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 ...
Difficulty
Easy
Payment
In Kind
Trend
Stable
First-Timers
Friendly ✓
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
What this program funds and who can apply
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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
- Employer must be registered and operating in Canada with a valid business number
- Employer cannot be a financial sector institution with 500 or more employees
- Government bodies, partisan political organizations, and publicly funded post-secondary institutions are excluded as employers
- Each company can participate in a maximum of one project per cohort (non-profit organizations may run up to three projects per cohort), with up to three students per project
- 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
Provinces
Industries
Business Stage
Quick Assessment
Difficulty
Easy
Competition
Low
First-Timer
Friendly
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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How to Win
Insider tips, common pitfalls, and what successful applicants look like
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Insider TipTreat this as free project capacity, not funding — no money reaches your business.
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Evaluation Criteria
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The 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 win Riipen Level UP
Not a marketing summary. The actual checklist, intel, and stack strategy reviewers look for.
- 3-document checklist with what each reviewer is actually checking
- Your Application Game Plan — the print-ready PDF the preview below describes
- 9-step application timeline with prep hours per step
- Insider tip from program officers on what separates winners
- Success profile + evaluation criteria — exactly what reviewers score on
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Application Playbook
Step-by-step process, required documents, and expenses
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9 steps
3 docs
Application Steps
1
Confirm eligibility and create a Riipen employer account Complete the Level UP eligibility form, then create a Riipen account as an Employer using the same email address (or sign in to an existing account).
Required Documents 3
✓ Proof of current post-secondary enrollment
✓ Proof of Canadian citizenship, permanent residency, or refugee status
Intake Periods
Deadline Notes
Ineligible Organizations
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Funding Stack Strategy
Compatible programs, clawback risk, and combined funding potential
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Stacking partner data not yet available.
Combined Funding Potential
See your total funding potential
Clawback Risk
None Risk
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How Riipen Level UP Compares
Side-by-side with similar programs
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| Program | Amount | Difficulty | Payment | Deadline |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Riipen Level UP | No cash to the employer — a fully... | Easy | In Kind | Cohort-based: projects... |
| Digital Technology Supercluster | Up to $5 million | Hard | Reimbursement | Open — Call for... |
| Investissement Québec — Project Finan... | Varies | Hard | Mixed (Advance + Reimb.) | Ongoing |
| Export Development Canada (EDC) Finan... | Varies | Easy | Equity | Ongoing |
| Canadian Northern Economic Developmen... | Varies | Moderate | Mixed (Advance + Reimb.) | Main EOI for 2026-27... |
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 Riipen Level UP
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Does my business receive any money from Level UP?
No. The employer pays nothing and receives nothing. Riipen pays the student a $1,400 stipend for each completed project, funded in part by the Government of Canada's Innovative Work-Integrated Learning (I-WIL) Initiatives program.
How many projects and students can my company have?
Riipen's employer guide states each company can match one project per funding period and is limited to two students on that project. Employers wanting more are pointed to Riipen FuturePath instead.
Which employers are not eligible for Level UP?
Publicly funded post-secondary institutions, financial sector institutions with 500 or more employees, federal/provincial/territorial/municipal government entities, members of the House of Commons or Senate, and organizations engaging in partisan political activities.
When do Level UP projects actually run?
In fixed cohorts. The open 2026/2027 cohorts run May 25 - July 3, 2026; July 20 - September 11, 2026; October 26 - December 18, 2026; and January 25 - March 19, 2027. Dates are subject to change.
How long does a Level UP project take to complete?
Each project is 60 hours of student work. The student and employer set a timeline of 2 to 8 weeks between them, taking class and work schedules into account.
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Full Playbook: Riipen Level UP
9 steps · 3 docs · reviewer insights