🚀 Canadian Startup Grants 2025

Organization: Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada

Amount: Up to $15,000

Helps small and medium-sized businesses adopt digital technologies to grow their businesses, compete in the global marketplace, and create jobs.

Organization: Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada

Amount: Up to $250,000

Provides financing and support to Black entrepreneurs and business owners to start and scale their businesses.

Organization: National Research Council Canada

Amount: Up to $1 million

Provides advice, connections and funding to help Canadian small and medium-sized businesses increase their innovation capacity and take ideas to market.

Organization: Canada Revenue Agency

Amount: Up to 68% tax credit

Federal tax incentive program that encourages Canadian businesses to conduct research and development in Canada.

Organization: Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada

Amount: Up to $1 million

Helps small businesses get loans by encouraging financial institutions to provide financing for small business loans.

Organization: Sustainable Development Technology Canada

Amount: Up to $10 million

Supports the development and demonstration of clean technology solutions that address climate change, air quality, clean water and clean soil.

Organization: Employment and Social Development Canada

Amount: Up to $25,000

Helps employers create quality work experiences for youth while addressing their human resource needs.

Organization: Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada

Amount: Up to $1 million

Helps Canadian entrepreneurs bring their innovations to market by connecting them with federal departments and agencies that have a challenge to solve.

Organization: Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada

Amount: Up to $10 million

Supports the development and commercialization of innovative agri-food products, technologies, processes or services.

Organization: Ocean Supercluster

Amount: Up to $5 million

Accelerates ocean technology development and commercialization to strengthen Canada's ocean economy.

Organization: Digital Technology Supercluster

Amount: Up to $5 million

Builds digital technology solutions that address challenges in health, manufacturing, and natural resources.

Organization: Government of Ontario

Amount: Up to $10,000 per employee

Provides direct funding to employers to train their employees. Employers can receive up to $10,000 per person for training costs.

Organization: Government of Ontario

Amount: Up to 8% tax credit

Refundable tax credit for eligible R&D expenditures incurred in Ontario by qualifying corporations.

Organization: Government of British Columbia

Amount: Up to $10,000 per employee

Provides funding to help employers train their workforce and improve productivity through cost-shared grants.

Organization: Government of British Columbia

Amount: Up to 17.5% tax credit

Refundable tax credit for eligible interactive digital media activities conducted in B.C.

Organization: Government of Alberta

Amount: 30% tax credit on investment

Provided a 30% tax credit to investors who invest in eligible small businesses in Alberta (program concluded in 2019).

Organization: Government of Quebec

Amount: Up to 14% tax credit

Refundable tax credit for eligible R&D expenditures incurred in Quebec.

Organization: Investissement Québec

Amount: Varies

Provides financing solutions to support Quebec businesses at all stages of development, including loans, guarantees, and equity investments.

Organization: City of Toronto

Amount: $5,000 micro-grant

Provides new entrepreneurs with business training, mentoring, and a $5,000 micro-grant to help launch or expand their business.

Organization: City of Toronto

Amount: Varies

Supports programs and events that foster entrepreneurship in film, music, and creative technology sectors through grants and sponsorships.

Organization: City of Toronto

Amount: Up to $50,000

Supports innovative and revitalization projects for main street business areas through grants to Business Improvement Areas and non-profits for creative solutions to local challenges.

Organization: Futurpreneur Canada

Amount: Up to $60,000

Provides financing, mentoring and support tools to aspiring business owners aged 18-39 to launch their businesses.

Organization: Futurpreneur Canada

Amount: Up to $60,000

Provides financing, mentoring and culturally relevant support to Black entrepreneurs aged 18-39.

Organization: Futurpreneur Canada

Amount: Up to $60,000

Provides financing, mentoring and culturally relevant support to Indigenous entrepreneurs aged 18-39.

Organization: Futurpreneur Canada

Amount: Up to $20,000

Supports young entrepreneurs who want to start a business while maintaining other commitments, offering smaller-scale financing and mentorship.

Organization: Business Development Bank of Canada

Amount: Varies

Provides financing, advisory services and venture capital to Canadian small and medium-sized businesses.

Organization: Farm Credit Canada

Amount: Varies

Provides financing and services to agriculture and agri-food businesses across Canada.

Organization: Regional Development Agencies

Amount: Varies

Provided support to businesses and communities affected by the COVID-19 pandemic through interest-free loans (program closed in 2021).

Organization: Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada

Amount: Up to $500,000

Supported community-led projects that create jobs and economic opportunities in communities across Canada (program now closed).

Organization: Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency

Amount: Varies

Supports business development and economic growth in Atlantic Canada through various programs and funds.

Organization: Prairies Economic Development Canada

Amount: Varies

Supports business growth and economic diversification in the Prairie provinces (Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba) with various funding programs and services.

Organization: Pacific Economic Development Canada

Amount: Varies

Supports business development and economic growth in British Columbia through federal funding programs and services tailored to B.C.

Organization: Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario

Amount: Varies

Supports business growth, innovation and community economic development in Southern Ontario through various contribution funding programs.

Organization: Canada Economic Development for Quebec Regions

Amount: Varies

Supports business development and regional economic growth in Quebec through grants and contribution programs.

Organization: Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency

Amount: Varies

Supports economic development in Canada's three territories through funding programs for businesses and communities.

Organization: Mitacs

Amount: Up to $15,000 per internship (matched)

Connects companies with graduate students and postdoctoral fellows for research and development projects, with matching funding for the internships.

Organization: Colleges and Institutes Canada

Amount: Varies

Connects businesses with colleges and institutes for applied research projects, often via grants like NSERC's college programs.

Organization: Canadian Institutes of Health Research

Amount: Varies

Supports health research projects in partnership with industry (via CIHR programs that co-fund industry-academic collaborations).

Organization: Genome Canada

Amount: Up to $10 million

Supports large-scale genomics and genomics-related research projects through competitive funding programs co-funded with industry and provinces.

Organization: Canadian Space Agency

Amount: Varies

Supports space technology R&D and commercialization through various CSA funding programs and opportunities (e.g., Space Technology Development Program).

Organization: Québec/Department of National Defence

Amount: Varies

Connects defence and security challenges with innovative solutions from Quebec companies and academic partners (Réseau d'innovation défense).

Organization: Department of National Defence

Amount: Up to $1.5 million

Provides funding for innovative solutions to defence and security challenges through competitive calls (IDEaS program includes contests, contracts, and sandboxes).

Organization: Public Services and Procurement Canada

Amount: Up to $500,000

Helped Canadian companies test and sell their innovative products to federal departments (now succeeded by Innovative Solutions Canada - Testing Stream).

Organization: Global Affairs Canada

Amount: Up to $75,000

Helps Canadian innovators (early-stage R&D collaborations) explore international partnerships by funding travel and meeting costs to secure foreign partnerships for technology commercialization.

Organization: Business Development Bank of Canada

Amount: Varies

Increases private sector venture capital available to Canadian entrepreneurs by investing in venture capital funds and fund-of-funds, indirectly supporting high-growth firms.

Organization: Business Development Bank of Canada

Amount: Varies

Invests in technology companies with women in key leadership positions, to foster greater gender diversity in tech and support women-led businesses.

Organization: Business Development Bank of Canada

Amount: Varies

Invests in early-stage technology companies across Canada, focusing on innovative startups poised for high growth.

Organization: Natural Resources Canada

Amount: Up to $10 million

Supports research, development and demonstration of clean energy technologies (including renewable, smart grid, energy efficiency, and other clean energy solutions).

Organization: Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada

Amount: Varies

A five-year federal-provincial funding framework (2023-2028) supporting innovation, competitiveness and resilience in the agriculture and agri-food sector via various programs (grants, loans, insurance).

Organization: Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada

Amount: Up to $200,000 per year (50% of costs)

Supports under-represented groups in agriculture (such as women, Indigenous peoples, youth, persons with disabilities) to develop skills, gain knowledge and grow their businesses.