Start-up Grants
Below we have listed various grants and incentive programs for Start-ups. Continue reading to see what funding is right for your business!
Research and Development (R&D) Grants
Research and development grants typically fund the development of a new product, service or process, with the view of bringing it closer to the market. Read below to see which R&D funding programs are right for your business.
1. MITACS Accelerate Entrepreneur
Mitacs Accelerate Entrepreneur provides early-stage support and funding to postdoctoral and graduate student entrepreneurs. The program supports student entrepreneurs to further develop their research or technology at the core of their business when hosted by an incubator family, with the goal of commercializing the technology, product, or service rapidly.
Amount of Funding:
- Up to $15,000 in funding
- Mitacs matches up to 50% of the start-up’s investment
Eligibility
Applicant must be:
- Full-time student and postdoctoral fellows at Mitacs partner colleges and universities in Canada
- Full-time graduate students in select Mitacs partner countries
- Canadian citizens, permanent residents, and international students over the age of 18
- Spend approximately 50% of the internship with the academic institution and 50% with the partner organization
Required Documentation
- The completed Mitacs Accelerate proposal
- The completed Conflict of Interest declaration
- A letter of support from their host incubator family
How does this program work?
- Start-ups housed at an approved incubator facility invest funding into a research project with the goal of commercializing their technology, product, or service
- Mitacs matches the start-up’s investment of up to 50% and releases a research award to student or post-doctoral entrepreneurs through four-month internships, valued at $15,000 per internship
- Student or post-doctoral entrepreneurs advance their work and their start-up’s commercialization goals through funded internships
- Student or post-doctoral entrepreneurs receive a minimum $10,000 stipend per internship to support research costs
The application process
- Applications are accepted at any time
- Evaluation is completed in six to eight weeks
- Projects start at four months and can be scaled up depending on the start-up’s needs
2. Innovations Solutions Canada
Innovation Solutions Canada provides government grants and procurement contracts to stimulate technology research, development, and commercialization. The program’s Challenge Stream and Testing Stream help start-ups and small to medium sized businesses overcome technology testing and development challenges in order to produce products and services.
Amount of Funding
Innovative Solutions Canada is structured around a three-phase process
- Proof of Concept: proving scientific and technical feasibility, and commercial potential, of an idea that addresses a public sector challenge. Eligible applicants may receive up to $150,000 to offset up to six months of project expenses
- Prototype Development: developing a prototype based on the proof of concept in Phase 1. Eligible applicants may receive up to $2 million to offset up to two years of project expenses
- Pathway to Commercialization: Should a Phase 2 prototype suit the needs of a government department, they may procure it from a business and become the innovation’s first purchase. There is no maximum amount of funds awarded through these contracts.
Eligibility
Applicants must:
- Be for-profit and privately held
- Be incorporated in Canada
- Have a head office in Canada
- Have 499 or fewer full time employees
- Pay at least 50% of annual wages, salaries, and fees to employees and contractors who spend a majority of their time working in Canada
- Have 50% or more of their full-time employees located as their ordinary place of work in Canada
- Have 50% or more of its senior executives with their principal residence in Canada
3. Sustainable Development Technology Canada (SDTC) – Seed Fund
The Seed Fund supports promising early-stage Canadian cleantech entrepreneurs with one-time grants of $50,00 to $100,000 for innovative technological projects with environmental benefits.
Amount of Funding
A one time grant of $50,000 to $100,000
Eligibility
Applicants must:
- Be nominated by one of SDTC’s partner accelerators
- Be a Canadian-owned company, incorporated and operating in Canada
- Have an idea that brings technology to bear on a significant environmental problem
- Have an idea that brings technology to bear on a significant environmental problem
- Have an entrepreneurial team with the skills to take that idea to the next level
- Be past the R&D stage and aiming to commercialize
- Have raised at least twice the amount of funding through private equity sources
Required Documentation
- Investor/pitch deck
- Signed investors agreements
- Bank statements
- CV of key team members
- Financial statements
Market Expansion Grants
Market expansion grants help businesses expand into new markets as well as carry out international commercialization. The following grants can help you take your business to the next level!
1. Youth Entrepreneurship Grant – Summer Company
The Summer Company program helps young people ages 15-29 start and run their own summer businesses by providing funding, advice, and services. Applicants must start business from May or July and end it on Labour Day or they can choose to keep it running while in school.
Amount of Funding:
- Up to $3,000
- Applicants get up to $1,500 up front to help with start-up costs and up to $1,500 when they successfully complete the program requirements
Eligibility
Candidates must be:
- Students between 15 and 29 years old
- Starting a new business
- Attending school and returning to school in the fall
- A Canadian citizen or permanent resident and a resident of Ontario
- Not working another job or attending school for more than 12 hours per week during the duration of the program
- Following the Canada Revenue Agency definition of being self employed
- Able to work over the summer program period (minimum of 280 hours for high school students and minimum of 420 hours for post-secondary students)
Businesses must be:
- A sole proprietorship or corporation where the applicant will the majority shareholder
- An independent business venture
- A new business
- Operates in arm’s length from family business ventures
- Operates in Ontario
- Operates full-time as defined in the business plan
- Follows government rules and regulations for operating a business
Required Documentation
- Complete the online application inquiry and submit it
- Submit an online application, including a business plan and cash flow
- Show the businesses name registration and any required licensing documents to their program provider for verification
The Application Process
- Submit an online application inquiry
- Submit an application, if requested
- Participate in an interview, if selected
2. FedDev Ontario Business Scale-up and Productivity (BSP)
The FedDev Ontario Business Scale-up and Productivity program helps accelerate the growth of businesses through funding. This program supports businesses while they are adopting new, innovative technologies that support scale-up productivity, and the development of an entry into new markets.
Amount of Funding:
Up to 35% of project costs to a maximum of $10 million per project
Eligibility
Applicants must:
- have profitable operations in Southern Ontario for the previous two consecutive years
- Maintain a minimum of five full time-time employees
- Be provincially or federally incorporated or an Indigenous-owned business
- Have financial capacity to complete the project, provide a minimum of 35% contribution, and repay the government contribution in full
- Have a viable project plan and have organizational capacity to complete it
- Have market or industry demand to support new technology/business expansion
Required Documentation
- Evidence of project funding
- Market/industry demand
- A viable project plan with achievable outcomes, supported by verifiable cost estimates
Eligible Activities
In order to qualify for this program, business must plan to use the funding to support projects and activities such as:
- Acquiring, adopting, or adapting innovative technologies
- Demonstrating innovative technologies and/or processes in an operational setting
- Commercializing new innovative products, processes, or services
- Customer and market development, expansion or diversification
- Late-stage technology development
- Increasing business management capacity by building high-performance teams, adopting best management practices
3. Canada’s Tech Network (CTN) Soft Landing Program
The CTN Soft Landing Program assists startups and young businesses carry out international commercialization and export market development activities through funding support as well as resources.
Amount of Funding
Up to $4,000 in reimbursable expenses for marketing and sales costs
Eligibility
Applicant must be:
- A startup company located in Canada
- A tech company
- Must have a product that is currently on the market and generated between $2,500 to $3 million in revenue over the last 12 months
- Utilizing their own technology and intellectual property
- Must clearly outline what the funding will be used for
Eligible Activities
- Creating and implementing interactive digital media demonstrations
- Costs associated with marketing campaigns, attending virtual trade shows and implementing new software tools for sales and marketing purposes
More Market Expansion Funding Opportunities
Capital & Tech Adoption Grants
Capital and tech adoption grants provide funding to businesses focused on technology and software adoption projects.
1. Canada Digital Adoption Program (CDAP)
The Canadian Digital Adoption Program supports SMEs that need to make digital adoption in their businesses to be able to remain competitive in this new digital age. There are two funding streams of the CDAP program: Grow Your Business Online Stream and Boost Your Business Technology Stream.
Amount of Funding
Grow Your Business Online Stream: Up to $2,400 in non-repayable grant contributions
Boost Your Business Technology: Up to $15,000 per SME in non-repayable grant contributions/up to 90% of eligible project costs
Eligible Applicants
Grow Your Business Online Stream
- Is a for-profit business
- Is registered or incorporated and is consumer facing
- Is committed to maintaining digital adoption strategy for a minimum of six months after program participation
- Will participate in follow-up surveys, sharing information with the Government of Canada, and having business published as a recipient of funding
Boost Your Business Technology Stream
- The business has been incorporated federally or provincially, or the sole proprietor is a Canadian resident
- Is a for-profit business that is privately owned
- Maintain 1-499 full time equivalent employees
- Has a minimum of $500,000 in annual revenues in one of previous three tax years
2. Canada Small Business Financing Program
The Canada Small Business Financing Program makes it easier for small businesses to get loans from financial institutions by sharing the risk with lenders. This program is offered through Innovation, Science, and Economic Development Canada.
Amount of Funding
A maximum of $1,000,000 from one borrower, of which no more than $350,000 can be used for purchasing leasehold improvements or purchasing new or used equipment
Eligibility
Applicants must have
- Start-up in Canada with $10 million or less in gross annual revenues
Eligible Activities
- Purchasing or improving land or buildings for commercial reasons
- Purchasing or improving equipment
- Purchasing leasehold improvements such as renovations to a leased property
Ineligible Activities
- Performing goodwill
- Stocking work capital
- Increasing inventory
- Paying franchise fees
- Executing research and development
3. The Youth Accelerator Fund
The Youth Accelerator Fund offers financial support to youth under 30 to help bring their innovative products to the market. They are most interested in funding opportunities for youth who have gone through college or university based accelerator programs or who are currently enrolled in a Regional Innovation Center Program.
Amount of Funding
Up to $250,000 in funding
Eligibility
Applicants must:
- Have ownership of Intellectual Property (IP)
- Be an incorporated or to be incorporated business
- Be located in Ontario
- Work related to the business takes place in Ontario
- Have total revenues less than $500,000
- Pay 50% or more of its wages and fees to employees in Ontario
- Be currently enrolled with Regional Innovation Centre under the Ontario Network of Entrepreneurs program
More Capital & Tech Adoption Funding Opportunities
Hiring & Training Grants
Hiring and training grants offer wage subsidies to help businesses offset the risk of hiring new employees and support businesses while offering third-party training to such employees.
1. Starter Company Plus
The Starter Company Plus supports entrepreneurs looking to build their small businesses by providing training, mentoring, advice and applying for grants.
Amount of Funding
- Up to $5,000
- Applicants must be able to make a contribution in cash for at least 25% of the grant amount
Eligibility
- Be a permanent resident or Canadian citizen
- Be 18 years old +
- Not be attending school or planning to return to school while enrolled in the program
- Not be enrolled in any other government-funded employment program
- Own, or plan to own a business in Ontario
Benefits of the program
- One-on-one guidance from a Small Business Enterprise Centre advisor
- Participate in business workshops, seminars, or networking events
- Talk to a mentor with experience in starting, expanding, or buying a small business
2. Canada-Ontario Job Grant
The Canada-Ontario Job Grant (COJG) is a government funding program that offers training grants to employers. Companies may receive funding to purchase third-party training programs.
Amount of Funding
- Small employers (<100 employees) may receive up to 83% of funding to a maximum of $10,000 per trainee
Eligibility
To qualify, employers must be a:
- For-profit business
- Non-profit organization
- Employer consortium
- First Nations band council
- Apply for third-party training programs that are delivered in Ontario
Eligible Activities
- Third-party trainer fees
- Tuition, student, and examination fees
- Textbooks and course materials
- Training-related software
More Hiring & Training Funding Opportunities
Need help? Call our tax funding and grants specialist team at (647) 709-6368
Tags
- SR&ED consultants
- SR&ED Tax Credits
- FREE tool - Find Gov grants
- Contact Us
- Download full tax credits list
- Employment Grants
- Digital Media Tax Credits
- Blog
- cra
- FTCAS
- manufacturing
- oidmtc
- t661
- Innovation
- Not for Profit
- Tourism
- Environment
- Clean Tech
CONTACT US
Tax Incentives Made Easy (TiME) Consulting Group Inc.
” 95% success. 15+ years expert SR&ED credits and gov. grants for your business innovation.”
Phone: +1(647) 709-6368
E-mail: gshah@timeconsulting.ca
RECENT POSTS
in Toronto, Canada
I hope you enjoy reading this informational post.
If you want my team (Gautam Shah) to help you get massive amounts of government funding, just book a call.