Federal government grants, loans and incentives for businesses and corporations

Ranked programs

Top 36 of 73 open, ongoing or intake-based programs, best score first.

1. Scientific Research and Experimental Development (SR&ED) Tax Incentive

   Canada Revenue Agency

   Tax deduction plus investment tax credit for businesses conducting eligible R&D in Canada. Most CCPCs earn an enhanced, refundable 35% ITC up to an expenditure limit...

   OngoingFederalOther incentivesLimit $6M
   56

   Top pick

2. Small Business Deduction (reduced federal tax rate for CCPCs)

   Canada Revenue Agency

   Reduced federal corporate income tax rate on active business income of Canadian-controlled private corporations, up to the business limit.

   OngoingFederalOther incentives
   55

   Top pick

3. FedDev Ontario - Regional Tariff Response Initiative (RTRI)

   FedDev Ontario

   Liquidity assistance and pivot-project funding for southern Ontario businesses hurt by U.S. tariffs. Non-repayable for smaller amounts, repayable for large...

   OpenFederalGrantsUp to $20M
   54

   Top pick

4. Electric Vehicle Affordability Program (EVAP)

   Transport Canada

   Point-of-sale incentives for Canadians, organizations and businesses buying or leasing an eligible new electric vehicle. It replaces the closed iZEV program.

   OngoingFederalOther incentivesUp to $5K
   45

   Strong

5. FedNor - Regional Tariff Response Initiative (RTRI)

   FedNor

   Liquidity assistance and pivot-project funding for Northern Ontario businesses affected by U.S. tariffs.

   OpenFederalGrantsUp to $20M
   44

   Strong

6. Canada Community Security Program (CCSP)

   Public Safety Canada

   Time-limited funding to enhance physical security at gathering spaces of communities at risk of hate-motivated incidents and crimes, such as places of worship, community...

   OpenFederalGrantsUp to $5M
   43

   Strong

7. Clean Technology Investment Tax Credit (ITC)

   Canada Revenue Agency / Natural Resources Canada / Finance Canada

   Refundable investment tax credit for capital invested in the adoption and operation of new clean technology property in Canada (for example solar, wind, stationary...

   OngoingFederalOther incentives
   42

   Strong

8. Mitacs Accelerate

   Mitacs

   Matches partner contributions to fund research internships connecting businesses and organizations with university researchers and trainees.

   OngoingFederalGrants
   41

   Strong

9. Canadian Journalism Labour Tax Credit

   Canada Revenue Agency / Canadian Heritage

   Refundable credit on salaries and wages of eligible newsroom employees of qualifying Canadian journalism organizations producing original written news content.

   OngoingFederalOther incentivesLimit $85K
   39

   Strong

10. Mitacs AI Advantage (ADOPT and AI+X)

    Mitacs

    Non-competitive Mitacs offerings supporting organizations to adopt and innovate with AI through trainee-led projects: ADOPT (AI readiness to implementation) and AI+X...

    OpenFederalGrantsUp to $25K
    39

    Strong

11. Work-Sharing Program (EI)

    Employment and Social Development Canada / Service Canada

    Employment Insurance support that lets employers avoid layoffs during a temporary drop in business by reducing hours while employees receive EI income support for the...

    OngoingFederalOther incentives
    39

    Strong

12. Science and Technology Internship Program (STIP) - Green Jobs

    Natural Resources Canada, delivered through STIP - Green Jobs delivery organizations

    Funds employers to hire, train and mentor youth in energy, forestry, mining, earth sciences and clean technology roles for up to 12 months.

    OpenFederalOther incentives
    38

    Strong

13. BDC Pivot to Grow (tariff support loans)

    Business Development Bank of Canada (BDC)

    Liquidity, working capital and equipment financing for Canadian businesses affected by U.S. tariffs, with long interest-only periods and no prepayment penalty.

    OpenFederalLoansLoans up to $10M
    37

    Worth a look

14. Compensation for Employers of Reservists Program

    Employment and Social Development Canada (Reserve Force employer support)

    One-time financial support to civilian employers and self-employed reservists to offset operational costs when a reservist employee deploys on full-time operational duty.

    OpenFederalGrants
    37

    Worth a look

15. EDC Export Guarantee Program (EGP)

    Export Development Canada (EDC)

    Guarantees to your lender to secure flexible working capital, optimize an operating line or secure a new loan.

    OngoingFederalLoansLoans up to $25M
    37

    Worth a look

16. FedDev Ontario - Regional Artificial Intelligence Initiative (RAII)

    FedDev Ontario

    Funded AI commercialization and AI adoption projects in southern Ontario. Intake has ended.

    OpenFederalGrantsUp to $700M
    37

    Worth a look

17. Mitacs Business Strategy Internship (BSI)

    Mitacs

    Matches partner funds to place students, postdocs and recent graduates in business-strategy and innovation projects at Canadian organizations.

    OngoingFederalGrantsUp to $15K
    37

    Worth a look

18. Celebrate Canada Funding Program

    Canadian Heritage

    Funds community activities held on National Indigenous Peoples Day, Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day, Canadian Multiculturalism Day and Canada Day.

    OpenFederalGrants
    36

    Worth a look

19. Worker Retention Grant (Work-Sharing)

    Employment and Social Development Canada

    Provides additional income support to EI-eligible employees working reduced hours under an approved Work-Sharing agreement.

    OpenFederalGrants
    36

    Worth a look

20. Clean Technology Manufacturing (CTM) Investment Tax Credit

    Canada Revenue Agency / Natural Resources Canada

    Refundable credit for new machinery and equipment used to manufacture or process clean technologies and to extract or process key critical minerals in Canada. Supports...

    OngoingFederalOther incentives
    35

    Worth a look

21. Commemorative Partnership Program (Community Engagement and Community War Memorials)

    Veterans Affairs Canada

    Funds remembrance initiatives and the construction, restoration or expansion of community war memorials. Several streams with year-round and fixed-deadline intakes.

    OpenFederalGrantsUp to $25K
    35

    Worth a look

22. EDC Trade Credit Insurance (Select and Portfolio)

    Export Development Canada (EDC)

    Insurance against non-payment by international buyers, improving access to financing through insured receivables.

    OngoingFederalOther incentives
    35

    Worth a look

23. EDC Trade Expansion Lending Program (TELP)

    Export Development Canada (EDC), delivered by partner lenders

    EDC guarantees part of a loan or line of credit so your financial institution can offer more working capital to exporters.

    OngoingFederalLoans
    35

    Worth a look

24. BDC Loan for Tech Companies

    Business Development Bank of Canada

    Flexible loans for revenue-generating technology companies that want to scale without giving up shares.

    OngoingFederalLoans
    34

    Worth a look

25. GST/HST New Residential Rental Property Rebate and Purpose-Built Rental Housing rebate (100%)

    Canada Revenue Agency

    Rebate to landlords and builders of GST/HST paid on newly built or substantially renovated residential rental property; purpose-built rental buildings can get the GST...

    OngoingFederalOther incentives
    34

    Worth a look

26. Student Work Placement Program (SWPP)

    Employment and Social Development Canada, delivered by employer delivery partners (e.g., Technation, ECO Canada, Ontario Chamber of Commerce, Magnet)

    Wage subsidies to employers that hire post-secondary students (co-op, internship, practicum) in work-integrated learning placements. Employers apply year-round through...

    OngoingFederalOther incentivesUp to $5K
    34

    Worth a look

27. Canadian Agricultural Strategic Priorities Program (CASPP)

    Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada

    Cost-shared funding for projects that help the agriculture and agri-food sector seize opportunities and respond to emerging issues.

    OpenFederalGrantsUp to $1M
    32

    Worth a look

28. Mitacs Elevate

    Mitacs

    A one- to two-year program that places postdoctoral fellows with partner organizations to solve R&D challenges, with an academic supervisor and professional development...

    OngoingFederalGrantsUp to $60K
    32

    Worth a look

29. AgriScience Program - Projects

    Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada

    Funds pre-commercial science, research and development in agriculture and agri-food, with a focus on climate change and environment, economic growth and sector...

    OpenFederalGrantsUp to $5M
    31

    Worth a look

30. Clean Electricity Investment Tax Credit

    Canada Revenue Agency / Natural Resources Canada

    Refundable credit of up to 15% of capital cost of eligible clean electricity property (generation, storage, transmission), open to taxable corporations and also to...

    OngoingFederalOther incentives
    31

    Worth a look

31. NSERC Alliance grants and Ontario Centre of Innovation Collaborate 2 Commercialize (C2C)

    NSERC and Ontario Centre of Innovation (OCI)

    A joint streamlined funding stream that matches an Ontario company with an Ontario university researcher for a short research collaboration, combining NSERC Alliance...

    OngoingFederalGrantsUp to $50K
    31

    Worth a look

32. Sectoral Workforce Innovation Fund (SWIF)

    Employment and Social Development Canada

    Continuous-intake fund for industry-led workforce projects that scale proven training initiatives, build talent pipelines for national priorities, or mobilize industry...

    OpenFederalGrantsUp to $10M
    31

    Worth a look

33. SSHRC Partnership Engage Grants

    Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC)

    Supports short-term partnered research involving a postsecondary institution and a single organization from the public, private or not-for-profit sector, so the partner...

    OpenFederalGrantsUp to $50K
    31

    Worth a look

34. Changing Narratives Fund

    Department of Canadian Heritage

    The Changing Narratives Fund supports diverse communities (Indigenous, Black, racialized, ethno-religious minority, people with disabilities and 2SLGBTQI+) in sharing...

    OngoingFederalGrants
    30

    Worth a look

35. FedNor - Regional Artificial Intelligence Initiative (RAII)

    FedNor

    Helps Northern Ontario SMEs, not-for-profits, Indigenous organizations and municipalities commercialize and adopt AI. For-profits normally receive repayable...

    OngoingFederalLoansLoans up to $700M
    30

    Worth a look

36. Union Training and Innovation Program - Infrastructure Expansion

    Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC)

    This funding opportunity aims to strengthen Canada's skilled trades workforce by expanding training capacity and modernizing union-led training infrastructure. It funds...

    OpenFederalGrants
    30

    Worth a look

There are 37 more. Create a free account to filter the full list by your own profile.

Questions

How many federal programs for businesses and corporations are open right now?

Of the 134 federal programs for businesses and corporations in our database, 62 are open or ongoing and 11 take applications only in intake windows. The rest are closed, paused or of unknown status, so they are not ranked on this page. Counts reflect our last check on Nov 4, 2026; programs can change without notice.

What is the largest published amount among these programs?

FedDev Ontario - Regional Artificial Intelligence Initiative (RAII) publishes the largest figure on this page, shown as "Up to $700M". Published figures are program maximums, caps or limits, not what an applicant should expect to receive; many programs pay a share of eligible costs and amounts depend on your project and eligibility.

Which federal programs for businesses and corporations rank highest?

Right now the top three by our score are Scientific Research and Experimental Development Tax Incentive (56, Top pick), Small Business Deduction (55, Top pick), FedDev Ontario - Regional Tariff Response Initiative (54, Top pick). The score combines the size of the published amount, how much work an application takes, how likely an eligible applicant is to succeed and how many people qualify.

Do I have to pay this money back?

It depends on the program. Grants and incentives are generally not repaid, loans always are, and some contribution agreements are partly or fully repayable, so read the terms of each program. Among the 62 open or ongoing programs here, 31 are in our Grants category, 13 are loans and 18 are other incentives such as tax credits and rebates.

Are these federal or Ontario programs?

62 of the 62 open or ongoing programs here come from the federal government and 0 from the Ontario government. Both levels can usually be combined, but many programs have stacking rules that cap total government funding for the same costs, so check them before you apply.

Is this an official government website?

No. Grants & Loans Finder is an independent research tool. Each program page links to the official source, and applications are always made with the government agency or lender that runs the program.