VERGE Breakthrough Fund II (formerly Pillar Start-Up Fund)
Compared with the 242 other application forms we have read
- Scored mainly on community benefit. 17 lead with that.
- States real length limits, about 1,400 words in total. Only 64 tell you how long to write.
- The work here is mostly writing long answers. For 59%, the job is assembling documents instead.
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Eligibility & Details
What this program funds and who can apply
Program Description
This loan program now operates as VERGE Breakthrough Fund II, accepting applications from enterprises that serve a social, environmental, cultural or community mission in Southwestern Ontario. Typical social enterprise loans run up to $100,000; large-scale community infrastructure loans secured against the assets run up to $500,000. Applicants need demonstrated impact, an operating history of at least 1-2 years, current revenue with existing customers (or assets secured), and full-time experienced management — any industry sector, any stage of growth, and either a for-profit or non-profit structure. Loans are typically fixed rate with principal-and-interest repayments; rate, term, fees and security are set case by case.
Eligibility Requirements
- Must be a social enterprise with demonstrated impact
- Must be located in Southwestern Ontario; VERGE does not define the boundary, so confirm your municipality with VERGE
- Must have an operating history of at least 1-2 years
- Must currently be generating revenue with existing customers, or have assets secured
- Must have full-time experienced management
- Open to any industry sector, any stage of growth, and either organization structure — for-profit business or non-profit organization
- Must have a genuine social, environmental, cultural, or community mission embedded in the business model
- Must demonstrate a viable business case and debt repayment capacity
- Loans are typically fixed rate with repayments of principal and interest; the interest rate, repayment terms, application fees and security are determined on a case-by-case basis
Quick Assessment
Funding Details
- Amount
- Social enterprise loans typically up to $100,000; large-scale community infrastructure loans secured against the assets up to $500,000
- Type
- Loan
- Level
- Private
- Deadline
- Ongoing
Program Scorecard
Competition, effort, and approval at a glance
Moderate — standard application process
High competition — many applicants
Moderate — standard requirements
How to qualify
Insider tips, common pitfalls, and what successful applicants look like
Insider TipVERGE Capital is relationship-driven — contact the VERGE team before submitting rather than sending a cold application; staff actively help applicants build their loan proposals.
Rejection Pitfalls 7
- Located outside Southwestern Ontario
Success Profile
Evaluation Criteria
How VERGE Capital judges your application
What the reviewer scores, what gets applications rejected, and what to write.
Distilled from 6+ source documents on vergecapital.ca, condensed into one brief. Sources as of 2026-09-02.
6 of the sources
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What VERGE Capital favours
Reviewed by 4-6 volunteers with lived and professional experience◦
“Your application is assessed by a review panel of 4-6 volunteers with diverse backgrounds in terms of lived experience and professional expertise.”
The form
About you
- 1First Nameshort answerno limit
- 2Last Nameshort answerno limit
- 3Emailshort answerno limit
- 4Email Typeselectionno limit
- 5Pronoun(s)short answerno limit
Your enterprise and contact details
- 6Name of your social enterpriseshort answerno limit
- 7Roleshort answerno limit
- 8Sector Typeselectionno limit
- 9Cityshort answerno limit
- 10State/Provinceshort answerno limit
- 11Postal Codeshort answerno limit
- 12Organization Emailshort answerno limit
- 13Websiteshort answerno limit
- 14Phone Numbershort answerno limit
- 15Who referred you to us?short answerno limit
- 16How would you prefer to be contacted?selectionno limit
What you do and the impact
- 17Describe your social enterprise as it is today.written answer · 500 words
- 18Describe the core product(s), service(s), or program(s) that you are offering.written answerno limit
- 19Who are you selling to (your target customer)?written answerno limit
- 20Who/what (besides your target customer) benefits from what you're selling, and how?written answerno limit
- 21Describe the social and environmental impact of your enterprise.written answer · 500 words
Track record and funding to date
- 22How long have you been working on your social enterprise?selectionno limit
- 23How much time do you typically spend working on your social enterprise?selectionno limit
- 24What progress have you made on your social enterprise during this time?written answer · 200 words
- 25What funding have you received (if any) for your social enterprise?selectionno limit
Team, partners and legal structure
- 26Describe your team.written answerno limit
- 27Do you have any partnerships or support from the community?written answer · 200 words
- 28What is the legal structure of your social enterprise?selectionno limit
bar = length the funder allows, from its stated limits
Judged against
- 1
Is this an established, revenue-generating enterprise?
Show them Show how long you have been operating, that customers are already paying you, and that experienced management is on this full-time.◦
- 2
Does your impact match the fund's priorities?
What to show, and the funder’s 4 criteria behind it in Premium
- 3
Can you measure the impact you promise?
What to show, and the funder’s 1 criterion behind it in Premium
- 4
Who runs this, and who backs you locally?
What to show them in Premium
2 questions the reviewer answers about you, in Premium.
Where applicants fail
“Operating history of at least 1-2 years”
Premium · the rest of this brief
See all 7 rules that can reject you and every criterion you are judged on. Then we draft your application for you.
6 more rules that can reject you · 5 more criteria
Do you pass?
7 can rule you out; 1 is a preference. Tick the ones you meet.
You
Priority to underrepresented communities preferred, not required
We prioritize social entrepreneurs from, or organizations that serve, underrepresented communities. This includes Indigenous, rural, racialized, newcomers, 2SLGBTQI+, people with disabilities, women and those who identify as non-binary.
Your organisation
Impact located in Southwestern Ontario
A demonstrated impact located in Southwestern Ontario
2 things this funder says you do NOT need, in Premium.
Documents to attach
Ticks are kept on this device.
The money
Social enterprise loanUp to $100,000
Typical social enterprise loans can be up to $100,000.
Infrastructure loanUp to $500,000 with asset security
Large-scale infrastructure loans that include security against the assets can be up to $500,000.
RepaymentFixed rate; principal plus interest
Loans are typically fixed rate loans with repayments including principal and interest.
FeesDetermined case-by-case
The interest rate, repayment terms, application fees, and security for all loans are determined on a case-by-case basis.
From application to money
- Send the Inquiry FormSubmit Inquiry Form; reply in 3-5 days
- Build the loan applicationBuild loan application with staff
- Panel reviews your applicationPanel assesses your application
- Present to the panelPresent in person or by video
- Panel recommends, board decidesProcess takes 2 to 6 months
- Report on your impactImpact reporting once loan is live
In the funder’s words · 6
- Send the Inquiry Form
- Tell VERGE about your social enterprise on a short online Inquiry Form that VERGE says takes about 10 minutes. (We will respond to your inquiry within 3-5 business days.)
- Build the loan application
- If VERGE sees a fit, its staff work with you to put the formal loan application together.
- Panel reviews your application
- A panel of volunteers with lived and professional experience assesses what you submitted.
- Present to the panel
- You present in person or by videoconference.
- Panel recommends, board decides
- The answer comes back as an approval, a request for more work, or a decline with reasons. (The whole process can take as little as 2 months and as long as 6 months, depending on your preparedness.)
- Report on your impact
- Impact reporting begins once the loan is live.
Quoted lines are word for word from the source documents; lines marked ◦ are our reading of them.
Everything you need to secure VERGE Breakthrough Fund II (formerly Pilla...
Not a marketing summary. The actual checklist, intel, and stack strategy reviewers look for.
- 7 rejection pitfalls reviewers flag — so you catch them first
- 8-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 lenders look for
Application Playbook
Step-by-step process, required documents, and expenses
Application Steps
Required Documents 8
Eligible Expenses 5
Ineligible Expenses 3
Deadline Notes
Ineligible Organizations
Funding Stack Strategy
Compatible programs, clawback risk, and combined funding potential
Compatible Programs
Clawback Risk
Low RiskHow VERGE Breakthrough Fund II (formerly Pilla... Compares
Side-by-side with similar programs
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Frequently Asked Questions
Quick answers to the questions founders most often ask about VERGE Breakthrough Fund II (formerly Pilla...