Small business funding guides
Every guide starts with a short answer, then gives the details: the official sources, what is not covered, and the date we reviewed it.
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Restaurant energy incentives in Ontario: up to 50% of costs
Ontario restaurant energy incentives for 2026: no-cost lighting installs, retrofit funding up to 50% of costs, and Enbridge…
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Retail technology grants in Ontario: up to $5,000 from OCI
Up to $5,000 for Ontario retailers adopting POS and CRM via OCI's RMPG, plus the DMAP (up to $15,000) and TDP (up to $50,000) pathway for…
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Small business funding checklist: approval before you start
Most business funding programs will not pay for work started before approval. The readiness checklist: quotes, matching funds, timelines,…
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CSBFP loans: up to $500,000 for renovations and equipment
CSBFP loans run up to $1,000,000, including up to $500,000 for renovations and equipment.
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Student wage subsidies: up to $5,000 per hire (SWPP & CSJ)
Wage subsidies for student hires: SWPP pays up to $5,000 per placement year-round; Canada Summer Jobs applications close in the fall.
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Small Business Grant Deadlines in Canada for 2026
How Canadian small-business grant deadlines work: fixed windows, year-round intakes, budgets that run out, and review rounds, with 2026…
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What Replaced CDAP: Digital Adoption Grants Up to $50,000
CDAP closed in 2024. What exists in 2026: BDC's LIFT financing, Ontario's TDP (50% up to $50,000) and RMPG grants, and how to avoid 'new…
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20 Ontario Small Business Grants for 2026: Up to $75,000
20 Ontario small business grants for 2026, ranked: up to $75,000 for storefronts, 50% back on retail tech, plus city-by-city programs.
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$5,000 Small Business Grants in Canada: What Exists in 2026
Looking for a $5,000 government grant? The 9 programs at or under $5,000 in 2026, what each funds, and the offers to avoid.
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Free Government Grants in Ontario 2026: What 'Free' Means
Non-repayable grants are real in Ontario: up to $75,000 for storefronts and $50,000 for tech projects.
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Canadian Small Business Grants Open in 2026
Canadian small business grants open in 2026: 82 programs were open when we checked in July 2026, caps up to $75,000.
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Can ChatGPT Find Canadian Small Business Grants in 2026?
ChatGPT is fast for a first list, but it can't know which Canadian grants are still open.
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Canada's Business Benefits Finder: How to Use It (2026)
The Business Benefits Finder is Canada's free tool for small business funding: 1,500+ programs.
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Should Your Accountant Find Your Small Business Grants?
Your accountant knows your numbers and should confirm whether a grant fits, but finding and tracking programs isn't their job.
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Is CDAP Still Available in 2026? No. How to Spot Dead Grants
CDAP closed to new applicants in February 2024, yet sites still present it as an open 2026 grant.
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Grants to Start a Business in Canada: Up to $250,000 (2026)
Start-up grants in Canada are mostly regional: up to $250,000 in Nunavut, up to $50,000 in London, Ontario.
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Business Loans to Start a Business in Canada (2026)
Start-up loans in Canada: up to $1.15 million through your bank, up to $150,000 from BDC after a year of revenue, up to $25,000 from…
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Grants to Start a Business in Ontario (2026)
Starter Company Plus pays up to $5,000, city fit-out grants up to $50,000 and bank loans up to $1.15 million.
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How to Fund a New Business in Canada: First 90 Days
Register first, check city and provincial programs before federal ones, and get approved before you buy.
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Starter Company Plus: Ontario's Start-Up Grant of up to $5,000 (2026)
What it takes to win Starter Company Plus in 2026: intake dates by city, the pitch, the 25% contribution, what the grant pays for, and how…
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Grants & Loans to Start a Business in BC (2026)
Start-up money in British Columbia: loans up to $1 million through Community Futures, loans up to $150,000 for women founders, city…
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Grants & Loans to Start a Business in Alberta (2026)
Alberta start-up money in 2026: loans up to $150,000 through Community Futures, the same for women founders through AWE, city grants, and…
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Start-Up Funding in Saskatchewan: Grants & Loans (2026)
Saskatchewan start-up money in 2026: WESK lends women up to $150,000, Community Futures lends to rural start-ups, Saskatoon helps pay for…
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Grants & Loans to Start a Business in Manitoba (2026)
Manitoba start-up money in 2026: WeMB lends women $5,000 to $150,000, First Peoples' grants go up to $250,000, and Brandon shares the cost…
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Grants & Loans to Start a Business in Quebec (2026)
Quebec start-up funding in 2026, explained in English: SADC loans of $5,000 to $300,000, local investment funds up to $150,000, and…
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Grants & Loans to Start a Business in Nova Scotia (2026)
Nova Scotia start-up money in 2026: financing up to $500,000 backed by the province, ACOA's interest-free financing, energy rebates, and…
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Start a Business in New Brunswick: Grants & Loans (2026)
New Brunswick start-up money in 2026: ACOA's interest-free financing, building retrofits up to $1.25 million, Moncton storefront grants,…
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Grants & Loans to Start a Business in PEI (2026)
PEI start-up money in 2026: loans up to $100,000, micro-loans up to $15,000, a small-business grant covering up to 50% of costs,…
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Start-Up Funding in Yukon, NWT & Nunavut (2026)
Territorial start-up money in 2026: NWT's SEED grants up to $25,000 a year, Nunavut contributions up to $250,000, Yukon loan backing, and…
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Startup Loans & Grants in Newfoundland & Labrador (2026)
Startup money in NL: a provincial grant normally covering 50% up to $200,000, term loans at Bank of Canada rate + 0.5%, ACOA financing and…
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E-commerce Grants in Canada (2026): Up to $50,000
E-commerce grants in Canada for 2026: Ontario pays 50% up to $50,000, PEI and NB up to 65%, northern BC up to 85%. CDAP is closed.
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Business Development Loans in Atlantic Canada: $150K to $500K (2026)
Business development loans in NS, PEI, NB and NL: CBDC loans up to $150,000, the NS loan guarantee up to $500,000, PEI's entrepreneur loan…
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Small Business Loans in Yukon and the 65% Loan Guarantee
Yukon backs 65% of your bank loan, up to $100,000 of it. The territory also shares up to 75% of project costs, and the federal CSBFP backs…
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Business Plan Help in Atlantic Canada: Loans up to $500,000 (2026)
Business plan help in Atlantic Canada: who helps you write one in NS, NB, PEI and NL, who pays for the help, and the financing that asks…
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Loans to Buy a Business or Franchise in Canada (2026)
Loans to buy a business or franchise in Canada: BDC for loans over $350,000, the bank-backed CSBFP, community lenders and programs for…
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Apprenticeship Grants and Tax Credits for Employers (2026)
Funding for employers who hire apprentices in Canada: the federal Red Seal tax credit, Ontario milestone grants, a NL wage subsidy and…
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Windsor-Essex storefront improvement grants: up to $30,000
Windsor's Main Streets CIP matches 50% up to $30,000 for facade work; Lakeshore's RED CIP funds signage and accessibility.
Free tools
See all free tools →Answer a few questions and see the opportunity before you spend any money. Each one points you to the funding that may help pay for it.
Start here · 2 minutes
Funding Fit Check
Answer a few questions about your business and project, then see which funding programs may fit and why, with official sources linked. No approval promises. About 2 minutes.
Open the tool →
Restaurants · 12 checks · ~3 min
Restaurant Funding Checklist
Twelve checkboxes on kitchen energy costs, storefront and signage grants, staff programs and funding paperwork. Your unchecked boxes show which programs to look at first.
Open the tool →
Exporters · ~5 min
Export Readiness Checklist
Market choice, buyer-facing documents, trade-show budget, logistics and CanExport-style funding readiness: the self-check to run before you apply for export funding.
Open the tool →
Funding deadline alerts
One short email when a deadline approaches or a program worth knowing changes.