How much funding can be received?

The Social Economy Support Program – Stream 4 offers up to $100,000 in funding to support promotional and awareness activities that enhance the access of social economy enterprises to government, municipal, and private markets. Eligible activities include promotion, training, networking, and the development of partnerships to increase procurement from social economy organizations.

Financing terms and conditions

Maximum funding of $100,000 per project.
Financial assistance covers up to 70% of eligible expenses for most projects.
Total government funding for a project cannot exceed 80% of eligible expenses.
For promotion at major events, maximum grant is $15,000, covering up to 50% of eligible expenses.
Projects must be completed by March 31, 2025, with a maximum duration of 2 years.

Eligible projects & activities

Promotion, awareness-raising, and training activities focused on purchasing from social economy enterprises, including organizing major procurement events, conferences, awareness campaigns, or training programs.
Facilitation of networking, collaboration, and improved access to public, municipal, and private contracts for social economy enterprises, such as creating and managing exchange or support networks.
Analysis and resolution of issues related to procurement from social economy enterprises, including the development of business relationships and new market-oriented product or service offerings.
Experimental projects addressing challenges around procurement from social economy enterprises.
Support for the creation of consortiums or other legal groupings of social economy enterprises aimed at responding to calls for tenders or obtaining contracts.

Examples of admissible projects:

$ 39,000

Modernizing digital inventory systems for a cooperative hardware store

$ 100,000

Launching an energy-efficient window retrofitting program for offices

$ 60,000

Replacing outdated HVAC system with high-efficiency heat pumps

$ 75,000

Expanding local food delivery logistics with refrigerated vehicles

$ 52,000

Developing a mobile app to maximize senior citizen accessibility

$ 22,000

Upgrading studio lighting to more energy-efficient LED technology

Eligibility criteria of the Social economy support program (PSES) – Stream 4 program

The applicant must be an organization supporting social economy, responsible procurement, commercialization, or sustainable development, with a place of business in Quebec.
Sectoral associations or federations of social economy enterprises in Quebec are eligible.
Organizations supporting commercialization, responsible procurement, or sustainable development must demonstrate expertise in procurement involving social economy enterprises.
Eligible projects must focus on promoting public, municipal, or private procurement from social economy enterprises and cannot target only one social economy enterprise.
The application and all required documents must be submitted in French.

Who is eligible?

Organizations supporting the social economy in Quebec
Organizations specializing in responsible procurement or sustainable development with a location in Quebec
Associations or sectoral federations of social economy enterprises in Quebec

Who is not eligible

Projects that target only a single social economy enterprise.

Eligible geographic areas

Organizations with an establishment in Quebec.

Eligibility criteria of the Social economy support program (PSES) – Stream 4 program

The project achieves the objectives of the program stream: increasing procurement from social economy enterprises and improving the knowledge of public, municipal, and private buyers regarding these enterprises.
The selection of project partners is relevant and supports the attainment of the stream’s objectives.
The expected direct results for social economy enterprises and buyers (such as number of enterprises supported or buyers trained) are clearly specified.
The anticipated effects and outcomes for participating social economy enterprises (for example, impact on sales or investments in their business) are detailed.

How to apply to the Social economy support program (PSES) – Stream 4 program

Confirm eligibility

Confirm that your organization is eligible (social economy support, responsible procurement, or sustainable development with a Quebec establishment)
Ensure relevant associations or federations also qualify
Verify your expertise in procurement from social economy enterprises if applicable

Compile required documentation

Prepare a completed financial assistance application form
Write a detailed project description outlining planned activities
Include a letter demonstrating your organization’s procurement expertise if needed
Gather financial statements or examination reports
Collect letters of commitment from project partners and describe the expertise and roles of team members

Validate application file

Ensure that all required documents are complete and conform to the requirements
Verify that all supporting documents are signed and up-to-date

Submit your application

Email all required documents to economie.sociale@economie.gouv.qc.ca, specifying the relevant stream of the program
Check that the application and attachments are in French
Retain a copy of your submission for future reference

Await application results

Wait for confirmation of receipt and outcome from the program administrators
Respond to any requests for additional information or clarification if necessary

Additional information

The application and all required documents must be submitted in French.
All required supporting documents must be complete at the time of application submission; incomplete applications will be deemed inadmissible.
Dynamic PDF forms must be opened using Adobe Reader version 10 or later.
Further deposit dates will be communicated after March 31, 2023.