Bons d'accompagnement vers la croissance — Ville de Québec

Insider Tip

Two things decide this file. First, the sector list is the real gate — and the digital category explicitly excludes 'services and consulting', so a digital agency or IT consultancy is out even though it looks like a fit. If you fall outside the six sectors, check the two side doors: a social-economy enterprise in any sector but retail and restaurants with over 40% autonomous revenue, or a property owner doing commercial urban agriculture. Second, do not sign your consultant's contract before the City approves the mandate — that is a stated condition, and expenses committed before your complete application was filed are not eligible either. Also worth knowing: this is one of only two City streams exempt from the rule that you must wait for a prior City grant to finish paying out before reapplying, so it can run in parallel with another Ville de Québec grant. Non-profit social-economy enterprises get 80% coverage rather than 30% — a much better rate against a lower $15,000 ceiling.

Rejection Pitfalls 10

• Business is outside the six eligible sectors, and does not qualify via the social-economy or urban-agriculture routes
• Digital services or consulting firm — explicitly carved out of the digital sector list
• Head office or project outside the Quebec City agglomeration and Wendake

Success Profile

An incorporated Quebec City manufacturer, food processor, life-sciences firm, optics-photonics company or clean-tech developer with a specific strategic problem it cannot solve in-house — production-floor optimization, a circular-economy study, market positioning for a new line — that has picked a specialist consultant, has three years of accounting-standard financial statements, and files before signing the consulting contract.

Evaluation Criteria

The City assesses: whether the applicant gives credible answers across every component of its responsible business model, demonstrating the model's quality and soundness; the distinctive and innovative character of the project; the relevance of the product or service offer in the market, its positioning and competitive advantages; the viability and coherence of the project, in its nature and in the realism of the financing structure; the applicant's organizational management capacity — relevant expertise and experience for delivering the project; the applicant's financial capacity to complete the project and meet its objectives; and the demonstration of the need for financial assistance, including the compensation levels of principal officers. Eligibility does not guarantee an award.

Application Steps

Required Documents 6

Eligible Expenses 3

• Professional fees
• Consulting services
• Studies

Ineligible Expenses 8

• Financing of regular operations
• Charitable activities and payment of volunteer resources
• Debt payment or repayment of existing loans
• Replacement of existing government support or programs
• Expenses incurred or committed before the date the substantially complete and compliant application was filed
• Any expense relocating the business or part of its production outside the Quebec City agglomeration, unless the City consents in writing
• The portion of GST and QST the recipient recovers from governments
• One-off event-type projects

Intake Periods

Continuous. The City states the funding stream is open on an ongoing basis ('Volet financier ouvert en continu'); the page was last updated July 8, 2026. There are no intake windows and no deadline. The contribution is capped per company per year, so the practical rhythm is annual.

Deadline Notes

Continuous intake with no published deadline; the City last updated the page July 8, 2026. What is time-sensitive is sequence, not date: the consulting mandate must be approved by the City BEFORE the contract is signed, and expenses committed before the substantially complete application was filed are not eligible. The cap is per company per year, so a company using the full $30,000 waits until the next year to apply again.

Ineligible Organizations

• Foundations
• Social-economy enterprises that cannot demonstrate sound democratic governance
• Social-economy enterprises in retail or restaurants (for the all-sector social-economy route)
• Businesses outside the six eligible technology and industrial sectors, other than the social-economy and urban-agriculture routes
• Digital services and consulting firms — explicitly carved out of the digital sector list
• Applicants not discharged from bankruptcy, or listed on the RENA public-contract ineligibility registry
• Applicants in default on prior Ville de Québec assistance, or with amounts outstanding to the City

Compatible Programs

Clawback Risk

Medium Risk

The City states 'Si l'entreprise quitte le territoire ou cesse ses activités, des clauses de remboursement sont prévues selon la date de l'évènement' — repayment clauses apply if the business leaves the territory or ceases operations, scaled by when it happens.