Updated June 2026 · Verified against Canada Economic Development for Quebec Regions guidelines
✓ First-Timer Friendly Reimbursement Est. 2005
Loan Federal Active

Canada Economic Development for Quebec Regions (CED) Funding

Canada Economic Development for Quebec Regions
Loan Range
Varies
Ongoing
Visit Official Program →
Difficulty
Moderate
Payment
Reimbursement
Trend
Stable
First-Timers
Friendly ✓
Financing share
50%
Canada Economic Development for Quebec Regions (CED) Funding offers funding that varies by project. CED provides interest-free repayable contributions to Quebec SMEs covering up to 50% of eligible costs with a 2-year grace period through its REGI Business Scale-up and Quebec Economic Development programs (year-round intake). The program covers up to 50% of eligible costs. Applications are accepted on an ongoing basis.

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Real recipient data

Who actually receives this funding

510 businesses received this funding in 2025 — 12,587 awards since 2006. Typical award: $215.3K. Half of all awards fall between $100K and $500K. Top provinces: Quebec 100%. Covers: All CED-Quebec grants and contributions paid directly to recipients (all programs, including QEDP, REGI, the Regional Tariff Response Initiative and the Regional Defence Investment Initiative). Source: Government of Canada proactive disclosure data · Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Canada · Data through Q3 2026.

The typical award here is $215.3K — the median of 12,587 awards since 2006. In 2025, 510 organizations were funded.

510funded in 2025
$215.3Ktypical award
12,587awards since 2006

Award size distribution. Half of awards fall between $100K and $500K, with a typical award of $215.3K.

Award sizes middle 50% of awards
$215.3K typical $500K
Top provinces QC 100%

Covers all CED-Quebec programs — including community and non-profit streams.

Named recipients

Recent recipients include Relais 2 rives inc. (La Tuque, QC, 2025), Société hôtesse des jeux du Canada 2027 (Québec, QC, 2025) and Municipalité de Rivière-Éternité (Rivière-Éternité, QC, 2025).

  1. 2025Relais 2 rives inc.La Tuque, QC
  2. 2025Société hôtesse des jeux du Canada 2027Québec, QC
  3. 2025Municipalité de Rivière-ÉternitéRivière-Éternité, QC
  4. 2025Armoires Perreault inc.Rimouski, QC
  5. 20259301-2268 Québec inc. - Les Constructions WFSainte-Thérèse-de-la-Gatineau, QC
  6. 2025Société de développement commercial Hochelaga-MaisonneuveMontréal, QC
  7. 2025Société Économique de Kitcisakik inc.Val-d'Or, QC
  8. 2025Port de Havre-Saint-PierreHavre-Saint-Pierre, QC
  9. 2025Swisha Pointe Aux Pins Lodge inc.Rapides-des-Joachims, QC
  10. 202513341577 Canada inc. - Pine PointLac-Sainte-Marie, QC
Show 27 more recipients
  1. 2025Corporation NibiischiiMistissini, QC
  2. 2025Locations et aventures C-Nuk Inc.Kuujjuarapik, QC
  3. 2025Bois PublicMontréal, QC
  4. 2025Les productions Innu NikamuMaliotenam (Québec), QC
  5. 2025Société Makivvik - Makivvik CorporationKuujjuaq, QC
  6. 2025Qinitqtiq Landholding Corporation of KangiqsualujjuaqKangiqsualujjuaq, QC
  7. 2025Festival M.A.D. MontréalMontréal, QC
  8. 2025Partenariat du quartier des spectaclesMontréal, QC
  9. 2025REVE-C (association pour la résilience en ville et l'économie circulaire).Montréal, QC
  10. 2025Centre de conservation de la biodiversité boréale (CCBB) inc.Saint-Félicien, QC
  11. 2025Belpro Medical inc.Montréal, QC
  12. 20259509-3662 Québec inc. - Buanderie Eeyou NordRadisson, QC
  13. 2025Pliage J. Dulac inc.Saint-Malachie, QC
  14. 2025Societe Kuujjuamiut inc.Kuujjuaq, QC
  15. 2025Société de développement du TémiscamingueVille-Marie, QC
  16. 2025Municipalité régionale de Comté de la Côte-de-BeaupréChâteau-Richer, QC
  17. 2025Municipalité régionale de comté de Beauharnois-SalaberryBeauharnois, QC
  18. 2025Société historique P.E. GendreauTémiscaming, QC
  19. 2025Municipalité de Saint-Henri-de-TaillonSaint-Henri-de-Taillon, QC
  20. 2025Cité des arts du cirqueMontréal, QC
  21. 2025Le Festival International de Jazz de Montréal inc.Montréal, QC
  22. 2025Corporation du Festival de montgolfières de Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu inc.Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, QC
  23. 2025MutekMontréal, QC
  24. 2025Fierté MontréalMontréal, QC
  25. 20227545673 Canada Inc.. - Eastern Canadian OutfitterOttawa, ON
  26. 2022Eastern Canadian Outfitters - Camachigama Inc.Nepean, ON
  27. 2022Association Canadienne de TennisToronto, ON
See how much each recipient received, and how each award compares to the typical one. Included in Premium ↓

Source: Government of Canada proactive disclosure

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What it actually funds

This program mostly pays for equipment

71% of 1,045 awards to businesses since April 2023 went to buying equipment or machinery, and 18% to marketing and sales.

Where the money went share of 1,045 awards

  • Buying equipment or machinery71% 747

    Projects of this kind typically received $463K since April 2023.

  • Marketing and sales18% 188

    Projects of this kind typically received $190K since April 2023.

  • Building or expanding a facility8% 79

    Projects of this kind typically received $334K since April 2023.

    Real projects funded, in the government’s own words

    • Facilities expansion and equipment acquisition: The project aims to increase the productivity and production capacity of a cheesemaking business.
    • Upgrading facilities: The project aims to improve and modernize the tourism offering of a hotel located in Amqui.
    • Expansion of facilities: The project aims to improve productivity and increase the production capacity of a manufacturer of granite, quartz and marble countertops.
  • Other project types 3%developing a new physical product, adopting existing technology, building software or a digital product and more

Rare here: building software or a digital product (<1%) and developing a new physical product (1%). Only 1% of these projects created something new; most bought or expanded something that already exists.

Real projects funded in the government’s own words

Buying equipment or machinery

  • Acquisition of equipment and marketing strategy : The project aims to increase the productivity and the sales of a company specializing in the manufacture of pet food.
  • Acquisition of equipment: The project aims to improve the productivity and production capacity of a company specializing in the manufacturing of metal locks and hardware.

Marketing and sales

  • Marketing strategy: The project aims to implement a marketing strategy for a company that designs and manufactures bicycle racks and transport boxes.
  • Marketing strategy and product development: The project aims to increase the sales of a company that has developed a customer relationship management software.

Where in a company’s journey it pays

Most staged projects here were at the grow what works stage (84%).

  1. <1%Explore an idea
  2. <1%Build something new
  3. <1%Test and prove it
  4. 9%Launch it
  5. 84%Grow what works

The other 6% were not staged projects (hiring, advice, events) or did not say.

More about these projects

New, or more of what already works?

1% created something new92% bought or expanded something that already exists

The remaining 7% were a mix of both, or the description did not say.

  • 78%Leaves a physical asset behind
  • <1%Aimed at markets outside Canada
  • 2%Claims an environmental benefit

How we know: we read the government’s published description of each award; an AI classifier sorted them, and we hand-checked a sample (92% correct). Individual awards can be misfiled, so read the shares as approximate. 74 more awards had descriptions too vague to sort and are left out. Federal disclosure lists awards above $25,000 only. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Canada.

Eligibility & Details

What this program funds and who can apply

Free

Program Description

CED provides interest-free repayable contributions to Quebec SMEs covering up to 50% of eligible costs with a 2-year grace period through its REGI Business Scale-up and Quebec Economic Development programs (year-round intake). Non-repayable contributions of up to 90% are available to not-for-profit organizations. Retail, food services, transportation, and personal service businesses are ineligible.

Eligibility Requirements

  • Business or organization headquartered or operating in Quebec
  • Not a retail business, food service provider (restaurant, catering), or transportation service company (for most streams)
  • SMEs receive repayable assistance; non-profit organizations, municipalities and regional county municipalities (RCMs) and other organizations can receive non-repayable assistance under specific streams
  • Main eligible sectors: manufacturing, food processing, information and communications technologies and multimedia, and life sciences. Other sectors may also be eligible
  • SMEs must show capacity to repay the interest-free contribution; repayment begins two years after the end of the project
  • In the economically vulnerable RCMs listed on CED's targeted-support page, SMEs may receive up to 75% of authorized costs (generally repayable) and NPOs up to 90% non-repayable
Provinces
Quebec
Industries
All
Business Stage
Startup Growth Expansion

Quick Assessment

Difficulty
Moderate
Competition
Moderate
First-Timer
Friendly

Funding Details

Amount
Varies
Type
Loan
Level
Federal
Financing share
Up to 50% of eligible costs
Deadline
Ongoing

Program Scorecard

Competition, effort, and approval at a glance

Competition
Moderate
Deadline
Ongoing
Approval
Moderate
Accessibility
3/5

Moderate — standard application process

Competition
3/5

Moderate competition — prepare a strong application

Difficulty
3/5

Moderate — standard requirements

Approval Rate
Processing Time
Budget Trend
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How to qualify

Insider tips, common pitfalls, and what successful applicants look like

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Insider Tip

CED's core SME programs (REGI Business Scale-up) provide repayable contributions — functionally interest-free loans with a 2-year grace period, not grants.

Premium See what trips up most applicants for this program — and how to avoid it.

Rejection Pitfalls 9

  • Ineligible sector — retail, food services, transportation, housing construction, daycare, personal services are excluded from REGI
+8 more pitfalls
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Success Profile

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Evaluation Criteria

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How CED judges your application

What the reviewer scores, what gets applications rejected, and what to write.

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Written answers15no length limits stated
Judged on5 criteria
Can reject you6 rules
To attach6 documents

Distilled from 6+ source documents on canada.ca, condensed into one brief. Sources as of 2026-09-10.

6 of the sources

What CED favours

SME or NPO innovation projects for expansion and productivity growth◦

“Projects submitted by SMEs or NPOs are funded for fostering expansion, productivity and growth through innovation.”

1 more, in their words

The form2 prompts shown

Eligibility screening4 sections
  1. 1Eligible client type (Business Scale-up and Productivity)selection
  2. 2Ineligible client sectorsyes/no + written

    Examples of ineligible clients

  3. 3Sector of activityselection
  4. 4Which CED programme or stream the project belongs toselection
Stream conditions3 sections
  1. 5Ecosystem objective (Regional Innovation Ecosystems only)selection + written

    To be eligible, projects must meet one of the following objectives:

  2. 6Community economic facilities conditions (QEDP only)yes/no + written
  3. 7Economic spin-offs for an economically vulnerable RCM (flexibility layer only)written answer
Project summary11 sections
  1. 8Brief description of the business or organizationwritten answer
  2. 9Number of employees, managers, and shareholdersshort answer
  3. 10Your products/services and business modelwritten answer
  4. 11Your markets, current and target customerswritten answer
  5. 12Your tangible competitive advantageswritten answer
  6. 13Your financial situationwritten answer
  7. 14Brief description of the projectwritten answer
  8. 15Objectives and planned activitieswritten answer
  9. 16Total cost and financing of your projecttable
  10. 17Project start and end datesshort answer
  11. 18Expected benefitswritten answer
Application documents6 sections
  1. 19Corporate and organizational structurelist
  2. 20A detailed description of your projectwritten answer
  3. 21Financial statementsspreadsheet
  4. 22Excel file detailing project costs and financingspreadsheet
  5. 23Disclosure of costs already incurredyes/no + written
  6. 24The CED application form for financial assistancewritten answer

CED states no length limits for these answers.

12 more prompts, in the funder’s words

Judged against4 questions · 5 criteria

  1. 1

    Will the project deliver the results it promises?

    Show them Quantify the jobs created or maintained and the productivity, sales or capacity gains, and tie each figure to a planned activity.◦

    In the funder’s words · 1
    • The expected results of your project
  2. 2

    Can this business survive and manage the money?

    What to show, and the funder’s 2 criteria behind it in Premium

  3. 3

    Who else is putting in money or expertise?

    What to show, and the funder’s 1 criterion behind it in Premium

  4. 4

    How risky is this project, and how is it managed?

    What to show, and the funder’s 1 criterion behind it in Premium

Where applicants failin CED’s words

“Incomplete application: missing information can be submitted within a period of up to 45 days, failing which the file will be closed.”
“The process to submit a project may differ from one program to another. Be sure you have read the guidelines for this program carefully.”
“Consultants and for-profit entities working on behalf of a client wishing to submit a service request are invited to ask their clients to submit their request directly to us.”

Premium · the rest of this brief

See all 6 rules that can reject you and every criterion you are judged on. Then we draft your application for you.

4 more rules that can reject you · 4 more criteria · 12 more prompts

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Do you pass?6 checks

Each one can rule you out. Tick the ones you meet.

You

  • Eligible client type (Scale-up)

    Examples of eligible clients: SMEs; Co-ops; Business associations; Non-profit organizations (NPOs); Business support organizations; Indigenous organizations

Your business

  • Not in an excluded sector

    Examples of ineligible clients: Retail businesses; Food services; Transportation services; Housing construction; Daycare services; Hair and beauty salons; Nightclubs, bars and cabarets

4 more checks

Documents to attach6

Ticks are kept on this device.

The money

SME share (Scale-up)Up to 50% of costs

Financial assistance generally of up to 50% of authorized costs.

NPO share (Scale-up)Up to 90%; capital 50%

Non-repayable financial assistance generally of up to 90% of authorized costs (up to 50% of authorized costs in the case of capital projects).

NPO share (Ecosystems)Up to 90%; capital 50%

Non-repayable financial assistance generally of up to 90% of authorized costs (up to 50% of authorized costs in the case of capital projects).

SME share (QEDP)Up to 50%, repayable

SME: generally up to 50%, repayable without interest, repayment beginning two years after the end of the project.

NPO share (QEDP)Up to 90%, non-repayable

NPO: non-repayable, generally up to 90%.

SME share (vulnerable RCMs)Up to 75% of costs

Financial assistance of up to 75% of authorized costs.

NPO share (vulnerable RCMs)Up to 90%, non-repayable

Non-repayable financial assistance of up to 90% of authorized costs.

SME repayment termsRepayable, interest-free, after two years

This funding is repayable, without interest. Repayment begins two years after the end of the project.

RCM repayment termsRepayable, interest-free, no guarantee, two years

This amount is generally repayable, without interest and without guarantee. Repayments begin two years after a project ends.

Non-repayable below $100KNon-repayable below $100K

On an exceptional basis, non-repayable assistance below $100K may be considered, if certain conditions are met.

Costs before approvalCosts before signed application generally not eligible

Costs incurred before the official submission of the duly signed application form for financial assistance are generally not eligible.

FeesFees cannot be reimbursed with assistance

Their fees cannot be reimbursed with the financial assistance from CED.

What it pays for · 1
  • All costs directly related to the project that are deemed reasonable by CED and essential to the implementation of the project. Restrictions may apply in certain cases.
What it does not pay for · 6
  • All non-essential costs not directly related to the project
  • the refinancing of an existing debt
  • the purchase of an asset at a price that exceeds its fair market value
  • amortization expenses
  • goodwill costs
  • land purchases

From application to money

  1. Advisor eligibility checkAdvisor determines project eligibility
  2. Form and documentsApplication form and documents sent
  3. Acknowledged in 10 daysAcknowledged within 10 business days
  4. Decision in 65 dayswithin 65 business daysDecision within 65 business days
  5. Sign the agreementSign agreement; claim steps explained
  6. Claims in under 25 daysunder 25 business daysClaims processed under 25 business days
In the funder’s words · 6
Advisor eligibility check
Contact CED or the Business Information Service; an advisor at your regional business office determines whether your project is eligible.
Form and documents
If your project is deemed eligible, a member of the business office team sends you the application form for financial assistance and the additional information and documents you need to provide.
Acknowledged in 10 days
CED acknowledges your filing and asks for any missing information within 10 business days. (within 10 business days of the filing of an application)
Decision in 65 days
The decision in the case of a complete application for funding under the QEDP or the REGI will be made within 65 business days.
Sign the agreement
If the decision is favorable, we will send you an agreement to sign and explain the steps for submitting your claims.
Claims in under 25 days
Complete claims associated with the QEDP, the REGI or the CFP will be processed in under 25 business days.

Quoted lines are word for word from the source documents; lines marked ◦ are our reading of them.

What's in this Playbook

Everything you need to secure CED

Not a marketing summary. The actual checklist, intel, and stack strategy reviewers look for.

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Application Playbook

Step-by-step process, required documents, and expenses

Premium 9 steps 10 docs

Application Steps

1 Contact your regional CED business office (14 offices across Quebec) to discuss project fit

Required Documents 10

✓ CED Client Space online application form (completed by authorized representative)
✓ Audited or reviewed financial statements for the last 2 fiscal years

Eligible Expenses 14

Ineligible Expenses 7

Deadline Notes

Ineligible Organizations

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Funding Stack Strategy

Compatible programs, clawback risk, and combined funding potential

Premium 6 partners

Compatible Programs

Investissement Quebec (IQ) / ESSOR Program SR&ED Tax Credit (federal + Quebec provincial) NRC-IRAP CanExport SMEs Mitacs Accelerate/Elevate QEDP (for NPOs) + REGI (for SMEs)
Combined Funding Potential See your total funding potential

Clawback Risk

Medium Risk
Premium See which programs combine with this one — and how much more you could get.

How CED Compares

Side-by-side with similar programs

Free
Program Amount Difficulty Payment Deadline
Canada Economic Development for Quebe... Varies Moderate Reimbursement Ongoing
CanExport SMEs Up to $50,000 Moderate Mixed (Advance + Reimb.) Between intakes — the...
Mitacs Accelerate $15,000 per internship unit Easy Advance Payment Ongoing
Quebec R&D Tax Credit (CRIC — Researc... 20-30% tax credit (CRIC) Hard Tax Credit Offset Ongoing
Investissement Québec — Project Finan... Varies Hard Mixed (Advance + Reimb.) Ongoing

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Frequently Asked Questions

Quick answers to the questions founders most often ask about CED

Free
Can sole proprietors apply for REGI?
No. REGI requires a business to be incorporated. Sole proprietors must register as a corporation to qualify for CED's core SME programs.
What's the typical award size for a first-time SME project?
$150,000-$500,000 for typical REGI projects. Average across all REGI projects: ~$295,000. Recent awards averaged ~$399K/project.
Do I need to repay the contribution?
Yes, REGI and QEDP are repayable (interest-free) for SMEs. NPOs get non-repayable contributions. Repayment terms: 2-year grace period, then 5-10 years.
Why do most applications get rejected?
Ineligible sectors (retail, food services, transportation), weak economic impact demonstration, or insufficient co-funding capacity for the remaining 50%+ of costs.
Can I stack this with SR&ED?
Yes. SR&ED tax credits (refundable) can layer under CED contributions, offsetting 60%+ of R&D costs without counting toward the 75% government assistance limit.

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