Access 14 youth grants! Futurpreneur, youth business programs & student startup funding.
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: 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: 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: 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.
Organization: Employment and Social Development Canada
Amount: Up to $7,000 per placement
Supports work-integrated learning opportunities for post-secondary students by providing wage subsidies to employers who create co-op placements in STEM and business fields (e.g., through partner delivery organizations).
Organization: Employment and Social Development Canada
Amount: Up to 100% wage subsidy (minimum wage)
Provides wage subsidies to help employers create summer job opportunities for youth (students) across Canada, particularly in not-for-profit organizations, public-sector employers, and small businesses.
Organization: Employment and Social Development Canada
Amount: Up to $5 million
Supports training and skills development for jobs in the green economy and clean technology sectors, often through wage subsidies for youth in environmental roles (delivered via various partner organizations).
Organization: Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada
Amount: Up to $15,000 per participant (wage subsidy)
Provides funding to organizations to create internships that offer underemployed youth training and work experience in digital skills, helping them transition to careers in the digital economy.
Organization: NGen (Supercluster)
Amount: Varies (project-based funding)
Canada's Advanced Manufacturing Supercluster that co-funds collaborative, transformative manufacturing and technology projects led by industry consortia to scale up innovation.
Organization: City of Ottawa
Amount: $5,000 - $50,000
Provides financial support to non-profit agencies for new or expanded projects that assist targeted residents (e.g., youth, newcomers, persons with disabilities) to overcome obstacles to creating new jobs and/or new enterprises.
Organization: PME MTL
Amount: Up to $15,000
Supports viable young businesses by offering a non-repayable financial contribution to help with start-ups and growth on the island of Montréal.
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.