that are not compliant with francization requirements, that failed to meet obligations related to previous financial assistance from the ministre or a Quebec government body within the previous 2 years after formal notice, or that do not comply with environmental laws and regulations without proof of a corrective action plan.
- Crown corporations, businesses controlled directly or indirectly by a municipal, provincial, or federal government, municipal entities, and enterprises majority-owned by a Crown corporation.
- Applicants under the protection of the Companies’ Creditors Arrangement Act or the Bankruptcy and Insolvency Act.
- Applicants whose sector of activity involves gambling, except bingo activities of social economy enterprises when that fundraising activity represents less than 50% of their revenue; tobacco or drugs, except certain Health Canada-authorized pharmaceutical-grade cannabis or industrial hemp products, ingredients, and authorized R&D; controversial weapons; violent games or combat sports; sexually oriented activities; or activities whose main subject is protected by the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
Eligible expenses
- Professional fees from external consulting firms, in accordance with current government standards set out in the Recueil des politiques de gestion du gouvernement du Québec.
- Travel and accommodation costs related to project implementation, in accordance with current government standards set out in the Recueil des politiques de gestion du gouvernement du Québec.
- Hiring a qualified professional to deploy the project.
- Acquisition, construction, fit-up or expansion of buildings, and acquisition and installation of equipment or software necessary to carry out the project, including acquisition of new technology.
- Research and development costs for products or processes, costs to obtain homologation, compliance or certification, real-world demonstration costs with potential clients, and acquisition of studies, data or other documentation needed for the project.
Ineligible Costs and Activities
- Costs incurred before the application filing date, including costs for which the business made contractual commitments before filing.
- Business turnaround or consolidation expenses, and regular operating expenses.
- Debt repayment or future borrowing costs, debt servicing, capital losses, replacement capital, and payments or amounts disbursed as capital.
- Intellectual property maintenance costs, and land acquisition or site development costs.
- Transactions between related businesses or partners, and refundable federal and provincial taxes.
Eligible geographic areas
- MRCs in the last quintile of the ranking based on the indice de vitalité économique produced every two years by the Institut de la statistique du Québec.
- The MRCs of the administrative region of Gaspésie–Îles-de-la-Madeleine, including the maritime community of Îles-de-la-Madeleine, the MRC des Appalaches, the MRC du Granit including the city of Lac-Mégantic, and the MRCs of Maskinongé and Charlevoix-Est.
- Indigenous communities located within the territorial perimeter of eligible MRCs and belonging to one of the Nations recognized by the Assemblée nationale du Québec.
- Projects carried out outside the territory of the targeted MRCs by a local business are ineligible, while projects carried out on the territory of the targeted MRCs by businesses located outside that territory are eligible.
Selection criteria
- Project relevance, including contribution to program objectives, alignment with the economic priorities of the targeted MRC, and support for the emergence, growth, and expansion of local entrepreneurship.
- Project governance quality, including the expertise and skills of managers and key employees, and the company’s financial, human, and technical capacity to carry out the project.
- Project quality, including consistency with the company’s business model, the quality of the business plan, and the realism of the financing structure, proposed schedule, and financial projections.
- Community support, including local and regional support, the absence of known opposition to the project, and the obtaining of government authorizations required to carry out the project.
- Potential project impacts on the company’s profitability, productivity, and competitiveness, its sector of activity, the local and regional economy, job quality, and the incentive effect or necessity of the financial assistance.
How to apply
- Review the program information on the website and read the application guide.
- Prepare a business plan that includes the company description, markets, competition, ownership, management profile, project details, financing structure, costs, impacts, and risks.
- Gather the mandatory documents in French and use the checklist to make sure the application is complete.
- Complete and sign the financial assistance application form, including the Declarations and Consent section.
- Send the completed form and required documents to aidefinanciere@invest-quebec.com.
Processing and Agreement
- An automated acknowledgement of receipt is sent after submission; if financial assistance is later confirmed, expenses become eligible starting from that date.
- The application is reviewed for compliance, and within 3 weeks the applicant receives an opening notice indicating whether the file is compliant or non-compliant; a refusal notice is sent for non-compliant files.
- Compliant applications are analyzed as submitted, and additional information may be requested within the required timelines.
- During analysis, Investissement Québec will contact the relevant MRC to obtain a non-binding opinion on the project, and the final decision is made by a committee composed of employees of the MEIE and Investissement Québec.
- If the application is recommended, the offer letter is sent within 6 weeks through an electronic signature platform; interim disbursement may be available, the final disbursement request is analyzed, and the cheque is received within 2 to 3 months after confirmation of the final disbursement amount.
Additional information
- The program is prioritized over any other program of the Ministère, including those of the Fonds du développement économique, except for projects that meet the criteria of the Innovation program, in which case the Innovation program takes precedence.
- Investissement Québec administers the program as mandatary of the Gouvernement du Québec.
- The Minister and Investissement Québec may refuse to grant financial assistance, or stop paying it, if the applicant or beneficiary does not meet the high integrity standards expected of a recipient of public funds.
Contacts
Frequently Asked Questions about the DEPART Program Program
What is the DEPART Program?
The DEPART Program offers non-repayable contributions of 60% to 70% of eligible expenses, from $15,000 to $125,000, to SMEs and collective enterprises carrying out projects in targeted Quebec MRCs to strengthen local economic vitality. Support covers feasibility studies, expansion or modernization investments, and innovative product or process development.
How much funding can be received?
DEPART Program Funds up to 60% of admissible expenses, capped at $125,000 per project.
Who is eligible for the DEPART Program program?
To be eligible for the DEPART Program program, you must:
The applicant must be a for-profit business with 250 employees or fewer legally constituted under Quebec or Canadian law, or a collective enterprise with mainly commercial activity.
The business must be registered in Quebec, have an active establishment there, and actively operate there.
The business must have a French version of its website, and the project must be carried out in an eligible sector on the territory of a targeted MRC.
What expenses are eligible under DEPART Program?
Feasibility studies to analyze or assess the technical or economic parameters of implementation, modernization, or expansion projects, including site-selection studies, process or technology evaluation studies, and studies to meet or obtain standards.
Investment projects involving the creation of a new business, or the expansion, modernization, enlargement, or technological transition of an existing business, including targeted business practices that generate major productivity gains.
Tourism investment projects involving the development of cultural, scientific, recreational, outdoor, or other facilities and attractions for regular tourist use, and new tourist accommodation construction projects.
Post-succession investment projects aimed at supporting a successor.
Projects to develop or demonstrate new products, or to develop or demonstrate a new process to increase business productivity.
Who can I contact for more information about the DEPART Program?
You can contact Investissement Québec (IQ) by email at aidefinanciere@invest-quebec.com or by phone at 1 844 474-6367.
Where is the DEPART Program available?
The DEPART Program program is available the province of Quebec.
Who are the financial supporters of the DEPART Program?
DEPART Program is funded by Investissement Québec (IQ)