Marketing grants in Quebec — see which you qualify for
Answer a few quick questions and watch the map narrow to the ones your Quebec business can actually get — free, no account.
There is no simple "advertising grant" in Quebec — but there is real money for the thing marketing is for: reaching new markets. The two anchors are CanExport SMEs (federal, up to $50,000 per project at 50% of costs, to enter new international markets) and PSCE Volet 2 (Quebec's provincial export grant, up to $60,000 per year, for markets outside Quebec). Add Panorama financing for larger exporters and PME MTL retail funds for Montreal storefronts. All of them reimburse eligible market-access costs — trade shows, digital marketing abroad, market research, translation — rather than a general ad budget.
"Marketing grants" are really export grants
The most useful thing to accept up front is that Quebec rarely funds marketing as marketing. Governments don't hand out ad budgets — they fund outcomes they care about, and the outcome that pays for marketing is market access: getting a Quebec product in front of buyers it can't reach today. That's why nearly every "marketing grant" a business finds turns out to be an export or market-development program, plus a handful of municipal retail funds.
Once you see it that way, the map clears up. The federal CanExport SMEs program (Global Affairs Canada) and Quebec's own PSCE Volet 2 grant (administered by Investissement Québec for the Ministère de l'Économie, de l'Innovation et de l'Énergie, the MEIE) both reimburse the marketing you do to break into a new market — attending a trade show in Toronto or Boston, running targeted digital campaigns in the target region, commissioning market research, adapting your website and packaging. The Trade Commissioner Service layers free advisory support on top. For Montreal retailers specifically, the PME MTL network runs commercial-development funds. Firms in Montréal, Québec City, and the regions all draw on the same lanes.
CanExport SMEs
Up to $50,000 to enter new international markets — the go-to for reaching customers outside Canada.
PSCE Volet 2
Up to $60,000/year for markets outside Quebec — including the rest of Canada, not just abroad.
PME MTL funds
Montreal retail and commerce development — storefronts, design, and commercial-strip revitalization.
Don't come looking for a grant to fund Google Ads or a rebrand in isolation — that program essentially doesn't exist in Quebec. Come with a market-access goal ("we want to start selling in Ontario / the US / Europe"), and the marketing you need to get there becomes eligible spending under CanExport or PSCE. Reframing the ask is the single biggest unlock.
The top Quebec marketing & export programs in 2026
These are the programs a Quebec business is most likely to use to fund marketing and market-access work, grouped by what they actually give you. Amounts below are drawn from official program pages — always confirm the current terms and intakes with the delivering agency before you build a plan around them.
| Program | What it gives | Typical amount | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| CanExport SMEs (Global Affairs Canada) | Non-repayable grant | Up to $50,000 | Marketing to enter new international markets (50% of costs) |
| PSCE — Volet 2 (Investissement Québec) | Non-repayable grant | Up to $60,000/yr | Developing markets outside Quebec, incl. rest of Canada |
| Panorama (Investissement Québec) | Term-loan financing | $250K–$1M+ | Established exporters diversifying markets (tariff response) |
| PME MTL Fonds Entrepreneuriat Commercial (PME MTL) | Non-repayable grant | Up to $25,000 | Montreal retailers on commercial streets (up to 80% of costs) |
| PME MTL — Commerce X Design (PME MTL / Bureau du design) | Non-repayable grant | $10,000 | Montreal proximity retailers adding professional design |
| MAPAQ — Innovation bioalimentaire (MAPAQ) | Cost-shared grant | Varies by stream | Agri-food producers reaching new markets (confirm stream) |
CanExport SMEs: the anchor marketing grant
If there is one program to know when a Quebec business asks "is there a marketing grant?", it is CanExport SMEs. Delivered by Global Affairs Canada through the Trade Commissioner Service, it provides up to $50,000 per project — up to $99,999 per company per fiscal year — covering 50% of eligible costs to pursue new international markets. It is federal, not provincial, so it is open to Quebec businesses alongside those in every other province.
What makes it feel like a marketing grant is what it funds: the activities of reaching a new market. Eligible costs typically include participating in international trade shows and virtual events, targeted digital marketing and search campaigns in the target market, market research and business intelligence, adapting marketing materials and websites for a new market, and expert advice on the target country. The median actual award tends to run well below the ceiling — in the low-to-mid five figures — so treat $50,000 as a cap, not an expectation, and confirm current eligible-cost rules before you plan.
CanExport is built for your first push into a new country
You don't need an export track record. If you're a Quebec SME trying to land your first customers in the US or Europe, CanExport co-funds the trade shows, digital campaigns, and market research that get you there — at 50%, so budget your matching half. Pair it with a free Trade Commissioner Service advisor to shape the target market before you spend.
Cross-border online growth can qualify
Selling online into a new country counts as pursuing a new market. Targeted digital marketing, localized landing pages, and marketplace-entry costs for a specific foreign market are the kind of activities CanExport is designed to co-fund — provided you frame them around market entry, not general brand advertising, and confirm the costs are eligible.
CanExport SMEs is the closest thing to a marketing grant most Quebec businesses will find — and it's genuinely worth pursuing. The catch is the frame: it funds the marketing of market entry, at 50%, one target market at a time. Come with a specific new market in mind and it's a strong fit; come looking to fund your existing ad spend and it isn't.
Quebec's provincial export grants: PSCE and Panorama
Federal CanExport is only half the picture. Quebec runs its own market-development support through Investissement Québec on behalf of the MEIE — and for many businesses the provincial grant is a better first stop, because it covers markets outside Quebec including the rest of Canada, not just international ones.
PSCE Volet 2 — the provincial export grant
PSCE Volet 2 (Diversification et consolidation hors Québec) is Quebec's primary provincial export grant. It provides up to $60,000 non-repayable per company per year, covering 50% of eligible expenses on a first project (declining to 40% and 25% on later projects), with a minimum of $50,000 in eligible expenses to open a first application. Eligible activities include hiring a commercial representative for markets outside Quebec, developing export strategies, and — the marketing part — the market-access and promotion work of selling into a new region.
Panorama — financing for established exporters
For larger, established exporters, Panorama is a term-loan financing program of $250,000 to $1,000,000+ (with up to a 24-month capital-repayment moratorium). Launched in 2025 as part of Quebec's tariff-response measures, it's designed to help exporters diversify their markets away from the United States toward the rest of Canada and international destinations. It's financing, not a grant — but it's the province's flagship tool for the export-diversification push, and it can fund the market-development effort behind it.
| CanExport SMEs | PSCE Volet 2 | |
|---|---|---|
| Level | Federal (Global Affairs) | Provincial (Investissement Québec) |
| Markets covered | International only | Anywhere outside Quebec (incl. rest of Canada) |
| Amount | Up to $50,000/project | Up to $60,000/year |
| Cost share | 50% | 50% (first project) |
Retail & commercial development funds
Not every business is chasing new provinces or countries — some just want more foot traffic and a stronger storefront in their own city. For Montreal retailers, the PME MTL network (the City of Montreal's economic-development arm) runs commercial-development funds that come the closest to a local "marketing and business-building" grant.
The Fonds Entrepreneuriat Commercial backs your storefront
PME MTL's retail fund provides up to $25,000 per 12-month period, covering up to 80% of project costs, for retailers on Montreal commercial streets to launch, adapt their business model, or strengthen their commercial offer. It's local, not export — but it's real non-repayable money for building a retail business, and 80% is a generous share.
Alongside it, Commerce X Design (run with the City of Montreal's Bureau du design) gives a $10,000 non-repayable grant to small proximity retailers in the Centre-Est and Centre-Ville territories to bring in professional design — graphic, display, commercial, or architectural — on projects of at least $50,000 (the grant covers up to 20% of the cost). It's a niche but genuinely useful lever for a retailer investing in how their store looks and communicates.
The market-access funding journey
Quebec marketing and export funding follows a natural sequence. Matching the right program to the right stage of your market-access push is what separates a funded plan from a stalled one.
Start with a free Trade Commissioner Service advisor (international) or your local PME MTL / MEIE contact (Canada, retail) to define the target market and de-risk the strategy before you spend.
CanExport SMEs (international) or PSCE Volet 2 (outside Quebec) reimburse 50% of the market-access marketing — trade shows, digital campaigns, research, and material adaptation for the new market.
Established exporters diversifying markets can layer in Panorama financing; Montreal retailers building their storefront use PME MTL retail funds to grow locally.
What market-access funding actually covers
The strongest Quebec market-access stacks split by geography. Because CanExport SMEs only funds international markets and PSCE Volet 2 funds any market outside Quebec (including the rest of Canada), a business expanding in both directions can run them in parallel: CanExport for the US or European push, PSCE for the Ontario or Western-Canada push. Each has its own 50% cost-share and its own pool of eligible expenses, so the total non-repayable support can exceed either program alone.
The discipline that keeps this clean is never claiming the same expense twice. Assign each activity to one program by the market it serves — a Boston trade show goes to CanExport, a Toronto one to PSCE — and keep separate expense ledgers. Because both programs reimburse after you spend and provide receipts, budget for the cash-flow gap: you front 100% of the cost, then recover your share. For agri-food specifically, MAPAQ's biofood streams and the federal AgriMarketing program add market-development funding on top — confirm which stream matches your product and stage before layering it in.
Who qualifies
Eligibility varies by program, but Quebec marketing and export funding shares a common core. You generally qualify if:
- You're an established small or medium business — most of these programs (CanExport, PSCE) expect real commercial activity and revenue, not a pre-launch idea.
- Your project is about reaching a new market — a new country (CanExport), a market outside Quebec (PSCE), or a stronger local commercial presence (PME MTL) — rather than general brand advertising.
- You can show a clear plan and credible quotes for the market-access activities, with a business case for the target market.
- You can carry your share of the cost — most of these reimburse 50% (CanExport, PSCE) to 80% (PME MTL retail), and pay after you spend, so you need working capital.
The registration gates differ by level: provincial and municipal programs (PSCE, PME MTL) require a business registered in Quebec — an NEQ from the Registraire des entreprises — while federal CanExport works from your CRA business number and is open across Canada. For agri-food producers, MAPAQ programs add sector-specific eligibility. Crucially, none of these require R&D or novelty — commercial market-access alone qualifies.
How to apply
There is no single marketing-grant portal in Quebec — each program is submitted to the body that delivers it. The path that works for most businesses:
- Reframe the goal as market access. Define the target market ("we want to start selling in Ontario / the US / Europe"); the marketing you need to get there is what becomes eligible spending.
- Talk to an advisor first. A free Trade Commissioner Service advisor (international) or your local PME MTL / MEIE contact (Canada, retail) helps shape the market and de-risk the plan before you commit.
- Match the program to the market. International → CanExport SMEs. Outside Quebec (incl. rest of Canada) → PSCE Volet 2. Montreal storefront → a PME MTL retail fund.
- Assemble quotes and matching funds. Quotes for the market-access activities, a plan, and evidence of your own 50% (or 20%) contribution — most programs expect all three.
- Apply through the delivering agency. CanExport to Global Affairs Canada; PSCE and Panorama to Investissement Québec; retail funds to your local PME MTL office — not a central website.
- Spend, keep receipts, and claim. These are mostly reimbursement programs — you front the cost on approved activities, then recover your share, so budget for the cash-flow gap.
What's changed in 2026
Export diversification is the headline. With US tariff pressure reshaping trade, Quebec has leaned hard into helping exporters diversify away from the United States toward the rest of Canada and international markets. The clearest expression is Panorama, Investissement Québec's term-loan financing program (launched in 2025 as a tariff-response measure) for established exporters reworking their market mix.
PSCE remains the provincial workhorse. Quebec's PSCE Volet 2 export grant — up to $60,000 per year for markets outside Quebec — continues as the province's primary market-development subsidy, and its "outside Quebec including the rest of Canada" scope makes it especially relevant for businesses reducing US dependence by selling more within Canada.
CanExport SMEs continues federally. The federal anchor stays open at up to $50,000 per project, and remains the go-to for Quebec businesses' first push into a new international market — separate from the R&D-focused CanExport Innovation stream, which runs on its own intake windows.
Local retail funds keep evolving. PME MTL's commercial-development funds (Fonds Entrepreneuriat Commercial, Commerce X Design) continue to support Montreal storefronts, and municipal commercial-revitalization programs across the province change frequently — worth a check with your local economic-development office each year.
Sources: Investissement Québec (Panorama, PSCE Volet 2); Global Affairs Canada (CanExport SMEs); PME MTL.FAQ
Is there a marketing grant for my Quebec business?
What is the best export grant for a Quebec small business?
Can I get a grant just for advertising or social media?
Is CanExport SMEs still open in 2026?
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