We list 19 open programs for Yukon, the Northwest Territories and Nunavut. The main ones in each territory are below.
Northwest Territories
SEED (Support for Entrepreneurs and Economic Development) is the main start-up program. Its entrepreneur-support stream pays grants up to $25,000 per year. The budget is set each year and applicants compete for it, so have your application ready when the fiscal year opens. Community Futures NWT adds term loans up to $200,000 through local offices, and the Métis-Dene Development Fund serves Indigenous entrepreneurs in the territory with loans and support.
Nunavut
The Strategic Investments Program's Business Investment Fund makes contributions from $50,000 to $250,000, with two rules to know before you plan: funding is limited to a 1:3 ratio of your project's arm's-length debt or equity financing, and it does not stack with other Government of Nunavut programs. Build your plan around the 1:3 ratio from the start.
Yukon
The Venture Loan program works through your bank: the territory backs 65% of the loan principal (between $10,000 and $100,000 of backing) for a one-time fee of 1.5% of the backed amount. It helps when a bank sees a first business in a small market as too risky to lend to. Yukon's tourism businesses also have a cooperative marketing fund for visitor-facing campaigns.
Plan for small, yearly budgets
Territorial budgets are small and annual. Programs do run out of money, so apply early in the year rather than wait to make the application perfect.
National programs that also apply
Four national programs are open wherever you are in the country. 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's Start-up Financing lends up to $150,000 once you have 12 months of operating history, so it fits your second year.
The three rules that decide whether you keep the money
- Approval comes before purchase. If you start the work before approval, most cost-share programs will not pay you anything.
- 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.
Want the whole country on one page? See startup funding, province by province.