Alberta Hazard Assistance and Resilience Program (HARP) for Businesses
Compared with the 241 other application forms we have read
- Scored mainly on who you are, not what you propose. 29 lead with that.
- What does not disqualify you: No minimum annual income; No repairs needed before applying. 118 record an exemption like this.
- 11 documents to attach, against a median of 5.
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Eligibility & Details
What this program funds and who can apply
Program Description
Disaster recovery grant for Alberta businesses, agricultural operations, and non-profits covering uninsurable losses and damages caused by officially declared natural hazards (wildfires, flooding, and other eligible disasters). Tiered cost-sharing: 90% government share on first application, 70% on second, 50% on third; no funding on fourth-plus applications. Maximum $500,000 per application (inflation-adjusted annually). Replaces the former Disaster Recovery Program.
Eligibility Requirements
- Small businesses, corporations, partnerships, co-operatives, agricultural operations, landlords, non-profits, registered charities and religious institutions operating in Alberta
- Losses or damage must result from an officially declared and HARP-approved natural hazard (wildfire, flooding, or other eligible disaster) in a specific geographic area
- Only uninsurable losses qualify — insurance-recoverable costs are explicitly excluded
- Applications submitted within 90 days of the specific HARP program approval date
- Local authorities (municipalities, Métis Settlements) must apply within 30 days of disaster end date and approve private sector applicants first
- Small businesses qualify with gross revenue of up to $15 million (the year before the disaster, or the three-year average), with no minimum; any line of business
- The business must be a going concern relied on for income: hobbies and occasional or passive income such as short-term rentals are not eligible
- The business must re-establish the same kind of operation in the affected community
Quick Assessment
Funding Details
- Amount
- Up to $500,000 per application (inflation-adjusted); tiered: 90% government share (1st application), 70% (2nd), 50% (3rd); 0% on 4th or subsequent applications
- Type
- Grant
- Level
- Provincial
- Co-Funding
- Up to 90% of eligible costs
- Deadline
- 90 days from the approval date of the specific HARP event program (varies by declared disaster)
Program Scorecard
Competition, effort, and approval at a glance
Accessible — straightforward requirements
Low competition — good odds of approval
Easy — minimal documentation
How to Win
Insider tips, common pitfalls, and what successful applicants look like
Insider TipAct within the 90-day window.
Rejection Pitfalls 5
- Losses are insurance-recoverable (even if insurer has not yet paid out)
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
- Hazard Assistance and Resilience Program | Alberta.ca alberta.ca
- Statement of Loss and Damage - Small Business Application Form alberta.ca
- Private Sector Appeal - Application for Review alberta.ca
- HARP Interpretation Bulletin No.5 - 2026 Insurance open.alberta.ca
- HARP Interpretation Bulletin No.6 - 2026 Private Sector Rate Schedule open.alberta.ca
- HARP Interpretation Bulletin No.2 v.2 - Mitigation and Disaster… open.alberta.ca
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What the Government of Alberta favours
Show losses directly tied to an approved disaster◦
“Loss and damages must be tied directly to an approved disaster.”
The form
Program eligibility
- 2Program Eligibilitycheckbox
- 2Business Typeselection
Business details
- 3Business Detailsshort answer
- 4Primary Business Address (Municipal Address)short answer
- 5Current Mailing Addressshort answer
- 6Damaged Property Informationselection + written
The damaged property address refers to the physical location where the loss or damage occurred as a result of the Disaster.
- 4Authorized Business Representativesshort answer
- 5Property Ownership Statusselection + written
Do you own or lease the Property where the business operates?
Agriculture (if applicable)
- 6Agricultural Applicants Only - Alberta Township System (ATS) Coordinatestable
Damage and loss
- 10Damage & Loss Informationwritten answer
- 11Date of lossshort answer
- 12How water entered (flood events)checkboxes
- 13Summary of Impact from Disasterwritten answer
- 14Clean up / Debris Removalyes/no + written
- 15Other Financial Assistance Receivedselection + written
Supporting documents
- 8Supporting Documentationupload
Authorizations
- 10.1Authorization to Obtain Insurance Informationcheckbox
- 10.2Applicant Declaration and signaturecheckbox
After approval
- 19Evidence of re-establishmentupload
- 20Advance payment requestwritten answer
- 21Proof of repair and receiptsupload
the Government of Alberta states no length limits for these answers.
Judged against
- 1
Does this business qualify?
Show them Show gross revenue under $15 million for the year before the disaster, that the business is relied on for income, and a plan to re-establish in the same community.◦
In the funder’s words · 1
- Your application will be assessed against the eligibility criteria outlined in the DAD to determine your eligibility.
- 2
Did the declared disaster cause this damage?
What to show, and the funder’s 1 criterion behind it in Premium
- 3
What will AEMA count as eligible?
What to show, and the funder’s 2 criteria behind it in Premium
- 4
Is the loss documented and not already paid for?
What to show them in Premium
Where applicants fail
“An applicant’s existing insurance policy is the remedy, and no financial assistance is available if an applicant has chosen not to purchase insurance or is underinsured.”
“If an insurer directs a policyholder to submit a HARP application for financial assistance before they make an insurance claim, AEMA redirects the applicant back to their insurer.”
“Loss of income, profits and/or revenue, loss of production or productivity, loss of opportunity, inconvenience, loss in property value due to changes in market prices”
Premium · the rest of this brief
See all 15 rules that can reject you and every criterion you are judged on. Then we draft your application for you.
13 more rules that can reject you · 3 more criteria · 19 more prompts
Do you pass?
15 can rule you out; 1 is a preference. Tick the ones you meet.
You
Apply within 90 days of approval
Applications for financial assistance must be submitted to the AEMA within 90 days from the Program approval date stated on the Program MO.
Your business
Revenue at or under $15M
An eligible Small Business is one with annual gross revenues in the year immediately prior to the Disaster or the average of the previous three fiscal years, as reported for tax purposes, of a maximum of $15 million per year.
3 things this funder says you do NOT need, in Premium.
Documents to attach
Ticks are kept on this device.
The money
Maximum assistanceLesser of costs or $3,000,000
The maximum assistance for Small Businesses is the lesser of: total replacement cost; total cost of repairs to Standard Replacement Value; property tax assessment value of the building only (excludes land value) of the year immediately prior to the Disaster; or $3,000,000. This limit includes clean-up, replacement of lost or damaged contents, repairs, evacuation assistance, and mitigation requirements set out in the HARP. The maximum is not cumulative and applies each time an applicant qualifies into a HARP.
Advance paymentUp to 90% of eligible amount
The AEMA can provide an advance payment of assistance up to 90 per cent of their estimated eligible amount as approved by the AEMA.
Your share90:10 first, 70:30 second, 50:50 third
90:10 cost-sharing for the first-time applicants, where an applicant receives 90% of eligible costs and the remaining 10% is deducted from the applicant’s total eligible HARP assistance. No out-of-pocket payment is required. 70:30 cost-sharing for second-time applicants... 50:50 cost-sharing for third-time applicants. There is no funding available for a fourth application at the same physical property address.
StackingTotal assistance capped at 100% eligible expenses
Total assistance provided to applicants shall not exceed 100 per cent of eligible expenses to ensure there is no duplication in funding.
Costs before approvalRepairs before evaluation may be considered
Where an applicant completes and pays for repairs before the AEMA completes an evaluation or inspection, the AEMA can consider eligibility of these costs.
What it pays for · 7
- The repair/replacement of essential business Property (i.e., equipment, machinery, and inventory), to a Functional condition are eligible, subject to Program maximums.
- The repair or reconstruction of structures essential to the operation of a Small Business to a Standard Replacement Value including meeting applicable codes, standards, and bylaws is eligible.
- expenses for a Small Business (e.g., renting Temporary space and equipment)
- Expenses incurred for hiring a Qualified Professional to conduct damage assessments and repair appraisals (e.g., engineering assessments, building inspections) are eligible.
- Pre-impact preparations based on a warning or forecast of an impending natural hazard from a qualified professional or authorized authority
- Expenses incurred by Private Sector Applicants seeking out financial counseling services from a Qualified Professional are eligible to a maximum of six sessions.
- To move a Small Business within the municipal boundaries of the business’ original location.
What it does not pay for · 9
- Policy premiums, deductibles, re-insurance deductibles or co-insurance deductibles are not eligible.
- loss of income, profits and/or revenue, loss of production or productivity, loss of opportunity, inconvenience, loss in property value due to changes in market prices
- personal or business vehicles
- stored building materials (e.g., plywood, lumber, roofing materials, paint)
- interest on loans obtained for financing of Recovery activities or any other purpose
- theft or vandalism of any property (e.g., equipment, tools) owned by an applicant
- project management fees for homeowners and Small Businesses
- damages or loss of rental or leased items
- regular property maintenance or routine non-disaster related work, including regular emergency management and natural hazard season preparedness activities
From application to money
- Check your municipalityCheck municipality for HARP and deadlines
- Email the Statement of LossEmail Statement of Loss within 90 days
- Case Manager assignedCase Manager assigned
- Written outcomeWritten outcome after decision
- Advance if requestedRequest advance in writing
- Final paymentFinal payment after reporting accepted
In the funder’s words · 6
- Check your municipality
- Ask your local authority whether a HARP has been approved for your area and what the application deadlines are.
- Email the Statement of Loss
- Download the Small Business Application Form and email it to [email protected]. (Within 90 days from the Program approval date stated on the Program MO)
- Case Manager assigned
- A Case Manager will be assigned to you and may contact you for additional information or supporting documentation if necessary.
- Written outcome
- You will be notified of the outcome once a decision has been made.
- Advance if requested
- An applicant may request in writing an advance payment of their estimated eligible expenses.
- Final payment
- A final payment is made following receipt and acceptance of all reporting requirements and any required reviews, audits, or other assurance activities.
Quoted lines are word for word from the source documents; lines marked ◦ are our reading of them.
Everything you need to win HARP
Not a marketing summary. The actual checklist, intel, and stack strategy reviewers look for.
- 5 rejection pitfalls reviewers flag — so you catch them first
- 7-document checklist with what each reviewer is actually checking
- Your Application Game Plan — the print-ready PDF the preview below describes
- 5-step application timeline with prep hours per step
- Insider tip from program officers on what separates winners
- 3-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 7
Eligible Expenses 6
Ineligible Expenses 6
Intake Periods
Deadline Notes
Ineligible Organizations
Funding Stack Strategy
Compatible programs, clawback risk, and combined funding potential
Compatible Programs
Clawback Risk
Low RiskHow HARP Compares
Side-by-side with similar programs
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|---|---|---|---|---|
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Frequently Asked Questions
Quick answers to the questions founders most often ask about HARP