Finance your exports

Loan guarantees

• EDC — Account Performance Security Guarantee 

  ​Export Development Canada
  Get 100% coverage of bonds posted by your bank on your behalf, and issue letters of guarantee associated with contractual, regulatory and supplier guarantees. This frees up your cash or credit line to expand your business.

• EDC — Buyer financing 

  ​Export Development Canada
  Get a loan guarantee to give your business a competitive edge and to reduce your risk of non-payment. Offer flexible repayment terms on loans for your international customers, covering their purchases from you, for transactions of less than $10 million.

• EDC — Export Guarantee Program 

  ​Export Development Canada
  Get an EDC loan guarantee of up to $10 million on money you borrow from your bank, allowing you to increase your access to capital. This will help you manage your cash flow, increase international sales, and support your investments.

• FinDev Canada Financing and Investment 

  FinDev Canada
  Direct loans, loan guarantees, structured project financing and investments are available for companies operating in developing countries that bring sustainable social and economic benefits to local communities.

• Fonds afro-entrepreneurs 

  ​Filaction​
  Are you a member of one of Quebec's black communities? You could receive a loan or loan guarantee for your business' needs.

• Project Financing 

  Investissement Québec
  Loans, loan guarantees or capital investments of $50,000 and up for projects involving expansion, exporting, modernization, innovation, buildings and equipment, marketing and more.

Equity investments

• Ambition ME 

  ​Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec
  Obtain financing in the form of investment, support from specialists and access to an international network to propel the development and growth of your medium-sized Quebec company.

• BDC Capital 

  ​Business Development Bank of Canada
  Access a wide range of specialized financing to match the various stages of your business' growth.

• BDC Capital — Venture Capital 

  Business Development Bank of Canada
  Get financing and advice from venture capital investors to help you build and grow your business in Canada and internationally.

• Fonds de solidarité FTQ 

  ​Fonds de solidarité FTQ
  ​If your Quebec business is in a period of growth and profitability, you can use this fund to obtain personalized business solutions that meet your needs.

• Industrial, Clean and Energy Technology (ICE) Venture Fund 

  ​Business Development Bank of Canada
  ​Benefit from this funding if your business is in industrial, clean and energy technology sector and has a strong potential for productivity growth.

• National Bank SME Growth Fund 

  ​National Bank
  ​Receive up to $15 million for the growth, transfer or purchase of your company.

• Scotiabank Women Initiative 

  ​Scotiabank
  Access capital, training, consulting and mentoring to develop your women-owned business.

Loans and cash advances

• BDC - Business loans 

  Business Development Bank of Canada
  ​You could get money to help you start or grow your business.

• BDC Capital 

  ​Business Development Bank of Canada
  Access a wide range of specialized financing to match the various stages of your business' growth.

• BDC Capital — Growth Equity Partner 

  Business Development Bank of Canada
  Get financing and advice from growth equity partners to help grow your business in Canada and internationally. This support will be provided through partnerships, funding and access to potential growth capital.

• BDC Indigenous Entrepreneur Loan 

  Business Development Bank of Canada
  Purchase assets, start exporting, pay start-up or franchise fees and replenish working capital with a $350,000 loan if you have an existing businesses or $250,000 if you are a start-up.

• BDC Small Business Loan 

  Business Development Bank of Canada
  Apply online for a business loan of up to $100,000 with flexible repayment terms. Use this financing to supplement cash flow, improve operations, or cover expenses for your small business.

• BDC Working Capital Term Loan 

  Business Development Bank of Canada
  Get a loan to complement your line of credit in order to boost inventory and take advantage of supplier discounts.

• Collective entrepreneurship financing 

  Investissement Québec
  Loans covering up to 100% of the costs for most co-operative and not-for-profit business projects, starting at $50,000.

• Community Futures Program 

  Canada Economic Development for Quebec Regions
  Get funding for starting or growing a business in a rural or disadvantaged area of the province of Quebec.

• EDC — Foreign Exchange Facility Guarantee 

  ​Export Development Canada
  Your EDC-approved financial institution or foreign exchange service provider will receive a 100% risk transfer solution on eligible foreign exchange contracts of up to 3 years, without you having to post collateral as payment assurance. This frees up your cash flow to take on more business and protect your profit margins.

• EDC — Performance Security Insurance 

  ​Export Development Canada
  Get insurance for up to 95% of your losses if a foreign customer wrongfully calls a letter of guarantee or if a call is triggered by you not being able to meet your obligations due to specific political risks. This protection helps you expand to new markets with the ability to provide letters of guarantee to secure contracts.

• EDC — Portfolio Credit Insurance 

  ​Export Development Canada
  Get coverage of up to 90% of your losses if your international customer can’t pay for an order, whether you are an occasional exporter or regular exporter.

• EDC — Women in Trade Investments Program 

  Export Development Canada
  Get equity capital for your high-revenue, women-led business in the form of direct investment or venture capital funds, to grow and scale to new markets.

• Export and cultural visibility support program 

  Société de développement des entreprises culturelles
  Funding in varying amounts for activities relating to the export of Quebec cultural products, in the form of non-repayable or partially repayable grants.

• Farm Credit Canada — Loans and lending options 

  Farm Credit Canada
  You could access flexible financing options for your farming, agri-food or agribusiness operation.

• FinDev Canada Financing and Investment 

  FinDev Canada
  Direct loans, loan guarantees, structured project financing and investments are available for companies operating in developing countries that bring sustainable social and economic benefits to local communities.

• Fonds afro-entrepreneurs 

  ​Filaction​
  Are you a member of one of Quebec's black communities? You could receive a loan or loan guarantee for your business' needs.

• Fonds de microcrédit agricole (in French only)

  ​MRC de la Vallée-du-Richelieu
  Get an interest-free loan to help you develop your farm business.

• Fonds de solidarité FTQ 

  ​Fonds de solidarité FTQ
  ​If your Quebec business is in a period of growth and profitability, you can use this fund to obtain personalized business solutions that meet your needs.

• Project Financing 

  Investissement Québec
  Loans, loan guarantees or capital investments of $50,000 and up for projects involving expansion, exporting, modernization, innovation, buildings and equipment, marketing and more.

Tax refunds and credits

• Indigenous business at EDC 

  Export Development Canada
  Get support for building a global brand and removing barriers to access for your Indigenous business, whether you’re exporting products, services or experiences.

• Quebec book publishing tax credit 

  Société de développement des entreprises culturelles
  Credit of 27% to 35% on various costs associated with publishing books, comic strips and collections of poetry in Quebec, including developing foreign markets, major publishing projects, translation into other languages and creation of digital versions.

• Tax credit for multimedia event or environment productions sponsored outside Quebec 

  Société de développement des entreprises culturelles
  Tax credit of up to 35% of labour costs and production expenses relating to showcasing your Quebec production outside the province, up to a maximum credit of $350,000 per production.

Grants, contributions and financial assistance

• Aboriginal Initiatives Fund III (in French only)

  Secrétariat aux affaires autochtones
  Your for-profit or non-profit Indigenous organization could be eligible for a grant for its economic development project.

• AgriAssurance Program — Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises 

  Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada
  Get up to $50,000 to implement third-party assurance certification projects that will help your company address international market requirements.

• AgriMarketing Program 

  Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada
  Get up to $2 million in financial support over five years to pursue new markets abroad.

• AgriMarketing Program — National Industry Associations 

  Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada
  Your association in the agriculture, agri-food, or agri-based products sector, including fish and seafood, could get a contribution of matching funds, up to $2 million/year, for projects that break down trade barriers and build market success.

• Business Assistance — Immigrant Investor Program 

  Investissement Québec
  Non-repayable contributions of $40,000 to $250,000 covering up to 10% of project costs for existing businesses and 15% for start-ups.

• Canada Book Fund Publishing Support 

  Canadian Heritage
  Contributions for ongoing production, marketing and distribution of Canadian-authored books, in Canada and globally.

• Canada Pavilion Program 

  ​Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada
  If your export-ready company features products from the agriculture and agri-food sectors, you can get funding to offset the cost of booth prices on a show-by-show basis when you exhibit at trade shows.

• EDC — Structured and Project Finance 

  ​Export Development Canada
  Are you undertaking a long-term, capital-intensive project? Get financing, step-by-step guidance, market intelligence and expertise across a range of sectors, including renewables and sustainable technologies, energy, infrastructure, and extractive industries.

• Export and cultural visibility support program 

  Société de développement des entreprises culturelles
  Funding in varying amounts for activities relating to the export of Quebec cultural products, in the form of non-repayable or partially repayable grants.

• FACTOR funding for the sound recording industry 

  Foundation Assisting Canadian Talent on Recordings
  Get funding for the production and marketing of English-language Canadian sound recordings, domestic and international touring and showcasing, and more.

• Farm Credit Canada — Loans and lending options 

  Farm Credit Canada
  You could access flexible financing options for your farming, agri-food or agribusiness operation.

• FinDev Canada Financing and Investment 

  FinDev Canada
  Direct loans, loan guarantees, structured project financing and investments are available for companies operating in developing countries that bring sustainable social and economic benefits to local communities.

• Financial aid for festivals and tourist events (in French only)

  ​Tourisme et loisirs
  

  Are you planning to hold a festival or tourist event between May 1, 2024 and April 30, 2025? The financial aid program for festivals and tourist events may interest you.

• Financial assistance for music production and variety programming (in French only)

  ​SODEC
  ​Do you own a music, entertainment-production, or artist management company? If so, you could get a grant for your commercial activities.

• Funding from Canada Council for the Arts 

  ​Canada Counsil for the Arts
  Are you an artist? You may be eligible to apply for various grants and prizes through the Canada Council for the Arts.

• PME MTL – Social Initiatives 

  PME MTL
  Get up to $50,000 in subsidy and resources to start a social initiative.

• Programme Appui aux initiatives internationales (in French only)

  ​Ministère de la Culture et des Communications
  Obtain financial assistance for the implementation of initiatives aimed at supporting Quebec cultural actors in their international projects.

• Programme de soutien à la commercialisation et à l'exportation (PSCE) (in French only)

  ​Investissement Québec​
  Obtain financing to strengthen your SME's ability to commercialize its products and services on the Quebec market and to export them to national and international markets.

• Quebec Economic Development Program 

  Canada Economic Development for Quebec Regions
  ​Find out about financial and other resources that can help you develop your Quebec business.

• REGI — Business Scale-up and Productivity — CED (QC) — Private sector 

  ​Canada Economic Development for Quebec Regions
  Get a financial contribution to help you scale up and expand, adopt and commercialize innovative technologies and processes, or diversify your markets.

• REGI — Regional Innovation Ecosystems — CED (QC) — Not-for-profit 

  ​Canada Economic Development for Quebec Regions
  Your organization could get a financial contribution to assist businesses at all stages of development in scaling up and becoming more globally competitive. Investments will focus on enhancing business support networks for under-represented groups — including women, Indigenous peoples and young entrepreneurs — and supporting regional strategic clusters, accelerators and incubators, and projects that attract foreign investments.

• Soutien aux initiatives de développement économique dans l'arrondissement d'Ahuntsic-Cartierville (in French only)

  ​Ville de Montréal
  Get financial assistance to propel your collective economic development initiatives.

• TELUS Pollinator Fund for Good 

  ​Telus
  Get funding for your innovative projects in health, education, agriculture and the environment.