Housing and real estate programs for small businesses

We track 4 housing and real estate programs for small businesses that are open or ongoing right now (1 federal, 3 Ontario), plus 2 that take applications in intake windows. 0 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 9, 2026.

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

Ranked programs

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

  1. 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

  2. Hamilton Commercial District Revitalization Grant (CDRG) Program

    City of Hamilton / Invest in Hamilton

    Matching grant for permanent exterior, accessibility and sustainability improvements to commercial or mixed-use properties in designated Hamilton commercial districts...

    OngoingOntarioGrants
    34
    Worth a look

  3. Kitchener Downtown Façade Grant Program

    City of Kitchener

    Matching grants for street-facing façade improvements to downtown Kitchener buildings, including storefronts, signage, windows, awnings and AODA accessibility upgrades.

    OpenOntarioGrantsUp to $30K
    31
    Worth a look

  4. Kitchener Designated Heritage Grant Program

    City of Kitchener

    Grants toward conserving individually designated heritage properties and properties in Kitchener heritage districts.

    Intake-basedOntarioGrantsUp to $15K
    20
    Long shot

  5. Toronto Heritage Property Tax Rebate Program

    City of Toronto (Heritage Planning)

    Property tax rebate for eligible commercial and industrial heritage properties in Toronto that complete qualifying conservation work.

    OngoingOntarioOther incentives
    18
    Long shot

  6. FedNor - Regional Homebuilding Innovation Initiative (Northern Ontario)

    FedNor

    Supports Northern Ontario businesses and organizations strengthening the housing supply chain and residential construction innovation. Commercial projects are generally...

    Intake-basedFederalLoansLoans up to $500K
    14
    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 housing and real estate programs for small businesses are open right now?

Of the 7 housing and real estate programs for small businesses in our database, 4 are open or ongoing and 2 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 9, 2026; programs can change without notice.

What is the largest published amount among these programs?

Kitchener Downtown Façade Grant Program publishes the largest figure on this page, shown as "Up to $30K". 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 housing and real estate programs for small businesses rank highest?

Right now the top three by our score are GST/HST New Residential Rental Property Rebate and Purpose-Built Rental Housing rebate (34, Worth a look), Hamilton Commercial District Revitalization Grant Program (34, Worth a look), Kitchener Downtown Façade Grant Program (31, 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 4 open or ongoing programs here, 2 are in our Grants category, 0 are loans and 2 are other incentives such as tax credits and rebates.

Are these federal or Ontario programs?

1 of the 4 open or ongoing programs here come from the federal government and 3 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 9, 2026. Grants & Loans Finder.