Grant & Funding Finder for Canadian Businesses
Most public money in Canada is not a grant. It is a tax credit, a repayable contribution, a guaranteed bank loan, or an equity cheque. Name the company, the sector, and the kind of capital you can actually use.
What Ottawa is putting into the economy
Industrial capacity, defence supply, AI infrastructure, and clean growth are the current federal priorities. SR&ED’s enhanced refundable limit is $6 million of expenditure a year for CCPCs (and eligible Canadian public corporations) on years beginning after 15 December 2024. Large envelopes below are not amounts a company applies for.
$5B·Strategic Response Fund
Replaces the Strategic Innovation Fund. Contributions from $10 million, for industrial-scale projects. Not an SME program.
$25B·Canada Strong Fund
Canada’s first sovereign wealth fund, announced 27 April 2026 and seeded with $25 billion over three years. It co-invests with private capital in infrastructure, energy, mining, and advanced manufacturing on commercial terms. Institutional capital, not a grant window.
$244.2M·Defence Industry Assist
NRC IRAP stream, announced January 2026, for SMEs with defence or dual-use technology aligned to CAF needs. Same IRAP intake, not a separate portal.
30%·Clean Technology ITC
Refundable credit on listed clean-tech property through 2033, then 15% in 2034. Capital equipment, not software R&D. Labour rules affect the rate.
Figures from ISED’s 2026–27 Departmental Plan, Spring Economic Update 2026, and NRC IRAP announcements. Terms change.
Types of funding available
Non-repayable contributions
True grants exist, but they are narrower than the word suggests. IRAP reimburses technical work. CanExport cost-shares export marketing when the intake is open. Clusters cost-share consortium projects. If a page says “grant” and a regional development agency is the funder, read the contribution agreement — it is often repayable.
Tax credits
SR&ED is claimed on the T2, not won in a competition. Ontario adds an 8% refundable innovation credit (maximum $240,000). Quebec’s CRIC is 30% on the first $1 million above an exclusion, 20% after that. Clean Technology and CCUS credits attach to listed property, not to writing software.
Loans and repayable contributions
CSBFP is a bank loan with a federal guarantee. BDC lends directly. ACOA, PacifiCan, PrairiesCan, FedDev, FedNor, and CED usually lend to companies interest-free and want the principal back. The Women Entrepreneurship Loan Fund (up to $50,000), the Black Entrepreneurship Loan Fund (up to $250,000), and Futurpreneur (up to $75,000) are also credit, delivered through partners.
Equity and competitions
BDC Climate Tech, Invest Nova Scotia, and the Canada Growth Fund take ownership or a claim on it. New Ventures BC pays prizes to a handful of finalists. Do not budget a prize.
How to use the notes
Each program has a “what to do” and a “do not assume.” The second column is there because third-party roundups routinely misstate the instrument (grant vs loan), the applicant (company vs university vs investor), or a dollar figure that was never on the official page.
Talk to the officer before you write. IRAP starts with 1-877-994-4727. Regional agencies expect a conversation, then an expression of interest. Tax credits are filed with the return, not pitched.
You can hold more than one instrument at once if you disclose the others and do not claim the same eligible cost twice. Provincial R&D credits reduce the federal SR&ED base.
Questions
What types of businesses qualify?
It depends on the instrument. IRAP wants an incorporated for-profit SME with 500 or fewer full-time employees — not a sole proprietorship or partnership. CSBFP is a lender decision with a $10 million revenue cap. SR&ED is available to corporations that perform eligible work in Canada; the enhanced 35% refundable rate is for CCPCs and eligible Canadian public corporations under the expenditure and taxable-capital tests. Read the note on the program, not a generic SME definition.
How much funding can a business receive?
There is no typical amount. CSBFP is capped at $1.15 million. OITC cannot exceed $240,000. CanExport SMEs is $10,000–$50,000 when the intake is open. PrairiesCan and PacifiCan BSP run $200,000–$5 million and must be repaid. SR&ED’s 35% applies to as much as $6 million of expenditure, which is $2.1 million of federal credit before phase-out — not a $6 million cheque.
Do I need to repay government funding?
Often yes. Regional development agencies usually issue repayable contributions to companies, and the Strategic Response Fund is repayable by default. AgriInnovate is repayable. Futurpreneur, WES and BEP partner loans, BDC, and CSBFP are debt. IRAP contributions are generally non-repayable. SR&ED and CRIC are tax credits. Always read the contribution agreement.
How long does it take?
IRAP has no public form; assignment of an advisor is the first gate. ACOA publishes a 75-business-day service standard from a complete application. Mitacs reviews can take 8–16 weeks. SR&ED is claimed with the T2 and paid on CRA’s assessing cycle. Build time to speak with an officer before you draft.
Can I use more than one program?
Usually, if you disclose other sources and do not double-claim the same cost. Government assistance is subtracted from tax-credit bases. Some contribution agreements limit stacking. Be literal in every application about who else is paying.
SR&ED is still the program most technology companies underuse
It is a documentation exercise, not a pitch. 35% refundable on up to $6 million of expenditure for qualifying CCPCs, 15% beyond that, claimed on the T2. Provincial credits sit on the same work and reduce the federal base.