Ontario government grants, loans and incentives for Indigenous businesses and communities

We track 16 Ontario programs for Indigenous businesses and communities that are open or ongoing right now, plus 6 that take applications in intake windows. 6 of the open or ongoing programs publish a figure of $100K or more. They are ranked below by our 0 to 100 score, which weighs how much a program pays against how hard it is to win; last checked Oct 28, 2026.

See which ones fit you, freeTry the 1-minute matcher

Ranked programs

22 open, ongoing or intake-based programs, best score first.

  1. Community Sport and Recreation Infrastructure Fund (CSRIF)

    Ministry of Sport

    $500 million cost-shared program to repair/upgrade existing sport and recreation facilities (Stream 1) and build new or signature facilities (Stream 2).

    OpenOntarioGrantsUp to $10M
    41
    Strong

  2. First Nations Community Building Retrofit Program

    IESO (Save on Energy)

    Energy-efficiency retrofits for community buildings in on-reserve First Nations.

    OngoingOntarioOther incentivesUp to $330K
    41
    Strong

  3. NOHFC Enhance Your Community Program

    Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation (NOHFC)

    Funds community infrastructure projects in Northern Ontario.

    OngoingOntarioGrantsUp to $2M
    39
    Strong

  4. NOHFC Rural Enhancement Program

    Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation (NOHFC)

    Funds quality-of-life projects in rural Northern Ontario communities.

    OngoingOntarioGrantsUp to $500K
    39
    Strong

  5. Great Lakes Local Action Fund

    Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks

    Project funding for community-based action that increases climate resilience and protects or improves water quality in the Great Lakes, including wetland, shoreline and...

    OpenOntarioGrantsUp to $100K
    38
    Strong

  6. Ontario Trillium Foundation: Grow Grant

    Ontario Trillium Foundation

    Multi-year funding for established non-profits to scale proven community programs.

    OpenOntarioGrantsUp to $200K
    34
    Worth a look

  7. NOHFC Community Events Program

    Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation (NOHFC)

    Funds events that promote economic development in Northern Ontario.

    OngoingOntarioGrantsUp to $15K
    32
    Worth a look

  8. Indigenous Transportation Initiatives Fund for Indigenous Communities and Organizations

    Ministry of Transportation

    The Indigenous Transportation Initiatives Fund (ITIF) is an application-based funding program for Indigenous communities and organizations pursuing...

    OpenOntarioGrants
    28
    Worth a look

  9. Ontario Transit Investment Fund (OTIF)

    Ministry of Transportation

    Time-limited, application-based funding for up to 5 years to support the start-up and growth of transit services, especially in smaller and rural communities.

    OpenOntarioGrants
    28
    Worth a look

  10. Indigenous Participation Fund: Mining Conferences Sub-Stream

    Ministry of Energy and Mines

    Financial assistance for Indigenous communities and organizations to attend mining conferences in Ontario and build relationships and knowledge about the mineral sector.

    OpenOntarioGrants
    26
    Worth a look

  11. Rural Ontario Development (ROD) Program

    Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Agribusiness (OMAFA)

    Cost-share for rural economic development: plans, diversification, workforce, events, community infrastructure and rural small business.

    Intake-basedOntarioGrantsUp to $250K
    26
    Worth a look

  12. NOHFC Indigenous Workforce Development Program

    Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation (NOHFC)

    Funds salaries for Indigenous interns hired by Northern Ontario organizations.

    OngoingOntarioOther incentivesUp to $53K
    25
    Worth a look

  13. Ontario Arts Council Project Grants (35+ programs)

    Ontario Arts Council

    One-time grants for specific projects by Ontario artists, arts professionals, collectives and organizations, delivered through about 40 discipline and priority-group...

    Intake-basedOntarioGrantsUp to $60K
    24
    Long shot

  14. Ontario Trillium Foundation: Capital Grant

    Ontario Trillium Foundation

    Funding for equipment, renovation and capital projects of non-profits.

    Intake-basedOntarioGrantsUp to $200K
    24
    Long shot

  15. Indigenous Participation Fund: Consultation Supports (Mineral Development Advisor / Mineral Sector Specialist)

    Ministry of Energy and Mines

    Funds salary and activity costs so Indigenous communities and representative organizations can take part in consultation on mineral exploration and mine development and...

    OpenOntarioGrants
    22
    Long shot

  16. Ontario Trillium Foundation: Youth Opportunities Fund - Youth Innovations (Test and Scale)

    Ontario Trillium Foundation

    Grassroots funding for youth-led groups and youth-adult partnerships to pilot (Test) or grow (Scale) projects that improve youth wellbeing, prioritizing Indigenous and...

    Intake-basedOntarioGrantsUp to $150K
    22
    Long shot

  17. Skills Development Fund (SDF) Capital Stream

    Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development

    Funds capital technical planning and construction or upgrading of skills training centres through two pathways: SEED (planning project taking a design to 40% design...

    OngoingOntarioGrants
    22
    Long shot

  18. Winter Roads Program: Bridges and Culverts Stream

    Ministry of Transportation

    Funding to remote Northern Ontario communities for new pre-engineered bridges and culverts and repairs to existing water crossings on the winter roads network.

    OpenOntarioGrants
    22
    Long shot

  19. Ontario Shipbuilding Grant Program (OSGP)

    Ministry of Transportation

    Reimburses up to half of eligible costs for projects that strengthen Ontario's shipbuilding industry and supply chain, such as building infrastructure, machinery and...

    OpenOntarioGrants
    19
    Long shot

  20. Ontario Trillium Foundation: Youth Opportunities Fund - Family Innovations (Test and Scale)

    Ontario Trillium Foundation

    Grants for grassroots groups led by parents, guardians and caregivers to pilot or scale projects that support other parents, guardians and caregivers.

    Intake-basedOntarioGrantsUp to $150K
    17
    Long shot

  21. Indigenous Opportunities Financing Program (formerly Aboriginal Loan Guarantee Program)

    Building Ontario Fund (previously Ontario Financing Authority)

    Provincial financial guarantees on loans or bonds that let Indigenous-owned entities buy equity stakes in eligible energy, critical minerals and resource development...

    OngoingOntarioLoans
    13
    Long shot

  22. Ontario Trillium Foundation: Youth Opportunities Fund - System Innovations Grant

    Ontario Trillium Foundation

    Funding for collaboratives working to understand and strengthen systems so they work better for youth, prioritizing Indigenous and Black youth.

    Intake-basedOntarioGrantsUp to $250K
    8
    Long shot

How we rank

Each program gets a score from 0 to 100 that asks how much money you can realistically get for how little work. It blends the largest published amount (loans count for less because they are repaid), how much effort an application takes, how likely an eligible applicant is to succeed and how many people qualify. Closed programs score zero and programs without a published dollar figure get a neutral value, never a guess. Scores are editorial estimates, not predictions of approval.

Questions

How many Ontario programs for Indigenous businesses and communities are open right now?

Of the 36 Ontario programs for Indigenous businesses and communities in our database, 16 are open or ongoing and 6 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 Oct 28, 2026; programs can change without notice.

What is the largest published amount among these programs?

Community Sport and Recreation Infrastructure Fund (CSRIF) publishes the largest figure on this page, shown as "Up to $10M". 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 Ontario programs for Indigenous businesses and communities rank highest?

Right now the top three by our score are Community Sport and Recreation Infrastructure Fund (41, Strong), First Nations Community Building Retrofit Program (41, Strong), NOHFC Enhance Your Community Program (39, Strong). 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 16 open or ongoing programs here, 13 are in our Grants category, 1 are loans and 2 are other incentives such as tax credits and rebates.

Are these federal or Ontario programs?

0 of the 16 open or ongoing programs here come from the federal government and 16 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.

Get the short list for your business

Create a free account to save programs, see which ones match your profile and track what you have applied for.

Create a free accountUse the matcher

Estimates; confirm on the official page. Independent research tool, not a government website. Data last checked Oct 28, 2026. Grants & Loans Finder.