Regional development programs for small businesses

Ranked programs

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

1. 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

2. 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

3. Indigenous Entrepreneurship and Business Development: Access to Capital (Aboriginal Entrepreneurship Program)

   Indigenous Services Canada, delivered by Indigenous Financial Institutions and Metis Capital Corporations

   Non-repayable equity-type contributions and business services for Indigenous entrepreneurs and Indigenous community businesses to start, expand or acquire a business...

   OngoingFederalGrantsUp to $250K
   43

   Strong

4. FedNor - Northern Ontario Development Program (NODP)

   FedNor

   FedNor's NODP funds community economic development, SME business growth and a municipal/First Nation economic-development-officer initiative (CIINO) in Northern Ontario...

   OngoingFederalGrantsUp to $170K
   40

   Strong

5. NOHFC Invest North - Launch

   Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation (NOHFC)

   Conditional contribution for new start-ups in Northern Ontario.

   OngoingOntarioGrantsUp to $200K
   35

   Worth a look

6. Community Futures Program (Northern Ontario)

   FedNor via Community Futures Development Corporations

   CFDCs provide community planning, business information and planning services, and access to capital for SMEs and social enterprises in Northern Ontario.

   OngoingFederalLoans
   34

   Worth a look

7. Community Futures Program (southern Ontario, FedDev Ontario-funded CFDCs)

   FedDev Ontario via local Community Futures Development Corporations (CFDCs)

   FedDev Ontario funds Community Futures Development Corporations (CFDCs) in rural southern Ontario that provide business loans, business services and community economic...

   OngoingFederalLoans
   34

   Worth a look

8. 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

9. London Industrial Development Charges Grant

   City of London

   Grant equal to a share of development charges for industrial development, redevelopment and adaptive reuse within London's Urban Growth Boundary.

   OngoingOntarioOther incentivesUp to $250K
   34

   Worth a look

10. London Core Area Safety Audit Grant

    City of London (Planning and Development)

    Matching grant to improve safety and security of properties in London's Core Area, such as exterior lighting, storefront gates, landscaping and security cameras.

    OngoingOntarioGrantsUp to $10K
    33

    Worth a look

11. 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

12. 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

13. 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

14. NOHFC Workforce Development Program (internships)

    Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation (NOHFC)

    Funds internship salaries for Northern Ontario employers.

    OngoingOntarioOther incentivesUp to $35K
    30

    Worth a look

15. London Façade Improvement Loan (Community Improvement Plan)

    City of London (Planning and Development)

    Low-cost loan for exterior building improvements such as windows, doors, brick repair, painting, lighting and attached signage within London's Community Improvement...

    OngoingOntarioLoansLoans up to $50K
    29

    Worth a look

16. NSERC Applied Research and Development (ARD) grants

    NSERC (College and Community Innovation program)

    Supports college-led applied research and development projects with industry partners that contribute cash, helping Ontario colleges solve business problems.

    OngoingFederalGrantsUp to $150K
    29

    Worth a look

17. 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

18. FedNor - Regional Economic Growth through Innovation (REGI)

    FedNor

    Supports Northern Ontario business growth (Targeted Manufacturing Initiative) and regional innovation ecosystems (not-for-profits).

    OngoingFederalLoansLoans up to $500K
    23

    Long shot

19. FedDev Ontario - Funding for businesses to innovate, grow and compete (REGI Business Scale-up and Productivity)

    Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario (FedDev Ontario)

    Interest-free, unconditionally repayable contributions for southern Ontario businesses to innovate, scale up, adopt technology and commercialize. Covers new project...

    OngoingFederalLoansLoans up to $10M
    19

    Long shot

20. Canada's Ocean Supercluster - Technology Leadership and Innovation Ecosystem projects

    Canada's Ocean Supercluster (Global Innovation Cluster)

    Co-invests in industry-led ocean technology consortium projects and ecosystem-building activities. Open to Ontario firms that join consortia.

    OngoingFederalGrants
    12

    Long shot

21. FedNor - Regional Defence Investment Initiative (RDII)

    FedNor

    Supports Northern Ontario businesses, not-for-profits and Indigenous-led organizations meeting a specific military need in the defence supply chain.

    Intake-basedFederalLoans
    12

    Long shot

22. Regional Development Program: Advanced Manufacturing and Innovation Competitiveness (AMIC) Stream

    Ministry of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade

    Financial support to advanced manufacturing companies, with a focus on SMEs, for capital equipment, technology adoption and skills development to improve competitiveness.

    Intake-basedOntarioGrants
    12

    Long shot

Questions

How many regional development programs for small businesses are open right now?

Of the 35 regional development programs for small businesses in our database, 19 are open or ongoing and 3 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 1, 2026; programs can change without notice.

What is the largest published amount among these programs?

FedDev Ontario - Regional Tariff Response Initiative (RTRI) publishes the largest figure on this page, shown as "Up to $20M". 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 regional development programs for small businesses rank highest?

Right now the top three by our score are FedDev Ontario - Regional Tariff Response Initiative (54, Top pick), FedNor - Regional Tariff Response Initiative (44, Strong), Indigenous Entrepreneurship and Business Development: Access to Capital (43, 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 19 open or ongoing programs here, 12 are in our Grants category, 5 are loans and 2 are other incentives such as tax credits and rebates.

Are these federal or Ontario programs?

12 of the 19 open or ongoing programs here come from the federal government and 7 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.