Financial assistance search: a free online tool for businesses

With the vast array of financial assistance programs available to businesses in Quebec and Canada, it can be difficult to find the right one for the projects at hand. Indeed, the federal and provincial governments as well as regional authorities are committed to the economic health of their communities and provide businesses with a wide range of funding sources.

However, the eligibility criteria for each of these financial assistance measures are sometimes complex. The number of organizations or departments involved is impressive. Who is the right partner for a project? FCC, BDC, EDC, MAPAQ, Global Affairs Canada or a more regional organization, specific to your region? The questions are numerous.

To help applicants navigate through these programs, the federal government has developed an online research tool that lists and explains the programs available to you. And it’s free!

The tool first allows you to identify the purpose of your search: financing, loans, tax credits, wage subsidies, export counselling or partnership.

Then, it is important to specify the goal of the project: innovate, start a business, buy equipment, export products, hire employees, increase productivity, reduce pollution and so on.

The search tool proposes a questionnaire that focuses on various elements to better guide you in your research. It takes into account the nature of the company (sector and main field of activity), the stage of the company’s life, the location, the number of employees and the nature of the incorporation, in order to identify more precisely the programs that may be available and meet your needs. Since some programs are geared towards specific clienteles, these questions allow us to refine the search. This is particularly the case for financial aid encouraging women’s entrepreneurship, Aboriginal entrepreneurship or the next generation of entrepreneurs, for example.

Each existing program is compared to your criteria and a selection is made. At the end of the description of your company and your project, you will have a list of financial aid available to you, specifically for the project you wish to carry out. The links to the pages of each organization also allow you to better understand the parameters for each financial aid measure. The results are sorted by type or category: financing, loans, tax credits, advice, etc.

Of course, you don’t have answers about the amounts that are available to you, but you do know which door to knock on. Please note that some programs allow you to combine financial assistance and apply for more than one measure.

The financial aid search tool is updated regularly and presents the solutions that are available at the time of the search. You can also save your search to quickly find your list of results or receive updates on your favorite financial aid measures.

In less than 10 minutes, discover a range of potential financial aid measures related to your project. This is the breadcrumb trail that guides you through all the economic development measures available to you. Bookmark this link and test it before launching any new project. You have everything to gain!