MRC Coaticook — Vitality Entrepreneurship Fund

• The company’s head office and operating activities must be located within the territory of the MRC de Coaticook.
• The applicant must obtain a file opening number from the person responsible for the fund before submitting a request.
• The project must clearly demonstrate that the target market is not saturated and that it does not create unfair competition with existing businesses, organizations or events in the MRC.
• The project must generate added value for the community or improve the company’s performance, consolidation or employees’ working conditions.
• For existing businesses, the company must provide its annual revenue and number of employees, and be able to demonstrate the financial structure required (minimum own contribution and equity ratios) as specified for the relevant funding stream.

Who is eligible?

• Existing private businesses (excluding private companies in the financial sector) located in the MRC de Coaticook
• Existing social economy enterprises located in the MRC de Coaticook
• Cooperatives (excluding financial cooperatives) located in the MRC de Coaticook
• Biofood (bioalimentary) production and processing businesses, excluding restaurants and enterprises under supply management or quota systems
• Enterprises that have obtained financing through the MRC’s FLI and/or FLS portfolios or that have benefited from services of L’Arterre (for creation, succession or relocation projects)

Who is not eligible

• Restaurants and businesses operating in the restaurant sector.
• Retail businesses, except for a local neighbourhood store that is not eligible to the FRR “Commerces de proximité” component.
• Private companies in the financial sector (e.g., financial services firms), which are excluded from several fund components.
• Cooperatives in the financial sector, which are not eligible to the various components.
• Businesses under supply management or operating with production quotas, which are specifically excluded from certain components (e.g., biofood and innovation).

Eligible expenses

• Market studies and related research expenses.
• Commercialization, marketing and product presentation costs, including certification fees.
• Technical support and professional service fees (e.g. consultants, advisors) including for R&D on new products and for economic circularity initiatives.
• Acquisition of equipment for biofood processing, production diversification, automation and circular economy projects (including equipment for packaging, conservation and recycling/valorization of resources).
• Acquisition and improvement of buildings dedicated to processing or needed for business operations, including eligible leasehold improvements linked to new equipment or circular economy adaptations.
• Acquisition or deployment costs of management software (e.g. CRM, inventory, production or sales management systems) and other business software.
• Professional fees for business start-up, transfer or relocation (e.g. accountant, notary), and certain professional fees related to relocation projects.
• Advertising, marketing and the creation of a first website for a new, transferred or relocated business.
• Membership fees to recognized business-related associations.
• Acquisition of a site (land), building or necessary operational equipment, as well as purchase of at least 25% of shares or equity in an existing business (for succession), when eligible.
• Professional services and other eligible costs directly tied to an approved circular economy initiative (e.g. supply diversification, life‑cycle analysis, identification of outlets for residues), when recommended by the circular economy officer.
• Professional fees of an authorized immigration consultant or accredited organization for recruiting workers outside Estrie or internationally.
• Registration fees for physical or virtual job fairs, within the specified program limits.

Eligible geographic areas

• Businesses whose place of business and operating activities are located within the territory of the MRC de Coaticook (Quebec, Canada).

• Anticipated impact of the project on the profitability and productivity of the existing company or organization.
• Overall relevance, quality and technical feasibility of the project, including expertise, competencies, partnerships and compliance with regulations.
• Job creation potential, with operations expected to generate at least one full-time job (including the promoter), except in exceptional situations.
• Strength of the financial structure, including leverage effect of the MRC’s contribution, realism of the financial package and diversity of funding sources, as well as adequacy of the promoter’s skills (CV) to manage the project.
• Contribution to broader territorial objectives, including eco-responsibility (local purchasing, environmental protection), improved access to services for the population, resource sharing between organizations, and overall appreciation of the project.

• The Vitality Entrepreneurship Fund operates under the Fonds régions et ruralité (FRR) – Component 2: Territorial Development, for the 2025–2028 period.
• The fund remains in force only until the annual budget allocated to it is exhausted or until the MRC decides to end the program.
• Beneficiaries must agree that the MRC of Coaticook may publicly disclose key information about the granted aid, such as the enterprise name, activity sector, location, nature and amount of the subsidy, and the fund’s name.
• The same enterprise cannot benefit from the Vitality Entrepreneurship Fund more than once within any 12‑month period, except under the Circular Economy and Recruitment components.