Funding Opportunities & Support
Funding programs are available that can help support your business development and growth. Click on the program link to view additional details about the opportunity and learn how to apply.
Program | Type | Description | Eligibility Requirement |
| Aboriginal Entrepreneurship Program | Grant | Up to $99,999 is available in grant funding. Business development funding for Aboriginal entrepreneurs. | Individuals of Canadian Aboriginal heritage, majority-owned Aboriginal businesses, or Aboriginal community development organization |
| Alberta Women Entrepreneurs | Loan | AWE provides repayable loans of up to $150,000. With competitive interest rates ranging from prime +2% to prime +4%. | Women-owned businesses in Alberta |
| Canadian International Innovation Program (CIIP) | Grant | Seed funding to support commercialization between Canada and partner countries of Israel, India, China, Brazil, and South Korea | Canadian companies that are incorporated, for-profit SMEs. Seeking to develop new or improved products, services, or processes with a high potential for commercialization. ready to collaborate on an R&D project with foreign partners |
| Alberta Media Fund | Grant | Receive up to $200,000 in Grant Funding. Supports organizations and individuals developing screen-based media, scripts, books and magazines, and sound recordings. The program encompasses several different funding streams that support a variety of costs, including Albertan labour, so that media producers can create Alberta content and advance products towards a more successful market release. | Alberta organizations involved in the creation and development of screen-based productions, digital media, scriptwriting, book publishing, magazine publishing, and sound recording can apply for funding. |
| Alberta Innovates Accelerating Innovations Into CarE | Grant | Supports the commercialization of health technologies through collaborations between Alberta SMEs and public health providers. | Alberta SMEs with fewer than 500 employees and less than $50 million in gross revenues annually are eligible to apply. |
| Alberta Innovates Industry Commercialization Associates Program | Grant | Supports hiring an associate to perform technical commercialization activities. $52,500 - $105,000. | Alberta advanced technology businesses, incorporated with a technology that is ready for commercialization. |
| Alberta Innovates Industry R&D Associates Program | Grant | Offsets a portion of costs related to hiring an associate to perform technical research and development activities, up to $74,500. | Alberta advanced technology businesses, incorporated with a technology that is undergoing development. |
| Alberta Innovates Product Demonstration Program | Grant | Qualified SMEs may be eligible for up to $150,000 in funding over a maximum one-year term. | Alberta businesses that have commercialization-ready, innovative technology in the industries of energy, environment, nanotechnology information & communication services, health & life sciences (forestry, agric., biotech.) |
| Alberta Innovates Voucher Program | Voucher | Eligible applicants can apply for funding up to $100,000 to offset costs related to technology development and building a working prototype. | Alberta for-profit SMEs with fewer than 500 FTEs and less than $50 million in gross revenues annually are eligible to apply. |
| CanExport Innovation | Grant | Up to $75,000 or 75% of eligible expenses related to projects seeking to commercialize the technology by pursuing collaborative international Research and Development partnerships | SMEs, universities, and nongovernment research centres seeking commercialization partnerships in foreign markets |
| Digital Skills for Youth Program | Grant | Up to $30,000 to cover the wages and associated training costs of post-secondary graduates 15 to 30 years old. Provide digital and soft-skills experiences to prepare for the workplace | Between 15 and 30 years (inclusive); a post-secondary graduate; legally entitled to work in Canada, self-assess as underemployed, meaning they are employed below their level of education, outside their field of study, hold part-time employment, or unemployed. |
| Black Entrepreneurship Program | Grant | Up to $250,000 to Black business owners and entrepreneurs across the country | Government of Canada, Black-led business organizations, and financial institutions |
| Creative Export Canada | Grant | Government funding program that offers to fund projects that generate export revenues and help Canadian Creative Industries reach more people around the world. | Canadian for-profit or non-profit organizations with a minimum 1 FTE and a maximum of $500M in annual revenues. The minimum project budget of $300K. |
| Industrial Research Assistance Program (IRAP) | Grant | Canadian government funding program designed to accelerate the research and development projects of Canadian innovators. | Incorporated, profit-oriented small or medium-sized business with 500 or fewer full-time equivalent employees and plan to pursue growth and profit by developing and commercializing innovative, technology-driven new or improved products, services, or processes in Canada. |
| IRAP Youth Employment Program | Grant | Assists in the funding of hiring young Canadian post-secondary graduates. Graduates can be applied to most areas, from business development to technical to customer service/administration. | Incorporated and financially stable Canadian business with 1-500 employees; must be responsible for finding graduates before applying. Candidates must be between 15-30 years old. |
| Innovative Solutions Canada | Grant | The program helps startups and small/medium-sized businesses (SMEs) overcome technology development hurdles so that they can produce globally demanded products and services while also improving government operations. | For-profit Canadian incorporations with <500 employees are eligible to apply. 50%+FTEs and senior executives must be located in Canada |
| CAP Alberta | Grant | Supports businesses and organizations completing projects that lead to the growth and competitiveness of Alberta agriculture. Up to 50% of eligible project costs | Sectors: Agriculture and food sustainability assurance, environmental stewardship and climate change, farm water supply, irrigation efficiency, products to markets, public agriculture literacy, value-added products to markets, and youth agriculture education. |
| Alberta Export Expansion Program | Grant | Minimum of $1,000 to a maximum of $25,000 per year for funding support to Alberta small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), municipalities, industry associations, Indigenous communities and economic development organizations promoting Alberta exports. | Alberta non-profits promoting sales of products and services in new international export markets. Alberta SMEs promoting sales of products and services in a new international export market. |
| Career Ready Program | Grant | Cover up to 75% of the costs of a work term placement, to a maximum of $7,500 per placement, when you hire a post-secondary student. | Provide a meaningful, tech-focused work placement opportunity to a student. Students must be registered in an accredited post-secondary institution and must work in a role that is tech immersive. They aren’t required to be studying something in tech. |
| Mitacs Elevate | Grant | Up to $30,000 match in research grant money | For-profit corporations receiving no more than 50% of revenues from government sources or not-for-profit corporations. Projects must demonstrate economic or productivity direction |
| Work Integrated Learning Digital Subsidy | Grant | Wage subsidy to cover up to 75% of the costs of a work term placement that provides post-secondary students with digital learning | Hiring an eligible student from all disciplines of studies, including Arts, Humanities, Social Sciences, STEM, and Business. Hiring for a Net New position. |
| Canada Small Business Financing Program | Loan | Finance for purchasing equipment, business vehicles, renovations, and commercial property. | Start-ups and for-profit small businesses with gross revenues of $10 million or less. |
| Small Business Deduction | Tax Credit | Up to $500,000 annual income tax credit for small businesses | Canadian-controlled small businesses |
| Apprenticeship Job Creation Tax Credit | Tax Credit | Up to $2,000 non-refundable tax credit per year per eligible apprentice hired | Companies that hire an eligible apprentice in the first two years of their apprenticeship contract; eligible trades are currently listed as Red Seal Trades |
| Futurpreneur Canada Indigenous Program | Loan | Collateral-free loan of up to $60,000, along with 2 years of expert business mentoring and resources to get your startup off the ground. | Indigenous person(s) between 18–39 years old. |
| BDC Startup Financing | Loan | Up to $250,000 to help get your business off the ground, finance operations and replenish working capital spent on start-up costs, if you've been in business for at least a year. | Established Canadian-based business, in operation for 12 months, business plan, financial investment, age of majority, experience/expertise, realistic market |
| Apeetogosan Metis Development | Loan & Grants | Loans ranging from $5000 to $325,000 for Métis, Inuit or Non-Status Indigenous people for startup or expansion business projects. Non-repayable grants are offered for projects exceeding $20,000. | For projects exceeding $20,000. Projects must be a start-up or expansion of a business.
The business must generate an income for the applicant of at least $20,000 annually. Total project must exceed $20,000 |
| Canada Digital Adoption Program | Grant | Two streams of grant funding available. The Grow Your Business Online grant provides up to $2,400 to help you reach your customers where they are through the adoption of business technologies (e-commerce etc). The Boost Your Business Technology grant gives you up to $15,000 to get advice and up to $100,000 in interest free loans from the Business Development Bank of Canada (BDC) to implement the technologies that can propel your business forward. | Applicants are business owners/directors of a registered Canadian owned for-profit small to medium sized business (1-499 employees). See link to website for full eligibiltiy requirements. Applicants for the Boost your technology grant must have had at least $500,000 in annual revenue in 1 of the last 3 years. See link to website for full elgiibility requirements |
Last edited: August 12, 2024