Group Entrepreneurship Capital Program

• Non-repayable financial contribution covering up to 50% of eligible project expenses, with a maximum of $500,000 per project.
• Total government aid, including this grant, must not exceed 80% of the eligible project expenses.
• No funding will be provided for cost overruns beyond the approved project budget.

• The applicant must be a social economy enterprise as defined by Quebec law, including cooperatives, non-profit organizations (NPOs), or mutuals.
• The company must derive more than 40% of its total revenue from self-generated economic activities during the last fiscal year.
• The business must be incorporated (registered) in Quebec, operate an establishment there, and conduct active business activities in Quebec, regardless of the incorporating jurisdiction.
• The applicant’s total annual revenue must be at least $100,000 and at most $10 million.
• For startups in operation for less than 2 years, a business plan or project summary and 24-month financial projections must demonstrate that the 40% threshold and revenue conditions will be met by project completion.

Who is eligible?

• Social economy enterprises (as defined by Quebec's Social Economy Act), such as cooperatives, mutuals, and non-profit organizations with commercial activities
• Organizations from all sectors are eligible, except for financial and insurance services, animal services, and beverage service establishments

Who is not eligible

• Companies in the financial services and insurance sectors.
• Businesses providing animal services.
• Bars and businesses whose main activity is serving alcoholic beverages (with limited exceptions for manufacturers).
• Subsidiaries of social economy enterprises, regardless of their legal structure.
• Social economy enterprises related to for-profit businesses, unless the for-profit entity is subordinate to the social economy enterprise.
• Professional or employer associations, religious organizations, unions, chambers of commerce, political parties, public or private foundations, trusts, sports teams, student associations, and private educational institutions (primary, secondary, post-secondary levels).
• Enterprises that have already received funding from this program since April 1, 2025.
• Businesses with primary activities in weapons, fossil fuels (except clean transition), gambling, violent sports, sexual exploitation, tobacco or drug-related services (with specific exceptions for Health Canada-approved products).

Eligible expenses

• Costs for bringing buildings up to standard, expansion, renovation, construction, or acquisition, including the purchase and installation of permanent (immovable) equipment.
• Purchase and installation of amortizable movable equipment (up to 40% of eligible expenses).
• Land acquisition costs (for building construction projects).
• Costs related to building-associated infrastructure (e.g., septic system, water connection) and exterior landscaping.
• Preparatory studies.
• Professional fees (e.g., architecture, engineering, surveying, notarial services, specialized firms for asbestos and materials control).
• Eco-construction costs (e.g., geothermal systems).
• Costs related to the integration of arts into architecture, as required by the applicable policy.

Eligible geographic areas

• Quebec

• Quality of the financial structure, including complementarity with other available private and public funding sources (15 points).
• Demonstration that the non-repayable financial contribution from the program is essential for project realization (15 points).
• Clear demonstration of the project's medium- or long-term financial viability (10 points).
• Organizational capacity to successfully carry out the project, including relevant expertise and experience (10 points).
• General quality of the project, including coherence, realistic timeline, and reasonable costs (10 points).
• Importance of the project for the development or maintenance of the organization’s activities, and its alignment with the company's vision and strategy (unspecified points, included in the remaining points).
• Socioeconomic benefits generated, such as job creation, community impact, and economic leverage (included in overall evaluation criteria).
• Project’s eco-responsibility, including energy consumption reduction or responsible waste management (included in overall evaluation criteria).
• Consideration for interregional equity in the allocation of funding (included in overall evaluation criteria).

• Incomplete applications or those not meeting program criteria will be refused, but revised applications may be resubmitted if the call for projects is still open.
• All sources of project financing must be confirmed by at least letters of interest for funding to be granted.
• The organization’s website must have a French version to comply with language requirements.
• Applicants must remain owner of the assisted property for at least three years after project completion, or the grant must be repaid in full.