Find 82 capital & venture programs! BDC Venture Capital, regional VC funds & investment grants.
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: 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: 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 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: Varies
Supported the growth of B.C.'s technology sector through a $100 million venture capital fund co-investing in tech companies (fully allocated, now superseded by InBC).
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: 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: Varies
Supports programs and events that foster entrepreneurship in film, music, and creative technology sectors through grants and sponsorships.
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: Export Development Canada
Amount: Varies
Provides a suite of financial solutions (insurance, guarantees, financing) to help Canadian companies grow their export business and manage risk.
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: 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: 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: 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: Global Affairs Canada
Amount: Varies (in-kind support)
Helps Canadian technology companies expand into international markets by providing mentorship, workspace, and access to investors/customers in global tech hubs.
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: Up to $15 million
Provides growth capital (venture financing) to Canadian clean technology companies to scale their operations.
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: Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada
Amount: Up to $50 million
Supports projects that help Canada achieve net-zero emissions by 2050, by funding decarbonization and clean technology scale-up initiatives in high-emitting sectors.
Organization: Natural Resources Canada
Amount: Up to $5 million
Supports the deployment of electric vehicle charging and hydrogen refueling infrastructure across Canada through cost-shared funding.
Organization: Natural Resources Canada
Amount: Up to $1.5 billion
Supports the development and expansion of domestic clean fuel production capacity through project funding (capital investments in new facilities or upgrades).
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 $250,000 per year (50% of costs)
Supports the development of export markets for Canadian agricultural products through contribution funding for marketing activities and trade shows.
Organization: Fisheries and Oceans Canada
Amount: Varies
A national plan with various funding initiatives to support marine safety, environmental protection, and Indigenous partnerships in ocean protection.
Organization: Fisheries and Oceans Canada
Amount: Up to $1 million
Supports innovation and market development in the aquaculture sector through contribution funding for projects that increase global competitiveness and sustainability of Canadian aquaculture.
Organization: Natural Resources Canada
Amount: Up to $2 million
Supports innovation in Canada's forest sector to develop new products and markets through funding of R&D and technology adoption projects.
Organization: Natural Resources Canada
Amount: Up to $10 million
Supports innovative, first-in-kind projects in the forest sector that increase competitiveness and environmental performance (e.g., bioenergy, biomaterials).
Organization: Natural Resources Canada
Amount: Up to $5 million
Supports the commercialization of innovative mining technologies by co-funding pilot demonstrations and commercialization projects in the mining sector.
Organization: Indigenous Tourism Association of Canada
Amount: Up to $100,000
Supports the development of Indigenous tourism experiences and businesses through grants (often project-based funding for product development, marketing, etc.).
Organization: Canadian Heritage (Creative Export Canada)
Amount: Up to $300,000 (or 75% of project costs)
Helps Canadian creative industry companies (film, music, books, etc.) expand to international markets through project funding for export-ready content and marketing initiatives.
Organization: Canada Media Fund
Amount: Varies (grant or recoupable investment)
Supports the creation of Canadian content in television, digital media and interactive platforms through various funding streams (development, production, marketing).
Organization: Telefilm Canada
Amount: Varies
Supports the Canadian audiovisual industry through investments and funding for film, television, and digital media projects (production, development, marketing funds).
Organization: Canada Council for the Arts
Amount: Varies
Supports Canadian artists and arts organizations through a variety of grants for creation, production, professional development, touring, and more in arts and culture sectors.
Organization: Canadian Heritage
Amount: Varies
Offers numerous grants and contributions programs supporting culture, heritage, official languages, Indigenous languages and sport (e.g., Canada Cultural Spaces Fund, Canada Book Fund, Athlete Assistance Program, etc.).
Organization: Sport Canada
Amount: Varies
Supports sport development and high-performance sport in Canada through funding programs such as the Athlete Assistance Program, Sport Support Program, and Hosting Program.
Organization: Employment and Social Development Canada
Amount: Up to $100,000 (small projects stream)
Supports capital projects that improve accessibility in workplaces and community spaces for people with disabilities through grants for renovations, retrofits or accessible technologies.
Provincial programs: 4-8 weeks. Federal programs: 3-6 months. Quick-win programs like provincial startup grants approve fastest. Plan applications 2-3 months before you need funding.
Yes! Most successful businesses apply to 5-10 programs simultaneously. Programs are complementary - you can stack federal + provincial + sector-specific grants. Total government support can reach 60-80% of project costs.
Common requirements: business registration, financial statements, business plan, project description, budget, and proof of matching funds. Federal programs require more detailed applications than provincial quick-start programs.
Most programs require at least a basic business plan. Large federal grants ($100K+) need comprehensive plans with financial projections. Small provincial grants accept simplified 1-2 page proposals.
Yes! Permanent residents and citizens qualify for most programs. Newcomer-specific programs include Immigrant Employment grants, provincial settlement programs, and Futurpreneur Newcomer Entrepreneur stream.