An independent registry of Northern Ontario funding Data updated Aug 17, 2026 · CC-BY-4.0
Northern Ontario Grants

Startups & new entrepreneurs

Start with the honest version: almost nothing here is free money. The genuinely non-repayable list for a Northern Ontario startup is short, Starter Company Plus (reported up to $5,000, through your local Small Business Enterprise Centre, with mandatory training) and Summer Company for students (reported up to $3,000). Everything bigger is conditional or repayable: NOHFC's Invest North Launch stream funds businesses under six months old at up to 50% of eligible costs to a reported $200,000 maximum, but it is a conditional contribution, not a cheque, and you still need your half. Community Futures Development Corporations lend to startups the banks turn down and give free counselling. Expect to bring 25–50% of costs, a real business plan, and patience, approvals run through boards, not checkouts.

Your first call is the SBEC or CFDC, not a funder

Your municipality's Small Business Enterprise Centre (usually inside the economic development office) delivers Starter Company Plus and Summer Company and gives free advisory. Your local CFDC offers free counselling and startup loans. Both will tell you what you actually qualify for before you burn weeks on an application.

NOHFC Launch is the big-ticket route

For businesses less than six months old: a conditional contribution reported at up to 50% of eligible costs to a $200,000 maximum, continuous intake through the MyNOHFC portal. You need your own capital for the other half and a real proposal, the process runs preliminary application, full proposal, then board approval.

Loans dressed as programs are still worth taking

CFDC loans (typically reported up to about $150,000, varying by corporation), Futurpreneur for entrepreneurs aged 18–39 (financing plus two years of mentorship), and PARO Centre for Women's Enterprise (peer lending circles and advisory, pan-Northern from Thunder Bay). The mentorship and counselling attached are often worth as much as the capital.

Programs for you (23)

Open, continuous intake

BOOST Program (Innovation Link)

Timmins Economic Development Corporation

Up to $10,000

no fixed deadline; approvals on the funder's cycle

timminsedc.com · Last verified Aug 17, 2026 · Auto-checked against official source

Open, continuous intakePartly repayable, check terms

Community Futures Program (Northern Ontario)

Federal Economic Development Agency for Northern Ontario

Varies; see program

no fixed deadline; approvals on the funder's cycle

fednor.canada.ca · Last verified Aug 17, 2026 · Auto-checked against official source

Open, continuous intakePartly repayable, check terms

INVEST North, Innovation Stream

Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation

Up to $2,000,000

no fixed deadline; approvals on the funder's cycle

myportal.nohfc.ca · Last verified Aug 17, 2026 · Auto-checked against official source

Open, continuous intakeRepayable

MVDF Business Financing

Métis Voyageur Development Fund

Up to $1,500,000

no fixed deadline; approvals on the funder's cycle

mvdf.ca · Last verified Aug 17, 2026 · Auto-checked against official source

Open, continuous intake

NADF E-Commerce Grant

Nishnawbe Aski Development Fund

Up to $8,000

no fixed deadline; approvals on the funder's cycle

nadf.org · Last verified Aug 17, 2026 · Auto-checked against official source

Open while funds lastPartly repayable, check terms

NADF Indigenous Women Entrepreneurship Program

Nishnawbe Aski Development Fund

Up to $25,000

allocations can run out before the window closes; confirm before applying

nadf.org · Last verified Aug 17, 2026 · Auto-checked against official source

Open, continuous intakePartly repayable, check terms

NOHFC Invest North, Investment: Launch

Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation

Up to $200,000

no fixed deadline; approvals on the funder's cycle

myportal.nohfc.ca · Last verified Aug 16, 2026 · Reported, verification pending

Open, continuous intakePartly repayable, check terms

NRC IRAP, Innovation Funding

National Research Council, Industrial Research Assistance Program

From $10,000

no fixed deadline; approvals on the funder's cycle

nrc.canada.ca · Last verified Aug 16, 2026 · Reported, verification pending

Next intake not announcedPartly repayable, check terms

Ontario Creates IP Fund

Ontario Creates

$5,000 – $500,000

watch this page or subscribe to the calendar

ontariocreates.ca · Last verified Aug 17, 2026 · Auto-checked against official source

Open, continuous intakeRepayable

PARO Peer Lending Circles

PARO Centre for Women's Enterprise

$1,000 – $5,000

no fixed deadline; approvals on the funder's cycle

paro.ca · Last verified Aug 17, 2026 · Auto-checked against official source

Next intake not announced

Starter Company Plus

Grants Ontario / Transfer Payment Ontario

Up to $5,000

watch this page or subscribe to the calendar

ontario.ca · Last verified Aug 17, 2026 · Auto-checked against official source

Open while funds last

Student Work Placement Program (SWPP)

Employment and Social Development Canada

Up to $5,000

allocations can run out before the window closes; confirm before applying

canada.ca · Last verified Aug 17, 2026 · Reported, verification pending

Next intake not announced

Summer Company

Grants Ontario / Transfer Payment Ontario

Up to $3,000

watch this page or subscribe to the calendar

ontario.ca · Last verified Aug 17, 2026 · Auto-checked against official source

Open, continuous intakePartly repayable, check terms

Waubetek Business Financing Program

Waubetek Business Development Corporation

Up to $99,999

no fixed deadline; approvals on the funder's cycle

waubetek.com · Last verified Aug 17, 2026 · Auto-checked against official source

Common questions

  • What grants can I actually get to start a business in Northern Ontario?
  • Do I qualify for NOHFC's Launch stream, and is it really a grant?
  • Where can I get a startup loan when the bank says no?
  • What's available for student or youth entrepreneurs?
  • Who will help me write a business plan for free?

Longer answers are in the guides.

Common questions

Is there any actual free money to start a business?

The honest short list: Starter Company Plus (reported up to $5,000) and, for students, Summer Company (reported up to $3,000). Both are competitive, require training and a business plan, and are delivered through Small Business Enterprise Centres, not guaranteed cheques.

Can a brand-new business get NOHFC or FedNor money?

NOHFC's Launch stream exists specifically for businesses under six months old, but it's a conditional contribution and you carry roughly half the costs. FedNor is possible but officer-mediated and harder pre-revenue; expect the officer to send you to a CFDC or SBEC first.

I'm pre-revenue tech, what fits?

NRC IRAP, if you're incorporated and doing genuine technology innovation, intake runs through a relationship with an Industrial Technology Advisor, and regional budgets are reported to be richest in spring. FedNor's REGI fits at scale-up stage, not day one.