Women Entrepreneurship Strategy (Loan Fund, Ecosystem Fund, Knowledge Hub)
Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED) and regional development agencies (FedDev Ontario in southern Ontario)
Up to $6M
Loan Fund: loans of up to $50,000 for women entrepreneurs. WES Ecosystem Fund 2027 call: up to $80 million in non-repayable contribution funding in total, disbursed over four years starting 2027-28; priority projects have a budget of between $250,000 and $6,000,000.
The Women Entrepreneurship Strategy (WES) funds supports for women entrepreneurs through the Women Entrepreneurship Loan Fund (loans up to $50,000 via selected delivery organizations), the WES Ecosystem Fund (non-repayable contributions to not-for-profits that serve women entrepreneurs) and the Women Entrepreneurship Knowledge Hub. A 2027 Ecosystem Fund call for proposals is open until November 9, 2026.
Open the official page ↗How to apply
Loading…
Who qualifies
Loan Fund: women entrepreneurs, through delivery organizations (WEOC members, NACCA, Nventure, Evol) that decide whether a business qualifies. Ecosystem Fund 2027 call: Canadian federally or provincially incorporated not-for-profit organizations operating at least three years, with a women-focused mandate or women-entrepreneur programming in the past three years (new and previous WES recipients can apply); projects offer business supports to women entrepreneurs and/or majority women-owned businesses.
Good to know
- Funding: $6,000,000 is the upper end of the preferred Ecosystem Fund project budget range, not a stated cap; $50,000 is the Loan Fund per-loan maximum. Loan Fund funding: $55M (Budget 2021), +$12M (March 2025), +$59M (June 2026).
- Notes: Earlier record relied on a news release; this version is from the ISED program pages. Ontario loan providers listed: PARO (north), Nventure, NACCA.
Evidence from the official page
- deadline“Organizations must submit proposals in either English or French by November 9, 2026 (11:59 pm PST).” source ↗
- amount“Up to $80 million in non-repayable contribution funding will be made available to successful applicants, disbursed over four years, starting in 2027-28.” source ↗
- amount“provides women entrepreneurs with up to $50,000 loans to start or grow their businesses” source ↗
- eligibility“Projects must be led by a Canadian incorporated (federally or provincially) not-for-profit organization that has been operating for at least three years.” source ↗
- status“currently accepting applications for loans” source ↗
Verified 2026-10-09 · High confidence. Always confirm on the official page before applying.