Grants and loans for new Ontario businesses

Updated September 28, 2026

Most help for brand-new businesses is training plus a small grant, or a loan with mentoring. These are the main Ontario options.

Starter Company Plus

Training, mentoring and a grant of up to $5,000, run through your local Small Business Enterprise Centre. You must be 18 or older, a Canadian citizen or permanent resident, and not in school full-time, and you contribute at least 25% of the grant amount in cash or in kind. Intake dates vary by centre, so contact yours early.

Summer Company

For students aged 15 to 29 running a full-time summer business: up to $3,000 plus mentoring. Applications usually open in spring.

Futurpreneur

Loans of up to $75,000 ($25,000 from Futurpreneur plus up to $50,000 from BDC) and a two-year mentor for entrepreneurs aged 18 to 39. There are streams for Black, Indigenous and newcomer founders, and for side businesses.

Northern and rural Ontario

Community Futures Development Corporations lend to businesses in rural and Northern Ontario and give free advice. In the north, NOHFC's Invest North: Launch can cover up to half of eligible costs for a new full-time business.

Programs for specific groups

• Indigenous founders: the Aboriginal Entrepreneurship Program, through Indigenous Financial Institutions.
• Black founders: the Black Entrepreneurship Loan Fund ($25,000 to $250,000).
• Women: the Women Entrepreneurship Loan Fund (up to $50,000).
• Entrepreneurs living with mental health or addiction challenges: Rise small loans and mentoring.

Your credit union and BDC

Credit unions like Meridian and Desjardins make small business loans, and BDC is the federal development bank for entrepreneurs.

Programs change. Always confirm amounts and dates on the official page.

Official sources

• Starter Company Plus
• Summer Company
• Futurpreneur
• Community Futures Ontario
• NOHFC Invest North: Launch
• Canada Small Business Financing Program