Loan
Federal
Active
Business Development Bank of Canada (BDC) Financing
Business Development Bank of Canada
Loan Range
Varies
Ongoing
Difficulty
Easy
Payment
Loan
Trend
Stable
First-Timers
Friendly ✓
Financing share
Varies
Business Development Bank of Canada (BDC) Financing offers funding that varies by project. Provides financing, advisory services and venture capital to Canadian small and medium-sized businesses. Applications are accepted on an ongoing basis.
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Eligibility & Details
What this program funds and who can apply
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Program Description
Provides financing, advisory services and venture capital to Canadian small and medium-sized businesses.
Eligibility Requirements
- Small or medium-sized business registered and operating in Canada
- The business has commercial operations in Canada, and if it is incorporated it is a Canadian entity. If it is a sole proprietorship or a partnership, the owners must be Canadian citizens or permanent residents
- Operating and generating revenue for at least 12 months. BDC states 12 to 24 months depending on the loan type, and the online application ends the request for a business operating less than 12 months and points it to BDC partners. BDC adds that some businesses may qualify on a strong plan and projections
- You sign an attestation that the business takes no part in any of these ten activities: market speculation, residential property financing, private schools, nursing, rehabilitation centres and personal care, marijuana or cannabis products and services, virtual currencies and NFTs, arms, armament and ammunition, bars and lounges, gambling operations, and financing or cheque discounting
- Demonstrates capacity to service the loan
- You sign an attestation that the business is a commercial enterprise, meaning its goal is to earn revenue from selling goods or services and not to be economically dependent on non-commercial sources such as direct government grant funding or private donations, and that it is not a government body, a union, a religious or charitable organization, or a fundraising vehicle for charities
- You sign an attestation that the business has never been charged with, pled guilty to, or been convicted of tax evasion or a criminal offence of any nature
- All owners of the business have reached the age of majority in the province or territory where they live
- BDC's self-serve tiers list two more criteria it says make approval more likely rather than absolute bars: currently generating profits, and a personal credit score of 600 or higher
Provinces
Industries
Business Stage
Quick Assessment
Difficulty
Easy
Competition
Low
First-Timer
Friendly
Funding Details
- Amount
- Varies
- Type
- Loan
- Level
- Federal
- Deadline
- Ongoing
Program Scorecard
Competition, effort, and approval at a glance
Competition
Low
Deadline
Ongoing
Approval
Good
Accessibility
--/5
Competition
--/5
Approval Rate
--%
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How to qualify
Insider tips, common pitfalls, and what successful applicants look like
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Insider TipBDC is not a grant -- do not apply expecting free money.
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See what trips up most applicants for this program — and how to avoid it.
Rejection Pitfalls 10
- Poor personal credit history or low credit score
+9 more pitfalls
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See the most common reasons applications get rejected — before you submit yours.
Success Profile
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Evaluation Criteria
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All 10 pitfalls, the checklist and the reviewer notes are in the Playbook below. See what it includes ↓
What's in this Playbook
Everything you need to secure BDC
Not a marketing summary. The actual checklist, intel, and stack strategy reviewers look for.
- 10 rejection pitfalls reviewers flag — so you catch them first
- 10-document checklist with what each reviewer is actually checking
- Your Application Game Plan — the print-ready PDF the preview below describes
- 8-step application timeline with prep hours per step
- Insider tip from program officers on what separates winners
- 8-program stacking strategy to combine with compatible funding
- Success profile + evaluation criteria — exactly what lenders look for
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Application Playbook
Step-by-step process, required documents, and expenses
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8 steps
10 docs
Application Steps
1
Check eligibility in the guest application at bdc.ca, before any account Five screens: how much you want to borrow ($10,000 floor), how long the business has been operating, a description of the project of up to 1,000 characters, eight eligibility attestations you check off, then your name, email and mobile number
Required Documents 10
✓ Have on hand: complete and up-to-date business information as listed in your business registry
✓ Have on hand: names, email addresses, home addresses and mobile phone numbers for the company's owners, members of the board of directors, and shareholders (if applicable)
Eligible Expenses 10
Ineligible Expenses 5
Deadline Notes
Ineligible Organizations
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Funding Stack Strategy
Compatible programs, clawback risk, and combined funding potential
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8 partners
Compatible Programs
IRAP
SR&ED Tax Credit
CSBFP
CanExport SMEs
Provincial small business grants
Futurpreneur
Canada Digital Adoption Program
Provincial wage subsidies and training grants
Combined Funding Potential
See your total funding potential
Clawback Risk
Low Risk
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How BDC Compares
Side-by-side with similar programs
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| Program | Amount | Difficulty | Payment | Deadline |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Business Development Bank of Canada (... | Varies | Easy | Loan | Ongoing |
| NRC IRAP Clean Technology Program | $100,000–$500,000 | Hard | Mixed (Advance + Reimb.) | Ongoing |
| CanExport SMEs | Up to $50,000 | Moderate | Mixed (Advance + Reimb.) | Between intakes — the... |
| Futurpreneur Canada Startup Program | Up to $75,000 | Moderate | Loan | Ongoing |
Related Programs
Other programs you might be eligible for
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Frequently Asked Questions
Quick answers to the questions founders most often ask about BDC
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Can I get a BDC loan without collateral?
BDC says you do not need a down payment, and that collateral depends on the loan type you choose. Some BDC loans require a personal or corporate guarantee instead of assets. Ask which applies to the product you are quoted before you sign.
What's the most common loan amount for a typical SME?
Based on BDC's FY2025 portfolio, 68% of borrowers have under $2M revenue, with typical loans ranging $50,000-$200,000. Most applicants get between $50k-$200k, not the max $350k.
Why do most applications get rejected?
Common reasons: the business has been operating less than 12 months, a weak personal credit file (BDC's self-serve tiers name a personal credit score of 600 or higher), or a plan and projections that do not show the loan can be repaid.
Can I combine BDC with other grants?
Yes, BDC is designed to stack with grants. For example, use IRAP for R&D wages and BDC for equipment, or CSBFP for different assets. BDC explicitly encourages this.
Do I get interest-only payments at first?
Yes, and the length depends on how much you borrow. On BDC's online loan it is up to 6 months at $100,000 or less, and up to 12 months above $100,000 and up to $350,000. Other BDC loans publish their own interest-only periods.
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Full Playbook: BDC
8 steps · 10 docs · reviewer insights