Western Canada Funding Directory

Western Canadian Government Grant, Loan, and Funding Programs Mentor Works Can Write for Your Business.

Western Canada government funding programs can support a wide range of strategic projects, including business expansion, research and development, hiring and training, and capital investment. By being proactive and applying for funding prior to the start of projects, companies can access government grants and loans that provide a boost to company investments and greatly improve project outcomes.

Funding is widely available for businesses in Western Canadian provinces, such as Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, and Saskatchewan.

The Western Canada business grants and loans listed on this page may offer support for your organization’s upcoming projects. To discuss your eligibility and receive assistance with the application process, please contact Mentor Works.

Use the filtering options below to help sort the available Canadian government funding programs.

Click the + button to preview a program and click the program name to view all info

Funding Activity:

Funding Programs	Region	Funding Activity	Description	Show on Site?	Tags
Accelerating Innovations Into Care	Alberta	Research & Development	Supports the commercialization of health tech via collaborations of Alberta SMEs and public health providers Up to 50% project expenses to a maximum $150,000 contribution	Yes
Accessible Technology Program (ATP)	Canada-wide	Research & Development	Supports the development and testing of assistive technologies Up to $4M per project/year in non-repayable grants	Yes	software,
Ag Action Manitoba	Manitoba	Business Expansion	Supports the growth and competitiveness of Manitoba agriculture Amount varies depending on the project focus your business chooses	Yes	food,
AgriAssurance: SME Stream	Canada-wide	Business Expansion	Supports businesses to meet certification standards in the agricultural and agri-food sector Up to 50% to a maximum $50,000 in non-repayable government funding	Yes	food, manufacturing,
Agricultural Clean Technology Program (ACT)	Canada-wide	Research & Development	Supports research, development and adoption of clean technologies through investments and promotion of gri-based bioproducts Access up to 50-75% of costs to a maximum $5M project	Yes	food, manufacturing,
AgriInnovate	Canada-wide	Research & Development	Supports businesses to commercialize and/or adopt innovative agri-based products, technologies, processes or services Access up to 50% of project expenses to a maximum of $10 million per application	Yes	food,
Alberta Media Fund	Alberta	Research & Development	Supports organizations and individuals developing screen-based media, scripts, books, magazines, and sound recordings Up to 18%-50% of eligible costs covered to a maximum $20k-$200k, depending on funding stream	Yes	software,
Canada Cultural Spaces Fund (CCSF)	Canada-wide	Capital & Tech Adoption	Support for projects that improve the physical condition of arts and heritage collaboration, creation, presentation, and exhibition spaces Up to 50% to $500k-$15M depending on the project type. Up to 75% for rural and underserved communities	Yes
Canada Job Grant (CJG)	Canada-wide	Hiring & Training	Designed to reduce the costs of providing third-party skills training to new and existing employees Up to 50-100% of eligible costs covered in most provinces	Yes	exporting, food, software, manufacturing, auto, northern ontario,
Canada Media Fund: Experimental Stream	Canada-wide	Business Expansion Capital & Tech Adoption Research & Development	Supports developing, producing, and promoting innovative, interactive software development projects including apps and video games Up to $15k-$1.5M per project phase in grants	Yes	software,
Canada Small Business Financing Program (CSBFP)	Canada-wide	Capital & Tech Adoption	Supports business growth through business loans with competitive interest rates Up to $1M for business expansion activities	Yes	exporting, food, software, manufacturing, auto,
Canada Summer Jobs	Canada-wide	Hiring & Training	Support for employers providing supervised career-related work experience for youth employees Up to 50% of employee minimum hourly rate; Non-profits can receive grants up to 100% of minimum wage plus Mandatory Employment Related Costs (MERCs); Amount is capped at a max $300K per employer/province or territory. Maximum 40 hours/week/employee can be included.	Yes	exporting, food, software, manufacturing, auto, northern ontario,
Canadian Agricultural Partnership (CAP)	Canada-wide	Business Expansion Capital & Tech Adoption Research & Development	Supports Canadian agricultural business expansion and growth Up to 50%-75% of expenses to a max $1M in grants	Yes	food,
Canadian Agricultural Strategic Priorities Program (CASPP)	Canada-wide	Capital & Tech Adoption	Supports projects that help the agricultural industry mitigate emerging issues and capitalize on opportunities Up to 50% to a maximum of $1M in grants	Yes	food,
Canadian International Innovation Program (CIIP)	Canada-wide	Research & Development	Supports municipalities demonstrating an innovative solution or approach to environmental issues Up to $175,000 to cover up to 80% of eligible costs for all three study streams	Yes
CanExport	Canada-wide	Business Expansion	Supports global expansion projects including participation in trade shows and government-led trade missions Up to 75% to a max $75,000 in grants	Yes	exporting, food, software, manufacturing, auto, northern ontario,
CAP Alberta	Alberta	Business Expansion Capital & Tech Adoption Research & Development	Supports businesses and organizations completing projects that lead to the growth and competitiveness of Alberta agriculture Up to 50% of eligible project costs	Yes	food,
Creative Export Canada (CEC)	Canada-wide	Business Expansion	Supports commercialization of technology and/or productivity improvements of businesses Access up to 50% of costs to a maximum $500,000 per collaboration	Yes	exporting, food, software, manufacturing, auto,
Dairy Processing Investment Fund (DPIF)	Canada-wide	Capital & Tech Adoption	Supports dairy processors who invest in areas that improve productivity and competitiveness Up to 50% of costs to a max of $10M for expenditure projects and $250,000 for access to expertise	Yes	food,
Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Demonstration (EVID) Program	Canada-wide	Capital & Tech Adoption	Supports demonstrations of next-generation and innovative electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure Up to 50% of eligible project expenses and offers $250k – $3M in funding	Yes	automotive,
Export Support Fund	Alberta	Business Expansion	Helps reduce the cost of attending trade shows in new export markets Access up to 50% of costs to a maximum $20,000 per application	Yes	exporting,
Green Municipal Fund	Canada-wide	Capital & Tech Adoption	Supports municipalities demonstrating an innovative solution or approach to environmental issues Up to $175,000 to cover up to 80% of eligible costs for all three study streams	Yes	agri, northern ontario,
Industrial Research Assistance Program (IRAP) – National Research Council (NRC)	Canada-wide	Research & Development	Designed to accelerate the research and development projects of Canadian innovators Access up to 60-80% of costs to a maximum $10M per application	Yes	software,
Industry Commercialization Associates Program	Alberta	Hiring & Training Research & Development	Supports hiring an associate to perform technical commercialization activities Level 1 – Up to $52,500 annual stipend. Level 2 – Up to $75,000 annual stipend. Level 3 – Up to $105,000 annual stipend. Additional Expense Allowance of $7,000 annually.	Yes
Industry R&D Associates Program	Alberta	Hiring & Training Research & Development	Supports hiring an associate to perform technical research and development activities Level 1 – Up to $52,500 annual stipend. Level 2 – Up to $67,500 annual stipend. Additional Expense Allowance of $7,000 annually.	Yes
Innovation for Defence and Security Program (IDEaS)	Canada-wide	Research & Development	Supports pre-commercial military and defence technologies that have the potential to address current challenges faced by Canada’s Armed Forces Access up to $1.2M for initial R&D. Fully-developed solutions may access up to $20M through a procurement program	Yes
Innovative Solutions Canada (ISC)	Canada-wide	Research & Development	Helps startups and small businesses overcome technology development hurdles so that they can produce globally-demanded products and services Up to $150k for proof of concept projects, and up to $1M for prototype development, and may also be awarded a government contract	Yes	media, software,
Investments in Forest Industry Transformation (IFIT) Program	Canada-wide	Research & Development	Supporting clean technologies in the forest industry during the COVID-19 pandemic Applicants can receive 50% of eligible costs up to $20M for the general stream of the program, $1M for the small business stream, and $500K for the studies project stream	Yes	covid, forest,
Manitoba Industrial Opportunities Program (MIOP)	Manitoba	Business Expansion	Supports small and large businesses in Manitoba with low-interest repayable funding contributions to begin operations in Manitoba Loans ranging from $500,000 to $5,000,000 and paid back between 5 - 7 years	Yes
Mitacs Accelerate	Canada-wide	Hiring & Training Research & Development	Pairs businesses with Masters, PhD and PDF interns to overcome innovation challenges Matching funds from Mitacs up to $7,500 per 4-6 month internship unit	Yes
MITACS Elevate	Canada-wide	Research & Development	Supports industry and academic parterships to solve current issues through innovative means Receive up to $25,000 from Mitacs	Yes	university, college, collaboarative
NGen Manufacturing Program	Canada-wide	Research & Development	Supporting technology development that will help Canadian manufacturers compete globally Grants up to 44.4% of eligible expenses with no limit on project size	Yes	manufacturing, manufacturers
NSERC Alliance	Canada-wide	Research & Development	Supporting collaborative R&D projects between Canadian businesses and universities Up to $1,000,000 in grant funding per year	Yes	university, college, collaboarative,
Product Demonstration Program	Alberta	Research & Development	Supporting commercialisation-ready tech in the industries of energy, nanotechnology, health, and more Grants covering up to 50% of eligible costs to a maximum of $300,000	Yes	forest, manufacturing, energy, tech, software
Protein Industries Canada	Canada-wide	Research & Development	Supporting collaborative product or process research, technology development, and export market development projects related to expanding Canada’s plant-based protein sector Offsets up to 50% of eligible project expenses with no defined maximum contribution. Remaining project funds must be supported by at least two project partners.	Yes	university, college, collaboarative, health, research, food,
SD Tech Fund	Canada-wide	Research & Development	Supports cleantech projects that aim to improve water, soil and air quality to reduce the effects of climate change Access up to 40% of project costs for an average funding contribution of $3,000,000	Yes	agi, software,
Strategic Innovation Fund (SIF)	Canada-wide	Capital & Tech Adoption Research & Development	Supports projects that drive sustained productivity and economic benefits Submit a project budget of at least $20M and access up to 50% of eligible costs	Yes	software,
Supply Chains and Logistics Excellence AI (SCALE.AI)	Canada-wide	Research & Development	Enhances Canada’s existing supply chain practices by boosting economic development through faster adoption and integration of artificial intelligence (AI) Access up to 40% of eligible project costs, with no minimum or maximum investment allocated per project	Yes
Voucher Program	Alberta	Research & Development	Supports Ontario businesses to develop new products & services, and to create online tools that support market expansion and exporting Access up to %50-75 of costs to a maximum $100k per application	Yes
Western Business Scale-up and Productivity (BSP) Program	Western Canada	Business Expansion Capital & Tech Adoption Research & Development	Helps businesses with high growth potential adopt/adapt innovative technologies that support productivity and export expansion Access up to 50% of costs to a maximum $5M per application and $10M per applicant	Yes	forest, manufacturing, energy, tech, software, covid,
Youth Employment Program (IRAP)	Canada-wide	Hiring & Training	Designed to assist funding of hiring young Canadian post-secondary graduates Provides up to $30,000 per graduate (up to two) for a period of 6 to 12 months	Yes	university, college, collaboarative, northern ontario,
Zero-Emission Vehicle Awareness Initiative (ZEVAI)	Canada-wide	Capital & Tech Adoption	Supports projects that address knowledge gaps among Canadians on ZEV technologies to move forward to ZEV adoption Up to 50% of total project costs, with a maximum contribution amount $50,000 per project	Yes	agi, software, auto,
Zero-Emission Vehicle Infrastructure Program (ZEVI)	Canada-wide	Capital & Tech Adoption	Designed to increase a network of zero-emission vehicle charging and refuelling stations in more localized areas where Canadians live, work, and play Up to 50% of costs to a maximum of $5M in Canadian government funding	Yes	agi, software, auto,

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Western Canadian Government Grants and Loans for Business Expansion

Government grants, loans, and other incentives are available to support a variety of Western Canada business expansion projects. Companies typically access funding to expand facilities, purchase new capital equipment, or enter new markets. Our Canadian Business Funding Guide has more ideas to help you understand how to develop a project well-suited for business expansion grants.

Western Provincial Government Funding News

Government Funding

The Top Alberta Grant & Loan Programs for 2021

February 24, 2021

Reading Time: 3 minutes

Government Funding

Top Manitoba Business Grants and Loans

January 11, 2021

Reading Time: 5 minutes

Government Funding

Alberta Invests Additional $5M into Accelerate Fund for Tech Startups

November 18, 2020

Reading Time: 3 minutes

Government Funding

Agri-food Grants for Purchasing PPE – Canadian Agricultural Partnership (CAP) Manitoba

August 7, 2020

Reading Time: 2 minutes

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Canadian government funding programs can support small businesses, large corporations, non-profits and post-secondary research institutions. However, the key to accessing these programs are knowing which ones provide the best fit for your organization and upcoming projects.

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During the Government Funding for Hiring & Training webinar, attendees will learn about the top government funding programs that can offset a portion of hiring and training costs by up to 50-83% ...