Closed
Capitalization of Social Economy Enterprises (CAES) — Stream 2
Last Update: March 4, 2026
Quebec, Canada
Financial assistance for social economy enterprises acquisition
Grant and Funding
Overview
The Capitalization of Social Economy Enterprises (CAES) — Stream 2 program offers up to $2,000,000 in funding to support the collective acquisition of enterprises, either fully or partially, by eligible cooperatives and non-profit organizations. The program aims to promote social economy business models by financing the purchase of company assets or shares.
At a glance
Funding available
Financing goals
- Reduce environmental footprint
Eligible Funding
- Maximum amount : 2,000,000 $
- Minimum amount : 50,000 $
- Up to 80% of project cost
Timeline
- Receipt of requests is now closed
Eligible candidates
Eligible Industries
- All industries
Location
- Quebec
Legal structures
- Non-profit
- Public or Parapublic institution
- Non-financial cooperative
Annual revenue
- All revenue ranges
Organisation size
- All organization sizes
Audience
- All groups
Non-profit candidates
Sector of operation
- Economic, Social and Community Development
Target groups
- Business owners / entrepreneurs
- Nonprofits / charities
Revenue structures
- All structures
Scope
- Provincial
Activities funded
- Complete purchase of a company's assets or shares for integration into a social economy enterprise or the formation of a new social economy enterprise.
- Partial purchase of shares in a company by a cooperative of worker-shareholders (CTA).
Examples of admissible projects:
$ 15,000
Developing a community garden for urban sustainability workshops
Eligibility
- The applicant must be a non-profit organization (NPO) or a cooperative, federation of cooperatives, or confederation.
- For a full enterprise purchase (Sub-component 2A), eligible cooperatives include: worker cooperatives, producer cooperatives, consumer cooperatives, solidarity cooperatives, federations, or confederations.
- The total asset value of the enterprise must be 100 million CAD or less.
- For a partial share purchase (Sub-component 2B), the applicant must be a shareholder worker cooperative with a total asset value of 100 million CAD or less.
- Projects must involve the complete acquisition of company assets or shares, ensuring that operations are conducted collectively as a social economy enterprise.
- There must be a minimum adjusted capitalization ratio of 35% after transaction completion.
- All capital expenditures, including those related to the complete purchase contract and incidental expenses, are considered eligible.
Who is eligible?
- Non-profit organizations (NPOs)
- Cooperatives
- Federations of cooperatives
- Confederations of cooperatives
- Worker-shareholder cooperatives (CTA)
- Cooperative of work
- Cooperative of producers
- Cooperative of consumers
- Cooperative of solidarity
- Federation or confederation of cooperatives
Eligible expenses
- Expenditures included in the complete purchase contract of an enterprise, including capital expenditures.
- Associated costs related to the complete purchase contract.
- Expenditures included in the partial purchase contract of shares of an enterprise, including capital expenditures.
- Associated costs related to the partial purchase contract of shares.
Additional information
- The grant program has been suspended as of December 6, 2024, for an indefinite period to ensure fund availability for contractual obligations.
- The reception of new applications is currently suspended to manage the budget envelope efficiently and maintain program standards.
- The minimum contribution required from the beneficiary is 10% of the assistance provided.
