ESSOR – Component 1B

• Non-repayable contribution covering up to 50% of eligible project expenses.
• Cumulative government assistance may not exceed 80% of eligible expenses.
• Minimum and maximum funding: Up to $20,000 per application for the duration of the program.
• A minimum of 20% private funding is required, which may be provided in cash or from the company's own funds.

Eligibility for this grant is determined by specific requirements related to the applicant's profile and business activities.

• The applicant must be a for-profit corporation legally constituted.
• The applicant can be a social economy enterprise as defined by the Quebec Social Economy Act, with financial viability relying on more than 40% from autonomous revenues from the last financial year.
• Only businesses with 250 employees or fewer, with a minimum annual revenue of $2.5 million, are eligible.
• The business must be registered in Quebec, have an establishment in Quebec, and actively conduct commercial operations on a continuous or regular basis in Quebec.
• Foreign enterprises must be registered in Quebec and commit to conducting continuous or regular commercial operations in Quebec within 12 months following the project authorization.
• Applicants are not eligible if they are listed in the Quebec Register of Enterprises Ineligible for Public Contracts (RENA), including subcontractors involved in the project.
• Applicants are not eligible if listed as non-compliant in the francization process by the Office québécois de la langue française.
• Applicants are not eligible if they have defaulted on previous financial aid obligations from any Quebec government ministry or organization in the two years preceding the financial aid request.
• State corporations, entities controlled by municipal, provincial, or federal governments, or entities majoritarily owned by a state corporation are not eligible.
• Applicants under the protection of the Companies' Creditors Arrangement Act or the Bankruptcy and Insolvency Act are not eligible.
• Holding companies are not eligible.
• Applicants with ethical behaviors potentially tarnishing the integrity and probity of Quebec's government, or by association, are not eligible.
• Applicants primarily involved in the production or distribution of weapons are not eligible.
• Applicants involved in fossil fuel exploration, extraction, refining, except those transitioning to a low-carbon economy, are not eligible.
• Applicants involved in gambling activities such as casinos, bingo halls, or gaming terminals are not eligible.
• Applicants engaged in violent games, combat sports involving live species, racing, or similar activities are not eligible.
• Applicants involved in sexual exploitation activities such as erotic bars, escort agencies, erotic massage salons, or swinger clubs, and the production of pornographic material are not eligible.
• Applicants involved in the production, sale, or services related to tobacco or drugs, with exceptions for cannabis and industrial hemp-related activities, are not eligible.

Who is eligible?

• For-profit companies legally constituted
• Social economy enterprises functioning collectively as defined by Quebec's Social Economy Act, with at least 40% of their financial viability based on autonomous revenue from their economic activities during the last fiscal year

Who is not eligible

• Companies temporarily or permanently listed in the Registre des entreprises non admissibles aux contrats publics (RENA), including subcontractors involved in the project who are listed in RENA.
• Companies listed as non-compliant with the francization process by the Office québécois de la langue française.
• Companies that have defaulted on financial aid obligations from a Québec ministry or government body in the past two years after being formally notified.
• Crown corporations or companies directly or indirectly controlled by a government (municipal, provincial, or federal), municipal entities, or companies majority-owned by a Crown corporation.
• Companies under protection of the Companies' Creditors Arrangement Act or the Bankruptcy and Insolvency Act.
• Holding companies (portfolio companies).
• Companies whose ethical conduct could tarnish the reputation for integrity and probity of the Québec government.
• Companies primarily engaged in the production or distribution of weapons.
• Companies involved in exploration, extraction, drilling, production, or refining of fossil fuels (such as oil and thermal coal), except for activities supporting the transition to a low-carbon economy.
• Companies involved in gambling, such as casinos, bingo halls, and gaming terminals.
• Companies involved in the production or operation of violent games, combat sports involving living beings, racing, or similar activities.
• Companies engaged in the sex industry, such as erotic bars, escort agencies, erotic massage parlors, swingers' clubs, or pornography production.
• Companies involved in the production, sale, or services related to tobacco or drugs, except for activities related to cannabis and industrial hemp.

Eligible expenses

• Professional fees of an auditor-accompanist (member of the Quebec Digital Auditors Consortium or an independent auditor-accompanist).
• Travel expenses in accordance with Quebec government management policy regulations, including transportation, lodging, and meals.

Eligible geographic areas

• Companies registered in Quebec
• Companies with an establishment and commercial operations in Quebec

• Relevance of the project: Contribution to the achievement of the program's objectives.
• Contribution to the emergence, growth, and expansion of the company.
• Quality of project governance: Expertise and competencies of managers and key employees.
• Capacity of the company to complete the project (financial, human, and technical resources).
• Quality of the project: Quality of strategic planning.
• Realism of the project's financial structure and proposed timeline.
• Financial support from partners and their level of commitment to the project's financial framework.
• Potential impacts of the project on profitability, productivity, and competitiveness of the company.
• Incentive nature or necessity of the financial aid.
• Alignment between the project and the company’s business model.

• A French-language website is required for applicant companies.
• A strategic planning document is required, including SWOT analysis, mission, vision, and main challenges for the next three years.
• All required documents must be provided at application, and incomplete submissions will be rejected without review.
• It is possible that additional documentation may be requested at any point during the assessment process, and timely response is mandatory.