Updated July 2026 · Verified against Riipen / Government of Canada (Innovative Work-Integrated Learning Initiatives) guidelines
Program Federal Active

Riipen Level UP

Riipen / Government of Canada (Innovative Work-Integrated Learning Initiatives)
Maximum Funding
No cash to the employer — a fully funded 60-hour student...
Cohort-based: projects run May 25-Jul 3 2026, Jul 20-Sep 11 2026, Oct 26-Dec ...
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Difficulty
Easy
Payment
Varies
Trend
Stable
First-Timers
Co-Funding
Varies
Riipen Level UP provides up to No cash to the employer — a fully funded 60-hour student project; the student is paid a $1,400 stipend directly by Riipen. Free access to student talent for Canadian businesses and non-profits: post-secondary students complete a 60-hour remote or hybrid project over 2-8 weeks and are paid a $1,400 stipend directly by Riipen, funded by the Government of Canada's Innovative Work-Integrated Learning (I-WIL) Initiatives program. Cohort-based: projects run May 25-Jul 3 2026, Jul 20-Sep 11 2026, Oct 26-Dec 18 2026, and Jan 25-Mar 19 2027.
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Eligibility & Details

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Program Description

Free access to student talent for Canadian businesses and non-profits: post-secondary students complete a 60-hour remote or hybrid project over 2-8 weeks and are paid a $1,400 stipend directly by Riipen, funded by the Government of Canada's Innovative Work-Integrated Learning (I-WIL) Initiatives program. The employer pays nothing and receives no funding.

Eligibility Requirements

  • Employer must be a registered Canadian business or non-profit
  • Government bodies, partisan political organizations, and publicly funded post-secondary institutions are excluded as employers
  • Project must be scoped to 60 hours of student work over a 2-8 week timeline
  • Student must be currently registered at a Canadian post-secondary institution (no age limit)
  • Student must be a Canadian citizen, permanent resident, or a person to whom refugee protection has been conferred
  • Student must be legally entitled to work in Canada
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Industries
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Business Stage
Startup Growth Established

Quick Assessment

Difficulty
Easy
Competition
Low
First-Timer
Not rated

Funding Details

Amount
No cash to the employer — a fully funded 60-hour student project; the student is paid a $1,400 stipend directly by Riipen
Type
Program
Level
Federal
Deadline
Cohort-based: projects run May 25-Jul 3 2026, Jul 20-Sep 11 2026, Oct 26-Dec 18 2026, and Jan 25-Mar 19 2027

Program Scorecard

Competition, effort, and approval at a glance

Competition
Low
Deadline
Ongoing
Approval
Varies
Accessibility
--/5
Competition
--/5
Approval Rate
--%
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What's in this Playbook

Everything you need to win Riipen Level UP

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How to Win

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Insider Tip

Treat this as free project capacity, not funding — no money reaches your business. Scope the work to genuinely fit 60 hours and apply to a specific cohort before it fills; each student can only do one Level UP project per funding year, so returning students are not available.

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Application Playbook

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

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Required Documents 3

Proof of current post-secondary enrollment
Proof of Canadian citizenship, permanent residency, or refugee status
Proof of legal entitlement to work in Canada

Deadline Notes

Level UP runs in fixed cohorts, not continuously. 2026/2027 funding-year open cohorts: May 2026 (May 25 - Jul 3), July 2026 (Jul 20 - Sep 11), October 2026 (Oct 26 - Dec 18), January 2027 (Jan 25 - Mar 19). Students and employers must apply to each cohort separately; dates and cohort availability are subject to change.

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Applying for Riipen Level UP? Our Grant Proposal Template ($19) mirrors the section structure Canadian reviewers actually score on. Or get all 4 templates in the Founder Pack ($59 · saves $27) →

Funding Stack Strategy

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Clawback Risk

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How Riipen Level UP Compares

Side-by-side with similar programs

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