Sectoral Workforce Innovation Fund (SWIF)
Latest source updateLast Update: September 3, 2026Latest change: The SWIF page now points applicants to the funding program page for eligibility requirements and instructions on how to apply.View change
Overview
The Sectoral Workforce Innovation Fund (SWIF), delivered under Employment and Social Development Canada’s Sectoral Workforce Development Program, supports targeted workforce solutions addressing urgent national and regional labour-market needs. Eligible organizations can request up to $10 million for projects lasting up to 36 months. Projects must scale proven workforce initiatives, build talent pipelines for federal missions and major projects, or mobilize industry co-investment in new skills programs.
At a glance
Funding available
- No objectives are currently available
- Maximum amount : 10,000,000 $
- Up to 75% of project cost
Eligible candidates
- All industries
- Canada
- Non-profit
- For-profit business
- All revenue ranges
- All organization sizes
- All groups
- All industries
- All the groups
- All structures
- All dimensions
Next Steps
Availability timeline
Activities funded
- Scale or adopt proven recruitment, retention, training, curriculum, certification, credential, digital-platform or labour-mobility initiatives.
- Build and accelerate talent pipelines, rapid training, micro-credentials, industry-academia partnerships and workforce mobilization for major federal projects.
- Develop workforce solutions, training and portable credentials that help sectors adopt emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, digital twins and other productivity tools.
- Support equity-seeking groups and connect participants to employment, work-integrated learning, onboarding or on-the-job training.
Documents Needed
Completed Statement of Interest form EMP5741
Attestation in Part 5 of the SOI form
CRA document confirming organization type and status, including CRA number, legal name and valid address
Letters of support from participating partners
Official resources
Eligibility
Who is eligible?
- Not-for-profit organizations
- For-profit organizations
- Municipal, provincial, and territorial governments
- Indigenous organizations
- Training institutions
Who is not eligible
Projects benefiting a single enterprise
Standalone educational institutions focused only on institutional program delivery
Projects primarily benefiting one province without national applicability
Applicants seeking ongoing operating support or creating a long-term dependency on federal funding
Eligible expenses
Overhead supporting project activities, up to 15% of ESDC funding
Materials and supplies; purchase or rental of tools, equipment, computers and furniture
Wages and mandatory employment-related costs
Professional fees, staff training and professional development
Honoraria, hospitality and travel costs within applicable standards
Printing, communications, computer services, research, evaluation and data collection
Digitization of training, curricula and related resources
Other administrative expenses agreed with ESDC
Participant wrap-around supports, such as accommodation, child care and transportation, up to $2,000 per participant in eligible cases
Ineligible Costs and Activities
Single-company projects without multi-employer sector benefit
Projects limited mainly to one province without national applicability
Ongoing operations or projects creating dependency on federal funding
General awareness campaigns or research without direct training or employment outcomes
Capital construction or renovations and projects focused primarily on infrastructure or equipment
Generic technology training or technology adoption without a workforce-skills component
Projects duplicating existing training, curricula or digital platforms without demonstrated added value or transferability
Eligible geographic areas
Canada
National initiatives or regional pilots with clear potential for national scalability or applicability
Selection criteria
ESDC first screens the Statement of Interest for completeness, applicant and project eligibility, and alignment with program objectives, principles and outcomes.
Priority may be given to concepts supporting federal missions, national projects and strategies; Workforce Alliance recommendations; sector-wide employer collaboration; scalable and transferable solutions; equity-seeking groups; and higher private-sector cost sharing.
Past performance or defaults on ESDC projects and relevant public information may affect eligibility.
How to apply
Download and complete the Statement of Interest form EMP5741 from the official application page.
Prepare the required attestation, CRA proof of organization type and status, project narrative, target-sector and labour-market information, program-alignment responses, budget and anticipated funding sources.
Submit one SOI by email or mail using the instructions on the official page. Submitting duplicates through multiple methods can delay processing.
If selected after step 1, ESDC will invite the applicant to step 2 to develop a full project proposal.
Processing and Agreement
ESDC may contact the applicant to request missing mandatory information before screening; failure to respond stops the review.
Complete and eligible SOIs are assessed for alignment with program objectives, principles and outcomes.
SOIs remain valid for 6 months. If the same lead organization submits more than one SOI for the same initiative, only the most recent is examined.
Only concepts selected for further consideration receive a response and an invitation to submit a full proposal.
Funding is awarded only at step 2. Not every submitted SOI is selected, decisions are final and there is no appeal process.
Additional information
- Organizations in Alberta or Quebec may need provincial approval before accepting ESDC funding and must indicate whether Alberta’s Bill 18 or Quebec’s M-30 applies.
- Project outputs should be available in both official languages where appropriate.
- ESDC may consult other federal departments and share proposals with federal officials to confirm alignment with government priorities.
- Applicants are responsible for the accuracy, originality and integrity of submissions, including content prepared with digital or AI-enabled tools.