Every programme in detail
Read the exclusions before the eligibility. It is faster to find out you are ruled out than to find out you qualify.
Canada-Ontario Job Grant
OpenOntario Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development, with the Government of Canada · Provincial
Up to $10,000 per trainee, or up to $15,000 per trainee if you are training and hiring someone who is unemployed
Applications are being accepted for training programmes with 25 or fewer participants supported by a single employer
What you put in
Employers with fewer than 100 staff contribute one sixth of training costs. Employers with 100 or more contribute half. Training and hiring an unemployed person can be funded at 100%.
What it funds
- Training delivered by an approved third-party training provider
Who qualifies
- Training must be delivered by an approved third-party provider, not in house
- You must be a private sector or non-profit employer, or an eligible First Nation
- You choose the trainee and the skills to train, for existing staff or new hires
Who does not qualify
- The employer themselves, including self-employed people, and family members of employers, board members or shareholders
- Contractors and volunteers, because the trainee must be your employee
- Temporary foreign workers and anyone with temporary status
- Anyone already receiving funding from another government training programme
- Federal, provincial and municipal governments and agencies, and designated broader public sector organisations
- Training you are legally required to provide anyway
- Training delivered by a vendor on how to use that vendor’s own product
- Executive and preparatory courses such as MBA, CFA, LSAT, MCAT and GMAT
- Conferences, curriculum development, apprenticeships, and any training running longer than a year
- Training for business owners
Cost sharing depends on employer size, so the headline $10,000 is not what a small employer pays toward. The ministry was accepting applications only for programmes with 25 or fewer participants supported by one employer when this was checked; larger or multi-employer applications follow a different route. Step by step application instructions are not published on the overview page.
NOHFC Workforce Development Program
RollingNorthern Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation · Provincial
Up to $35,000 per year toward an intern's salary
What you put in
Businesses receive up to 50% of the intern's salary including the employer's portion of MERCs. Municipalities, Indigenous communities and non-profits receive up to 90%.
What it funds
- An intern's salary, including the employer's portion of MERCs
Who qualifies
- Your business must be located in Northern Ontario
- You must be hiring an intern rather than funding existing staff
Who does not qualify
- Businesses outside the Northern Ontario region NOHFC serves
Northern Ontario only, which rules out most of the province's businesses including everyone in the Greater Toronto Area. The 50% rate is the one that applies to businesses; the 90% figure quoted in many listings is for municipalities, Indigenous communities and non-profits. A separate Indigenous Workforce Development Program covers up to 75% to a maximum of $52,500 per year. Detailed eligibility and application steps are in NOHFC's own guidelines rather than on the overview page.
Starter Company Plus
RollingOntario Ministry of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade, delivered by local Small Business Enterprise Centres · Provincial
Intake dates are set locally by each Small Business Enterprise Centre
What you put in
At least 25% of the grant amount, in cash or in kind
Who qualifies
- Not attending school full time, and not returning to school
- Able to contribute at least 25% of the grant amount, in cash or in kind
- Resident of Ontario
- Canadian citizen or permanent resident
- 18 years of age or older
Who does not qualify
- Anyone attending school full-time, or planning to return to school
- Anyone under 18
- Anyone who is not an Ontario resident and a Canadian citizen or permanent resident
- Anyone who cannot put in 25% of the grant amount themselves, in cash or in kind
How to apply
- Find your local Small Business Enterprise Centre
- Confirm that centre's current intake dates, which it sets itself
- Take part in the guidance, workshops and mentoring the programme provides
- Apply for the grant through that centre
Delivered by local Small Business Enterprise Centres, each of which sets its own intake dates and cohort caps, so availability varies by location. The provincial page states no deadline. There is no single online application form: the apply link goes to the provincial programme page, which routes to the centre finder. Exclusions and required documents are not published provincially and are set by each centre.
Southwestern Ontario Development Fund
UpcomingOntario Ministry of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade, through the Regional Development Program · Provincial
Up to 15% of eligible project costs. Rural companies with under 100 staff can receive a grant of up to $500,000; strategic foreign direct investment projects up to $1.5 million. Larger awards come as interest-free loans up to $5 million, of which up to 30% may be forgiven if you hit your investment and job targets.
Period 24 submissions open on 3 November 2026 and close on 21 January 2027
What you put in
You fund at least 85% of the project. The fund covers up to 15%.
Who qualifies
- Invest at least $500,000 in the project, or $200,000 in rural Ontario
- Create at least 5 new jobs, or a 30% increase if you have fewer than 15 employees
- Employ at least 10 people, or 5 in rural Ontario
- Three years of operations and financial statements
- Located in one of 18 southwestern counties: Brant, Bruce, Chatham-Kent, Dufferin, Elgin, Essex, Grey, Haldimand, Huron, Lambton, Middlesex, Niagara, Norfolk, Oxford, Perth, Simcoe, Waterloo or Wellington
Who does not qualify
- Businesses trading for less than three years
- Businesses with fewer than 10 employees, or fewer than 5 in rural Ontario
- Projects investing less than $500,000, or less than $200,000 in rural Ontario
- Businesses outside the 18 southwestern counties
What you need
How to apply
- Complete the online self-assessment tool
- Contact your regional advisor
- Register on Transfer Payment Ontario (TPON)
- Submit the application with supporting documents
Listed on many sites as a small business grant, which is misleading. The thresholds rule out almost every small business: three years of accounts, ten employees, five new jobs and half a million dollars of your own investment. If you are a sole trader or an early stage company this is not for you, and knowing that now saves you the application. The Eastern Ontario Development Fund runs the same programme for eastern counties.
Advanced Manufacturing and Innovation Competitiveness Stream
UpcomingOntario Ministry of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade · Provincial
Grants up to $500,000, or $1.5 million for strategic projects. Interest-free loans up to $5 million are also available, with up to $500,000 forgivable if targets are met.
Application period nine: 28 January 2027 to 27 April 2027
What you put in
The business must invest at least $500,000 of its own. Funding covers up to 15% of project costs.
Who qualifies
- A minimum project investment of $500,000 from the business
- At least 10 employees
- Operating in aerospace, automotive, chemical, information and communications technology, life sciences or steel
- At least three years of operations and financial statements
- A commitment to create or upskill at least five positions
- Located in Ontario
Who does not qualify
- Maintenance, refinancing, acquisitions and restructuring projects
- Mining, agriculture, forestry and construction
- Retail, personal services and consulting
- Electricity generation, waste management and recycling
How to apply
- Complete the self-assessment tool
- Contact a provincial advisor
- Register on Transfer Payment Ontario (TPON)
- Submit the application with the supplemental information
Directories list this among "small business grants". The $500,000 minimum own investment and the 10-employee floor rule out most small businesses. Period nine had not opened as of 27 October 2026.
Eastern Ontario Development Fund
UpcomingOntario Ministry of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade, through the Regional Development Program · Provincial
Up to 15% of eligible project costs. Grants are limited: up to $500,000 for rural companies with under 100 staff, or $1.5 million for strategic foreign direct investment. Larger awards are interest-free loans up to $5 million, of which up to 30% may be forgiven, capped at $500,000.
The next listed period opens on 20 October 2027 and closes on 11 January 2028
What you put in
You fund at least 85% of the project. The fund covers up to 15%.
Who qualifies
- Invest at least $500,000 in the project, or $200,000 in rural Ontario
- Create at least 5 new jobs, or a 30% increase if you have fewer than 15 employees
- Employ at least 10 people, or 5 in rural Ontario
- Three years of operations and financial statements
- Located in one of 15 eastern regions: Frontenac, Haliburton, Hastings, Kawartha Lakes, Lanark, Leeds and Grenville, Lennox and Addington, Muskoka, Northumberland, Ottawa, Peterborough, Prescott and Russell, Prince Edward, Renfrew, or Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry
Who does not qualify
- Businesses trading for less than three years
- Businesses with fewer than 10 employees, or fewer than 5 in rural Ontario
- Projects investing less than $500,000, or less than $200,000 in rural Ontario
- Businesses outside the 15 eastern regions
What you need
How to apply
- Complete the online self-assessment tool
- Consult a regional advisor
- Register on Transfer Payment Ontario (TPON)
- Submit the application with supporting documents
Worth knowing before you plan around it: the next intake listed on the Ontario page does not open until October 2027, nearly a year away, while the southwestern equivalent opens in November 2026. If an earlier 2026 eastern round existed it has already closed. The same thresholds apply as the southwestern fund, so three years of accounts, ten employees and half a million dollars of your own investment. This is not a small business grant in the way most directories imply.
Ontario Automotive Modernization Program
ClosedOntario Ministry of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade · Provincial
Round 7 closed. The next intake has not been announced.
What you put in
At least 50% of eligible project costs, from your own resources or private financing
What it funds
- Technology adoption for process efficiency, such as ERP systems and advanced hardware
- Tools and technologies for new product development, such as CAD/CAM and FEA software
- Lean manufacturing projects
Who qualifies
- At least 30% of total sales revenue comes from the auto supply sector
- Supplies OEMs of passenger or commercial vehicles with machinery, software or components
- Fewer than 500 employees in Ontario and under $1 billion in global revenue
- A manufacturing location in Ontario by the time the project starts
- For-profit with a business number, and two consecutive years of financial statements
Who does not qualify
- Aftermarket parts companies. Suppliers of EV or EV battery components do qualify
- Businesses with 500 or more Ontario employees, or $1 billion or more in global revenue
- Not-for-profit organisations
What you need
How to apply
- Read the O-AMP Applicant Guide
- Register with Transfer Payment Ontario (TPON)
- Gather the required documents
- Submit the application through TPON in PDF format
Round 7 closed with no next intake announced as of 27 October 2026. Grant directories still list this as a live 2026 programme.
Summer Company
ClosedOntario Ministry of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade, delivered by local Small Business Enterprise Centres · Provincial
Up to $3,000 in total: up to $1,500 up front for start-up costs and up to $1,500 on completing the programme requirements
Runs each summer for students. The 2026 intake closed on 15 May 2026.
Who qualifies
- You must not already be operating a business
- Other work or study must be under 12 hours a week during the programme
- Between 15 and 29 years old, with parental consent if under 18
- Attending high school, college or university, and returning to school afterwards
- Resident of Ontario
- Canadian citizen or permanent resident
Who does not qualify
- Anyone who has already received a Summer Company grant
What you need
How to apply
- Find your local Small Business Enterprise Centre
- Submit an application including a business plan and cash flow
- Attend an interview with the centre, which reviews and approves applications
The published provincial deadline of 15 May 2026 has passed and no 2027 intake date had been announced when this record was checked. Local providers can set deadlines earlier than the provincial one, so confirm with your centre. The grant is paid in two parts rather than as a lump sum.
Digital Main Street Digital Transformation Grant
ClosedGovernment of Ontario, delivered by the Ontario BIA Association · Provincial
Closed. The programme ended on 31 March 2024 and Ontario did not renew it.
Who qualifies
- No longer applicable: the programme is closed to new applications
Listed here because it is still widely advertised as a live 2026 grant by third-party grant directories, and it is not. Ontario declined to renew funding past 31 March 2024; the application portal has since closed. The digital assessment and online training modules remain free to use. If you were sent here looking for the $2,500 grant, it no longer exists.
