Government grants and funding programs for small business in Canada

BDC Small Business Loan: Up to $350,000 from the Business Development Bank of Canada. Loans up to $100,000 target approval in under 10 days, with a 5-year amortization; $100,000–$350,000 targets under 30 days, with up to an 8-year amortization. Both are subject to conditions.

SR&ED Investment Tax Credit: Canadian-controlled private corporations earn a 35% enhanced credit on qualifying R&D spend up to a $6 million annual expenditure limit, and 15% above it; the 35% credit on current expenditures is fully refundable. Eligible Canadian public corporations also earn 35% for tax years beginning after 15 December 2024. Other corporations earn a 15% non-refundable credit.

Futurpreneur Canada: Start-up financing plus a matched mentor for up to two years. Applicants submit a business plan and a 24-month cash flow, and their credit is reviewed. Financing amounts are published by Futurpreneur and have changed before — check them at application time.

Canada Small Business Financing Program (CSBFP): A federal program that shares lending risk with banks and credit unions, making it easier for small businesses to get term loans and a line of credit. Current loan caps are published in the program documentation from Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED) — confirm the figure your lender quotes against it.

Two programs people still ask about are not accepting new applicants. Canada Digital Adoption Program (CDAP): Closed to new applicants; the program concluded on 31 March 2025. Canada Carbon Rebate for Small Businesses: Winding down with the removal of the federal fuel charge; no new payment cycles are scheduled.

• BDC Small Business Loan — active, up to $350,000
• BDC financing for businesses operating 12–24 months — active, different criteria
• SR&ED tax credit — active, 35% for CCPCs on up to $6M of qualifying spend
• Futurpreneur Canada — active, ages 18–39, financing plus a mentor
• Canada Small Business Financing Program — active, loans through your bank
• Canada Digital Adoption Program — closed to new applicants since March 2025
• Canada Carbon Rebate for Small Businesses — winding down, no new payment cycles

Starter Company Plus (Ontario): Training, mentoring and up to $5,000 in grant funding for Ontario entrepreneurs. The applicant contributes at least 25% of the grant amount, in cash or in kind. Applicants must be 18+, Ontario residents, Canadian citizens or permanent residents, and not in school full-time. Ontario's separate Digital Main Street Digital Transformation Grant (Ontario) is closed. The grant portal closed on 31 March 2024, with no announced replacement.

British Columbia and Quebec each run their own innovation and SME financing through Innovate BC and Investissement Québec, and Alberta through Alberta Innovates — but intake windows open and close through the year, and Alberta Innovates has its voucher programs paused while it redesigns its lineup. Check the current intake status on the program's own site before counting on a specific amount.

Every program above eventually asks for financial records — a balance sheet, a profit and loss statement, dated proof of a payroll run or an expense. The common failure mode isn't fraud; it's a founder trying to reconstruct six months of transactions from memory and bank statements the week an application is due.

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Full detail: see free accounting software for Canada.

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