We track 30 verified open programs for Quebec businesses — the largest provincial bench in our registry. Here is the map, in English, in the order a new owner should work it.
The backbone: the SADC and CAE network
Quebec's SADC and CAE offices lend $5,000 to $300,000 at Bank of Canada prime plus 2%, with amortization up to 15 years. Terms vary from one office to another, so the conversation that matters is with yours. This network plays the role Community Futures plays elsewhere: patient local money for businesses the banks call too small or too early.
The local funds
Fonds locaux d'investissement (FLI) provide up to $150,000 per project over a 12-month period, at up to 50% of eligible costs for a for-profit business. And when the need is small and speed matters, MicroEntreprendre lends $2,000 to $20,000 in microcredit. Both are designed for exactly the stage banks avoid.
Montreal money
PME MTL's retail fund pays Montreal retail businesses up to $25,000 per 12-month period, covering up to 80% of eligible costs. We also track municipal programs in Quebec City, Gatineau, Sherbrooke, Lévis, Trois-Rivières and Drummondville — city money follows the same physics everywhere: one-city applicant pools, cost-share rules, quotes with the application.
The streams with your name on them
- Young founders: Youth Strategy lends up to $25,000 per entrepreneur, up to $50,000 when two young people run the same project, with an interest holiday and the possibility of a two-year capital holiday.
- Black entrepreneurs: the Afro-Entrepreneurs Fund lends $50,000 to $500,000 — one of the largest targeted streams in the country.
The national layer nobody should skip
Wherever you are in the country, three more doors are open. The Canada Small Business Financing Program backs loans up to $1,150,000 through your own bank, with a 2% registration fee and term-loan interest capped at prime plus 3%. Futurpreneur Canada Side Hustle lends up to $25,000 to owners aged 18 to 39 who keep a full-time income for the first year, and the Futurpreneur Canada Core Start-Up Program combines up to $25,000 from Futurpreneur with up to $50,000 from BDC for up to $75,000 total, with two years of mentorship. BDC Financing — Start-up lends up to $150,000 once you have 12 months of operating history, so file it under year two.
The three rules that decide whether you keep the money
- Approval comes before purchase. Start the work early and most cost-share programs will not pay you a dollar.
- Cost-share means reimbursement: you pay first and claim it back with invoices, so plan the cash.
- Grants are generally taxable income; borrowed money is not. Ask your accountant before you spend.
Most applications also want written quotes for the work before anything is approved. That is where we come in: BBN Labs prepares a quote for the work the program funds, free, formatted so it can go straight into your application.
Want the whole country on one page? See the startup funding map, province by province.