CanExport GAC-Led Delegations
Compared with the 241 other application forms we have read
- The heaviest thing to produce is supplier quotes or cost evidence. 6 ask for that.
- Scored mainly on market demand and growth. 19 lead with that.
- What does not disqualify you: No minimum funding amount. 118 record an exemption like this.
Can you win this grant?
Get your instant eligibility verdict plus a head start on the application. Free, no account needed.
We use this program’s real eligibility rules. 4 short questions follow.
Want your full match picture across 850+ programs? Take the 2-minute quiz →
Eligibility & Details
What this program funds and who can apply
Program Description
Provides cost-share grants covering 50% of eligible expenses (travel and trade show costs) up to $100,000 per SME for participation in specific trade missions and delegations organized by Global Affairs Canada's Trade Commissioner Service. Applicants must first be accepted into an eligible GAC-led delegation — the funding supplements confirmed mission participation rather than enabling market exploration.
Eligibility Requirements
- Canadian for-profit SME — an incorporated legal entity, limited liability partnership (LLP), or cooperative in Canada, with an active CRA business number (sole proprietorships and limited partnerships are not eligible)
- Accepted into an eligible GAC-led trade mission or Team Canada delegation — must have a confirmed place in the mission before applying
- Annual Canadian revenue between $100,000 and $100,000,000 in the last complete tax year
- Only expenses essential for participation in the specific delegation are eligible
- Projects must normally be completed within a single Government of Canada fiscal year (April 1 to March 31); in exceptional circumstances projects spanning two fiscal years may be considered
- Between 1 and 500 full-time equivalent (FTE) employees
- Each target market must be new: in your last complete tax year, sales there were under $100,000 or, if higher, under 10% of your total domestic and international sales. Markets under Canadian sanctions, or where a sister or affiliated company offering the same products is already established, are not eligible
Quick Assessment
Funding Details
- Amount
- Up to 50% of eligible mission participation costs — no minimum funding amount (subject to the $99,999-per-fiscal-year cap across all CanExport programs)
- Type
- Grant
- Level
- Federal
- Co-Funding
- Up to 50% of eligible costs
- Deadline
- Per delegation: each eligible delegation has its own published funding application period, and you must apply at least 15 business days before the start of your first proposed activity.
Program Scorecard
Competition, effort, and approval at a glance
Moderate — standard application process
Moderate competition — prepare a strong application
Easy — minimal documentation
How to Win
Insider tips, common pitfalls, and what successful applicants look like
Insider TipThis is the most streamlined of the five CanExport streams because eligibility is simple: you must already be accepted into a GAC mission.
Rejection Pitfalls 6
- SME has not been accepted into an eligible GAC-led delegation (pre-requisite gate)
Success Profile
Evaluation Criteria
How Global Affairs Canada judges your application
What the reviewer scores, what gets applications rejected, and what to write.
Distilled from 6+ source documents on tradecommissioner.gc.ca, condensed into one brief. Sources as of 2026-09-10.
6 of the sources
Sign up free to save this programme and track your application in your workspace.
What Global Affairs Canada favours
Clear, concise, well-justified projects get faster assessment◦
“Applications that are consistent with this Applicant's Guide and that present clear, concise, well-justified projects and budgets will have the shortest assessment times.”
The form
Before you can apply
- 1Selected to participate in an eligible GAC-led delegation (prerequisite)yes/no + written
be a Canadian SME selected to participate in an eligible GAC-led delegation
- 2Portal account registration and My Profileshort answer
Who the applicant is
- 3Eligible companiescheckboxes
- 4Meaningful economic ties to Canadawritten answer
your application should clearly and specifically explain how your product or service is of Canadian origin, and if not, how the export of your product or service under your proposed CanExport GAC-Led Delegations project brings value to Canada (e.g. components of the product manufactured in Canada).
- 5Legal signing authorityshort answer
The project and the markets
- 6Project: the mission activities you want fundedwritten answer
- 7Target markets (up to 5)list
- 8Destination differs from target market (conditional)written answer
- 9Exporting readiness and historywritten answer
The budget
- 10Budget - Category A: Travel for participation in an eligible delegation or missiontable
- 11Budget - Category B: Participation in trade events (non-travel related expenses)table
- 12Funding from other government sourcestable
- 13Unsure an expense is eligible? Ask before incurring itshort answer
Disclosures and uploads
- 14Disclosure of pre-existing relationships (incl. consultants)yes/no + written
- 15Articles of incorporation (upload)short answer
- 16Declared annual revenue (GST 34 / Quebec return upload)short answer
Global Affairs Canada states no length limits for these answers.
Judged against
- 1
Are you an SME this program may fund?
Show them Show a Canadian, for-profit, incorporated business inside the employee and revenue bands that has already been accepted onto a named GAC-led delegation.◦
- 2
Is this new business, not business as usual?
What to show, and the funder’s 2 criteria behind it in Premium
- 3
Can you actually sell in this market?
What to show, and the funder’s 3 criteria behind it in Premium
- 4
Is every dollar in the budget defensible?
What to show, and the funder’s 1 criterion behind it in Premium
2 questions the reviewer answers about you, in Premium.
Where applicants fail
“Once an application has been submitted, it cannot be edited or changed.”
“If the funding agreement is not returned within 20 calendar days, the funding will be considered forfeited.”
Premium · the rest of this brief
See all 17 rules that can reject you and every criterion you are judged on. Then we draft your application for you.
14 more rules that can reject you · 5 more criteria · 14 more prompts
Do you pass?
17 can rule you out; 1 is a preference. Tick the ones you meet.
Your business
For-profit business
Be for-profit
Incorporated, LLP or cooperative
Be an incorporated legal entity, limited liability partnership (LLP), or cooperative in Canada
Not a sole proprietorship
Sole proprietorships
1 thing this funder says you do NOT need, in Premium.
Documents to attach
Ticks are kept on this device.
The money
Maximum per yearMaximum $99,999 per fiscal year
Companies can receive a maximum of $99,999 in CanExport GAC-Led Delegations funding per government fiscal year. This includes funding from projects under the other CanExport sub-programs.
How you are paidGrant upfront; contribution reimbursed
Contribution payments are reimbursed after expenses are incurred and require detailed reporting. Grant payments are provided in full per fiscal year and after signing the funding agreement. The type of funding made available to an applicant is at the sole discretion of the CanExport GAC-Led Delegations program.
Your share50% applicant share
The program can support up to $100,000 CAD in total project costs, with 50% funded by the applicant and 50% funded by the program.
StackingOther government funding max 75%
Total financial assistance from Canadian federal, provincial, territorial, municipal governments or Crown corporations must not exceed 75% of the costs of your project.
Costs before approvalNo expenses before application submission
The program does not cover expenses incurred, invoiced or paid before the date the project was submitted in a CanExport GAC-Led Delegations application (which, for successful applications, is considered the start date of the project). There are no exceptions.
What it pays for · 15
- airfare
- seat selection for a flight to an approved target market or destination
- baggage fees for checked luggage or excess baggage
- ground transportation in the approved destination
- travel to and from the traveler's home or office to the airport
- airport parking
- per diems
- costs related to obtaining an electronic travel authority
- mandatory visa fee
- registration for space or a booth
- on-site booth design, assembly, and installation
- booth rental
- utilities like electricity and internet access
- rental of business card scanners or audiovisual equipment
- liability insurance
From application to money
- Get on the delegationAccepted onto mission first
- Submit the applicationSubmit at least 15 business days before activity
- Funding decisionwithin 15 business daysDecision within 15 business days
- Sign the agreementSign agreement within 20 calendar days
- Money reaches youGrant paid; contribution reimbursed after payment
- Report and keep receiptsReport results; keep receipts
In the funder’s words · 6
- Get on the delegation
- You must first be accepted onto the trade mission through its own Trade Commissioner Service application, which is vetted separately and has its own deadline.
- Submit the application
- The funding application goes in through the online portal, and a first-time applicant has to register and be verified before it can be started. (at least 15 business days before the start date of the first proposed activity)
- Funding decision
- The decision is emailed to the legal signing authority.
- Sign the agreement
- NRC IRAP takes over from here and administers the agreement, the claims and the payments. (within 20 calendar days of the date of receipt)
- Money reaches you
- A grant is paid out after the agreement is signed, while a contribution is reimbursed only once you have paid the costs yourself.
- Report and keep receipts
- Results reporting and an audit-ready receipt trail follow the money.
Quoted lines are word for word from the source documents; lines marked ◦ are our reading of them.
Everything you need to win CanExport GAC-Led Delegations
Not a marketing summary. The actual checklist, intel, and stack strategy reviewers look for.
- 6 rejection pitfalls reviewers flag — so you catch them first
- 5-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 5
Eligible Expenses 3
Ineligible Expenses 7
Intake Periods
Deadline Notes
Ineligible Organizations
Funding Stack Strategy
Compatible programs, clawback risk, and combined funding potential
Compatible Programs
Clawback Risk
Low RiskHow CanExport GAC-Led Delegations Compares
Side-by-side with similar programs
| Program | Amount | Difficulty | Payment | Deadline |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CanExport GAC-Led Delegations | Up to 50% of eligible mission... | Easy | Reimbursement | Per delegation: each... |
| NRC IRAP Clean Technology Program | $100,000–$500,000 | Hard | Mixed (Advance + Reimb.) | Ongoing |
| CanExport Innovation | Up to $37,500 | Moderate | Reimbursement | The 2026 intake window... |
Related Programs
Other programs you might be eligible for
Frequently Asked Questions
Quick answers to the questions founders most often ask about CanExport GAC-Led Delegations