Alberta Export Expansion Program (AEEP)
Compared with the 242 other application forms we have read
- Scored mainly on market demand and growth. 19 lead with that.
- The heaviest thing to produce is a full business plan. 19 ask for that.
- What does not disqualify you: Submitting the pre-screening questionnaire. 119 record an exemption like this.
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Eligibility & Details
What this program funds and who can apply
Program Description
Reimburses Alberta SMEs up to $15,000 per year for travel costs to attend international trade shows and missions, covering per diems of $400/day (first traveler) and event registration up to $1,000. Targets export diversification into new markets where the company has minimal existing sales.
Eligibility Requirements
- Incorporated legal entity with permanent physical presence in Alberta for at least 1 year
- For-profit SMEs: annual gross sales CAD $250,000–$25,000,000 (emerging technology companies may qualify from $50,000, case by case, if they show an exportable product or service)
- Fewer than 500 FTE employees
- Traveling to a formal international outbound trade event
- Entering a new market (country or US state with <$150K sales or <15% of total sales)
- Application submitted within 2 months of event start date
- Cannot seek more than 75% government funding for total trip
Quick Assessment
Funding Details
- Amount
- Up to $15,000 per organization per fiscal year
- Type
- Grant
- Level
- Provincial
- Co-Funding
- Up to 75% of eligible costs
- Deadline
- Continuous intake (until $1.5M annual budget exhausted for 2026/27)
Program Scorecard
Competition, effort, and approval at a glance
Very accessible — simple application
Low competition — good odds of approval
Simple — quick application
How to Win
Insider tips, common pitfalls, and what successful applicants look like
Insider TipApply within 2 months of the trade event — late applications are rejected.
Success Profile
Evaluation Criteria
How the Government of Alberta judges your application
What the reviewer scores, what gets applications rejected, and what to write.
Distilled from 6+ source documents, condensed into one brief. Sources as of 2026-09-10.
6 of the sources
- Alberta Export Expansion Program | Alberta.ca alberta.ca
- Alberta Export Expansion Program – About alberta.ca
- AEEP – Assess your potential eligibility alberta.ca
- Alberta Export Expansion Program – How to apply alberta.ca
- Alberta Export Expansion Program Guidelines open.alberta.ca
- Alberta Export Expansion Program open.alberta.ca
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What the Government of Alberta favours
Trade promotion and export development tied to target markets◦
“The focus must be on trade promotion and export development, and there must be a connection to the applicant organization’s (or applicant’s members’) target markets.”
The form
Organization and contacts
- 1Organization detailsshort answer
- 2Applicant representative and applicant signatoryshort answer
- 3Type of applicantselection
SME applicants
- 4Company overview (SME applicants)written answer
For the company overview, please describe the company, including relevant history, markets served and the products and services offered.
- 5Annual gross sales and employees (SME applicants)short answer
- 6Sales by market (SME applicants)table
- 7Export readiness (SME applicants)written answer
Export readiness will be assessed based on whether the applicant: has developed product(s) or service(s) that can be exported; has a plan for how to enter the target market(s); is willing and able to meet increased demand for the product(s) or service(s) in the new target market(s); and is willing and able to dedicate staff, time and resources to the process of developing the new target market(s).
- 8Proof of a plan for the target market(s) (SME applicants)list
Non-profit applicants
- 9Non-profit applicant eligibilitytable
- 10Plan for trade promotion and export development (non-profit applicants)list
- 11Benefit to Alberta companies (non-profit applicants)written answer
Events and travel
- 12International formal trade event details (summary of formal events)table
- 13Proof of formal event registrationlist
- 14Trip overviewtable
- 15Flight receiptslist
Government funding
- 16Other government funding for the triptable
After the grant
- 17AEEP export outcomes report (post-award)written answer
the Government of Alberta states no length limits for these answers.
Judged against
- 1
Is the applicant genuinely export-ready?
Show them Describe the exportable product, the plan for the target market, and the staff and capacity to serve new demand.◦
In the funder’s words · 1
- Export readiness tests
- 2
Is this a new market, not an established one?
What to show, and the funder’s 1 criterion behind it in Premium
- 3
Does the organization fit the size and type rules?
What to show, and the funder’s 1 criterion behind it in Premium
- 4
Is the trip funded within the limits?
What to show, and the funder’s 2 criteria behind it in Premium
Where applicants fail
“Applications received after the application deadline will be deemed ineligible.”
“If any of the above activities are submitted as part of an application, the application will be deemed ineligible.”
Premium · the rest of this brief
See all 33 rules that can reject you and every criterion you are judged on. Then we draft your application for you.
28 more rules that can reject you · 4 more criteria · 14 more prompts
Do you pass?
33 can rule you out; 1 is a preference. Tick the ones you meet.
You
Incorporated in Alberta
All organizations: be an incorporated legal entity in Alberta;
Your business
Alberta presence for one year
Be operating in and have a permanent physical presence in the province for at least one year;
The project
Not business meetings only
Travel for business meetings alone (without attending a formal trade event);
Not business-meeting-only days
Days involving business meetings only;
Not travel within Canada
Travel and trade events taking place in Canada;
1 thing this funder says you do NOT need, in Premium.
Documents to attach
Ticks are kept on this device.
The money
Maximum per year$15,000 CAD per fiscal year
An eligible applicant organization may not receive more than $15,000 CAD in AEEP funding per fiscal year (April 1 to March 31). This cap applies regardless of whether the applicant organization submits one trip application with multiple events or submits multiple separate trip applications.
Per diem$400 first traveller, $200 second
The organization’s first traveller will receive a $400 CAD per diem for the eligible days. The organization’s second traveller will receive a $200 CAD per diem for the eligible days.
Per diem daysEvent days plus two travel days
Per diems are provided for the duration of the formal event(s) the applicant organization attends, plus two total days per application to accommodate air travel leaving from and returning to Canada (proof of travel is required).
Event registration capUp to $1,000 CAD per event
For up to two travellers per applicant organization, registration fees may be reimbursed up to a maximum of $1,000 CAD for each formal trade event.
Payment timingWithin 30 business days of requirements
Payments will be processed within approximately 30 business days after all requirements are met.
Annual budget$1.5 million for 2026-27
For 2026-27, there is $1.5 million in AEEP funding.
Your shareGovernment assistance capped at 75% of trip costs
the total amount of federal and/or provincial government assistance must not exceed 75 per cent of the total trip expenses in the application.
StackingOther funding allowed; combined government aid capped 75%
Applicants may apply for and receive funding from other sources, but the total amount of federal and/or provincial government assistance must not exceed 75 per cent of the total trip expenses in the application.
Costs before approvalApply after travel; costs already paid
Applications for AEEP funding are submitted after travel and all costs have been paid by the applicant organization.
What it pays for · 2
- Grant funding may include payment of per diem amounts and/or reimbursement of eligible international formal trade event registration costs.
- Per diem allowances are intended to offset flight costs and accommodations. Grant recipient organizations may allocate the AEEP funds as they see fit once received.
What it does not pay for · 2
- travel for business meetings alone (without attending a formal trade event); days involving business meetings only;
- travel and trade events taking place in Canada;
From application to money
- Check before you travelAsk AEEP about eligibility before travel
- Attend and fund the tripPay upfront and attend trade event
- Apply after the tripApply within 2 months of event start
- Decision by emailDecision within 60 business days
- Sign and set up paymentSign agreement, set up payment
- Report outcomesOutcomes report four months after travel
In the funder’s words · 6
- Check before you travel
- Reach out to [email protected] with questions about potential AEEP eligibility as part of pre-travel research and preparations.
- Attend and fund the trip
- You pay the whole trip up front and travel to a formal international trade event with up to two Alberta-based employees.
- Apply after the trip
- Submit one application per trip in the Alberta.ca portal, attaching registration and flight receipts. (Within 2 months after the first day of formal event participation)
- Decision by email
- For first-time AEEP applicants, please allow an additional five business days for the program to evaluate the application. (within 60 business days of application submission)
- Sign and set up payment
- The decision email comes with the grant agreement and the banking instructions.
- Report outcomes
- The agreement closes when the export outcomes report is approved.
Quoted lines are word for word from the source documents; lines marked ◦ are our reading of them.
Everything you need to win AEEP
Not a marketing summary. The actual checklist, intel, and stack strategy reviewers look for.
- 6-document checklist with what each reviewer is actually checking
- Your Application Game Plan — the print-ready PDF the preview below describes
- 6-step application timeline with prep hours per step
- Insider tip from program officers on what separates winners
- 4-program stacking strategy to combine with compatible funding
- Success profile + evaluation criteria — exactly what reviewers score on
Application Playbook
Step-by-step process, required documents, and expenses
Application Steps
Required Documents 6
Eligible Expenses 5
Ineligible Expenses 5
Intake Periods
Deadline Notes
Ineligible Organizations
Funding Stack Strategy
Compatible programs, clawback risk, and combined funding potential
Compatible Programs
Clawback Risk
None RiskHow AEEP Compares
Side-by-side with similar programs
| Program | Amount | Difficulty | Payment | Deadline |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alberta Export Expansion Program (AEEP) | Up to $15,000 | Easy | Reimbursement | Continuous intake (until... |
| CanExport SMEs | Up to $50,000 | Moderate | Mixed (Advance + Reimb.) | Between intakes — the... |
| Trade Commissioner Service – Export S... | Advisory services (non-financial) | Easy | Not Applicable | Ongoing |
| Alberta Innovates Voucher Program | Up to $100,000 | Moderate | Milestone-Based | Between intakes — last... |
| Alberta Innovation Employment Grant | up to $4M | Hard | Tax Credit Offset | Ongoing |
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Frequently Asked Questions
Quick answers to the questions founders most often ask about AEEP