Retail businesses qualify for fewer sector-specific programs than manufacturers or technology companies, and more of the general ones. Training and wage subsidies, digital adoption support and CSBFP for leasehold improvements are where most retail funding is actually claimed.
CONDITIONAL PAGE. Distinctiveness rests largely on the Canada Digital Adoption Program. If CDAP streams have closed, this page collapses into the sector-agnostic set and should be cut.
A micro-grant for consumer-facing small businesses adopting e-commerce, plus advisory support from a local e-commerce advisor.
Wage subsidy for hiring young people aged 15 to 30 for summer positions. Open to small businesses including sole proprietors.
Cost-shared funding for training existing or new employees through a third-party trainer. Open to sole proprietors as well as incorporated businesses.
Every province runs wage subsidy and training grant programs for hiring and upskilling, often the easiest non-repayable money a small business can access.
Grant funding plus training and mentorship for new and early-stage Ontario businesses, delivered locally through Small Business Enterprise Centres.
A federal loan guarantee that makes banks willing to lend to businesses they would otherwise decline. You borrow from your own bank; the government covers up to 85% of the lender's loss on default.
Term lending from the federal business development bank, structured around cash flow rather than collateral, with longer amortizations and more flexible repayment than a commercial bank.
Collateral-free startup lending with mandatory mentorship for founders aged 18 to 39, often co-lent with BDC. It is a loan, not a grant, but it is the most accessible startup capital in the country for founders with no business credit history.
Covers most of the cost of a digital adoption plan built with an approved advisor, and opens access to an interest-free BDC loan to implement it.
Lending for Black business owners through partner financial institutions, alongside a separate knowledge hub and ecosystem funding stream.
Provincial grant and funding programs for BC businesses, alongside Small Business BC advisory services.
The government's own search tool covering hundreds of federal, provincial and municipal programs. Where to go once you have exhausted the major programs listed here.
Financing and support for Indigenous-owned businesses, delivered largely through a network of Aboriginal Financial Institutions rather than a single federal program.
Regionally targeted Ontario funds for job creation, equipment and expansion: Southwestern Ontario, Eastern Ontario, and the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund.
Federal agencies funding business growth in their own regions, usually through interest-free repayable contributions rather than grants. Terms and priorities differ by agency.
A federal strategy combining a loan fund, an ecosystem fund, and access to advisory support for women-owned and women-led businesses.
