ACOA & Atlantic Canada Business Funding Guide

ACOA is the federal regional development agency for Atlantic Canada, and it is the umbrella that delivers everything else in Tier 1 below — the Business Development Program, REGI Business Scale-up and Productivity, and the Atlantic Trade and Investment Growth Strategy. It funds businesses and organizations located in and benefiting Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, or Newfoundland and Labrador, with priority given to sectors like cybersecurity, biosciences, aerospace and defence, ocean technology, AI, advanced manufacturing, tourism, and rural diversification.

ACOA is a relationship-based agency — never submit a cold application. Always contact your regional office first (1-888-576-4444). Program officers will informally assess viability and help shape your proposal.

The BDP is ACOA's flagship business development program, structured as a repayable contribution rather than a grant — funding you pay back, typically without interest, once your project succeeds. It targets small and medium-sized enterprises in Atlantic Canada that are incorporated, have been operating for more than two years, are profitable or have a viable path to profitability, and have a project that supports growth, productivity, or competitiveness.

In practice, ACOA may steer your project toward REGI Business Scale-up (BSP) instead.

REGI BSP funds larger scale-up and productivity projects for Atlantic Canada businesses, typically $100,000 to $2,000,000, as a repayable, interest-free contribution (large-scale projects may reach higher). It is open to for-profit businesses of any structure — sole proprietorships, partnerships, corporations, co-ops, and Indigenous-owned businesses — that can demonstrate economic benefit to Atlantic Canada.

Call your regional ACOA office first — officers will tell you if your project fits and flag documentation gaps. Starting the project before approval makes many costs ineligible.

ATIGS is ACOA's export-support umbrella, with two main components: Launch Export, which provides around $15,000 in subsidized training, coaching, and trade-mission services, and the Market Entry Development Program (MEDP), which offers tailored support for companies with demonstrated revenue growth and senior management commitment. It is open to registered Atlantic Canada businesses under 500 employees with an exportable product or service.

Launch Export is one of Atlantic Canada's best-value programs — 8 months of training, coaching, and a trade mission. Apply in the first 2-3 weeks of intake.

The AITC is a 10% federal tax credit on the cost of qualifying new (not used) buildings, machinery, or equipment used primarily in Atlantic Canada, administered by the Canada Revenue Agency. It is fully refundable for Canadian-controlled private corporations (CCPCs) and partially refundable for other taxable corporations. There is no separate application — you claim it on your annual tax return, though CRA may audit to verify the property qualifies.

This is an entitlement for any business investing in Atlantic Canada — no application needed beyond your tax return. Commonly overlooked by businesses that don't know it exists.

Currently between intakes — the fund is not accepting new applications right now, so watch for the next window rather than treating it as open today. When intakes are running, it is a large cost-shared program run by Fisheries and Oceans Canada with the four Atlantic provinces, funding up to 75-80% of admissible expenses depending on organization size, from a $400 million-plus, seven-year envelope. It funds commercial fish harvesters, aquaculturists, seafood processors, industry associations, Indigenous groups, and academic researchers partnering with industry.

Equipment modernization projects (infrastructure stream) have the highest approval rates — new processing lines, cold storage upgrades, automated grading systems, and vessel monitoring technology are proven winners.

To be clear about what this is: a repayable loan, not a grant, of $5,000 to $150,000, delivered through the Community Business Development Corporation (CBDC) network in partnership with ACOA. It is built for rural Atlantic Canada — sole proprietorships, limited companies, or partnerships, both seasonal and year-round, that can demonstrate potential for economic viability.

CBDCs exist specifically to fill the gap left by conventional banks — if a bank has turned you down, a CBDC may still lend. Start by calling or visiting your local CBDC office in person.

Propel is Atlantic Canada's ICT accelerator, offering a no-cost virtual acceleration program with two tracks: Vision, for early-stage founders exploring or validating a concept, and Traction & Growth, for companies with a validated product, over $1,000 in monthly recurring revenue, and founders working full-time on the business. It requires a clear technology component and a base in Atlantic Canada.

Propel's virtual format means Atlantic founders do not need to relocate to access programming — a major differentiator from Toronto or Montreal-based accelerators.

Each Atlantic province also runs its own programs, layered on top of the federal ACOA funding above. Nova Scotia's Export Development Program reimburses 50% of export-development costs, standard up to $15,000 per fiscal year (up to $25,000 for priority-sector companies with $100,000+ revenue entering new export markets), and is currently accepting applications with a deadline of March 10, 2027. The PEI Innovation Fund offers up to $50,000 for exporting, product-diversifying PEI businesses in strategic sectors, but is currently between intakes. New Brunswick's Small Business Investor Tax Credit (SBITC) is an entitlement, not a program you apply to as a business directly — it gives individual investors a 50% tax credit (up to $125,000/year, on investments up to $250,000) or corporate/trust investors 15% (up to $75,000/year, on investments up to $500,000) for investing in an eligible NB small business.