Research and development programs for non-profits and charities

Ranked programs

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

1. Mitacs Accelerate

   Mitacs

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

   OngoingFederalGrants
   41

   Strong

2. 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

3. 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

4. SSHRC Connection Grants

   Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC)

   Supports events and outreach activities for short-term, targeted knowledge mobilization, often a first step toward larger and longer-term projects.

   OpenFederalGrantsUp to $50K
   36

   Worth a look

5. 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

6. 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

7. 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

8. Canada Foundation for Innovation - Infrastructure Operating Fund (IOF)

   Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI)

   Helps institutions cover a portion of the operating and maintenance costs of CFI-funded research infrastructure so it is used optimally. Each institution is allocated an...

   OngoingFederalGrants
   29

   Worth a look

9. NSERC Applied Research Tools and Instruments (ARTI) grants

   Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC)

   One-year grants that let colleges buy applied research equipment so they can better respond to the innovation needs of local partners and give students hands-on training.

   OpenFederalGrantsUp to $200K
   28

   Worth a look

10. Energy Innovation Program (EIP) - Innovation Ecosystem Enablers call (testing facilities) and other calls

    Natural Resources Canada (Office of Energy Research and Development)

    NRCan's Energy Innovation Program funds clean-energy RD&D through targeted calls for proposals. The currently open call, Innovation Ecosystem Enablers (focus area...

    OpenFederalGrantsUp to $10M
    27

    Worth a look

11. NSERC Discovery Institutes Support grants

    Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC)

    Helps Canadian theoretical research institutes cover operating and maintenance costs and foster training and collaboration within and among institutes.

    OpenFederalGrantsUp to $1.5M
    25

    Worth a look

12. NOHFC Industrial Research Chair Program

    Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation (NOHFC)

    Funds industrial research chairs to expand research capacity at Northern Ontario post-secondary institutions.

    OngoingOntarioGrantsUp to $1M
    24

    Long shot

13. Canada Foundation for Innovation - Canada Impact+ Research Infrastructure Fund (CIRIF)

    Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI)

    Provides research infrastructure funding for newly recruited Canada Impact+ Research Chairs and Emerging Leaders, part of the Canada Global Impact+ Research Talent...

    Intake-basedFederalGrantsUp to $6M
    22

    Long shot

14. NSERC Alliance Society grants

    NSERC

    Funds university-led collaborative research with partner organizations focused on societal outcomes.

    OngoingFederalGrantsUp to $500K
    20

    Long shot

15. Innovation Partnership Program (Trade Commissioner Service)

    Trade Commissioner Service (Global Affairs Canada)

    Support and funding for Canadian innovators to join international innovation missions and build co-innovation partnerships.

    Intake-basedFederalGrants
    19

    Long shot

16. NRC Outreach Initiative grants and contributions

    National Research Council Canada

    Funds non-profits and charities running science and innovation outreach such as conferences, workshops and symposia, including an Indigenous outreach stream.

    Intake-basedFederalGrants
    18

    Long shot

17. SSHRC Partnership Development Grants

    Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC)

    Supports the development of partnered research and related activities in the social sciences and humanities.

    OpenFederalGrantsUp to $250K
    18

    Long shot

18. Ontario Agri-Food Research Initiative (OAFRI) and Grow Ontario Accelerator Hub

    OMAFA

    Funds agri-food research, pilot and demonstration, knowledge transfer and commercialization projects (Sustainable CAP).

    Intake-basedOntarioGrants
    14

    Long shot

19. Ontario Research Fund - Research Infrastructure (ORF-RI)

    Ontario Ministry of Colleges, Universities, Research Excellence and Security

    Co-funds research infrastructure (equipment, facilities) with the Canada Foundation for Innovation.

    Intake-basedOntarioGrants
    10

    Long shot

20. SSHRC Partnership Grants

    Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC)

    Supports new and existing formal partnerships over four to seven years to advance research, research training and knowledge mobilization in the social sciences and...

    OpenFederalGrantsUp to $2.5M
    5

    Long shot

Questions

How many research and development programs for non-profits and charities are open right now?

Of the 32 research and development programs for non-profits and charities in our database, 15 are open or ongoing and 5 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?

Energy Innovation Program (EIP) - Innovation Ecosystem Enablers call (testing facilities) and other calls 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 research and development programs for non-profits and charities rank highest?

Right now the top three by our score are Mitacs Accelerate (41, Strong), Mitacs AI Advantage (39, Strong), Mitacs Business Strategy Internship (37, Worth a look). 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 15 open or ongoing programs here, 15 are in our Grants category, 0 are loans and 0 are other incentives such as tax credits and rebates.

Are these federal or Ontario programs?

14 of the 15 open or ongoing programs here come from the federal government and 1 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.