Knowing how each type of intake works, and when it closes, lets you plan your project around the funding.
What a missed deadline can cost
A funding deadline is not like a tax deadline with a penalty notice. No one reminds you. The intake closes, and you usually have to wait for the next one, if there is one.
The Ottawa Centretown Heritage Facade Improvement Program covers up to 75% of eligible costs, to a maximum of $75,000. Kingston's Heritage Property Grant Program covers up to 50% of costs, to a maximum of $50,000. Missing the intake on a grant like that can mean paying the full cost yourself.
The four ways a program opens and closes
Fixed window. The program opens on a date and closes on a date, and late applications are not accepted. Most municipal storefront and facade grants work this way. Several 2026 examples are in the list below.
Continuous intake. A few programs stay open all year and take applications whenever you are ready, with no fixed government deadline. Many of these are financing you pay back rather than a grant, applied for through your own bank or credit union. This kind of intake suits a project that is ready to start now.
Budget runs out. Some programs are open but first come, first served. When the money for the year is committed, the program closes early, whatever the printed date says. Read "open" as "open until the budget is gone," and apply while funding is still available.
Review rounds and waitlists. Other programs batch applications and decide on a schedule instead of first-come. If a round's budget is already committed, a strong application can be held for the next round rather than approved right away. You may still get funding, but later, and only if you applied on time.
Some 2026 close dates
- Kingston Heritage Property Grant Program: closed July 17, 2026 (up to 50% of costs to a maximum of $50,000); check the official page for the next intake.
- Oshawa Facade & Accessibility Improvement Grant: closed September 1, 2026 (50% of costs up to $10,000 per address); check the official page for the next intake.
- Saskatoon Facade Conservation & Enhancement Grant: closed September 9, 2026 (50% of costs up to $16,000); check the official page for the next intake.
- Tourism Cooperative Marketing Fund (Yukon tourism businesses): closes October 1, 2026.
- Waterloo Commercial / Facade Improvement Grant (Uptown CIP): closes October 31, 2026, up to $10,000 at 50%, with a $25,000 combined cap.
- St. Albert Storefront Improvement Grant: closes November 30, 2026, up to 50% to a maximum of $3,000.
- Ottawa Centretown Heritage Facade Improvement Program: closes December 31, 2026, up to 75% of costs to a maximum of $75,000.
Ontario's Regional Opportunities Investment Tax Credit is a 10% refundable credit worth up to $45,000 a year. It is in effect only until December 31, 2026, so the whole program has an end date, not just an intake. Nova Scotia's Export Development Program gives up to $15,000 per fiscal year, with up to $10,000 more for priority sectors for a maximum of $25,000, and its budget resets every April 1. If the budget is used up this year, you can apply again next fiscal year.
Programs change and every decision rests with the administrator, so confirm the current rules on the official page before you spend any money.
Most of these grants pay you back after the work
Meeting the deadline is not enough on its own. Most of the storefront grants on this page pay you back after you finish the work and prove you paid, not before. You pay the full cost first, then claim your share. Approval almost always has to come before you spend, and money committed early usually will not count. So plan for two things: apply in time, and have enough cash to pay for the project until the grant payment arrives.
How to track your deadlines
Start with the two-minute funding fit check on our funding page. Tell us your business, your town and what you want to improve, and it shows the programs that fit you, with their close dates. You then read the rules and apply on the official program site.
Then sign up for our free deadline alerts. You get one short email when something that matters to your business changes: a program opens, a close date moves, or a program says its funding is nearly used up. You can unsubscribe at any time.