Small businesses: grants and funding in British Columbia

Wage subsidies for employers who hire youth aged 15 to 30 for summer jobs. Not-for-profits can get up to 100% of the provincial or territorial minimum wage; public employers and private businesses with 50 or fewer full-time employees can get up to 50%. Applications for summer 2027 are open until December 3, 2026 at 11:59 pm Pacific.

$14,000 – $100,000

AAFC funding for small and medium-sized agriculture and agri-food businesses to diversify their markets: AAFC pays up to 70% of a project costing at least $20,000, normally under $100,000. Applications are open from February 13, 2026 until September 30, 2030.

Up to $250,000

Non-repayable equity contributions for Indigenous small and medium-sized businesses: up to $99,999 for individual entrepreneurs and up to $250,000 for community-owned businesses, through Indigenous Financial Institutions and Métis Capital Corporations. There is no deadline.

Up to $2,000,000

AAFC funding for agriculture and agri-food industry associations and businesses to grow and diversify markets: up to $2 million a year and $10 million over five years, normally covering up to 50% of costs (70% in some cases). The intake is listed as open; contact the program before you apply. The program ends March 31, 2028.

Help for incorporated B.C. businesses with at least $1 million in annual revenue that have been hurt by tariffs and trade disruptions. Liquidity help pays up to 50% of average monthly payroll for up to 12 months (non-repayable, capped at $2 million); pivot projects get up to $1 million non-repayable, or more as a repayable contribution. PacifiCan is accepting applications, with no fixed deadline.

A federal tax credit for research and development done in Canada. Most Canadian-controlled private corporations earn a refundable 35% credit on up to $6 million of qualified spending a year (for tax years starting after December 15, 2024); other claimants earn 15%. You claim it with your income tax return.

Up to $5,000

Wage subsidies of up to $5,000 per work placement for employers anywhere in Canada who hire post-secondary students. Employers apply year-round through one of 18 delivery partners (such as Technation, ECO Canada, BioTalent Canada and the Ontario Chamber of Commerce); some partners may be at capacity.

Up to $37,500

Up to $37,500 per project (75% of costs) for Canadian businesses with fewer than 500 employees, academic institutions and research centres to negotiate R&D partnerships with foreign partners. The next intake opens December 1, 2026 at noon Eastern for 24 hours, first come, first served.

Up to $5,000,000

Repayable contributions of up to $5 million per project (normally up to 60% of costs) for agriculture and agri-food businesses commercializing or adopting innovative products and processes. AAFC lists it as closed to applications; the program ends March 31, 2028.

BC Hydro incentives for businesses replacing lighting and other equipment with more efficient models, mainly for commercial and small industrial sites. Rates vary by equipment; past participants got an average of 40% of upfront costs back. Use a registered Alliance contractor and get pre-approval before you start.

Up to $350,000

A BDC loan of up to $350,000 for profitable Canadian businesses. Up to $100,000 needs at least $100K in revenue and 24 months in business, with approval in under 10 days and no application or prepayment fees; $100K to $350K needs at least $250K in revenue. The rate is BDC's floating base rate plus a variance. Apply online any time.

$10,000 – $250,000

Loans of $10,000 to $250,000 for Black business owners and entrepreneurs across Canada, through the Black Entrepreneurship Loan Fund (run by the Federation of African Canadian Economics with BDC). The program also funds Black-led not-for-profits that support entrepreneurs.

$200,000 – $5,000,000

Repayable contributions of $200,000 to $5 million per project for incorporated, high-growth B.C. businesses that are scaling up, commercializing technology, improving productivity or diversifying markets. PacifiCan is not accepting applications right now.

$10,000 – $50,000

Grants of $10,000 to $50,000 (half of a $20,000 to $100,000 project) to help Canadian businesses with 3 to 500 employees and $300,000 to $100 million in revenue enter new export markets. The program is closed: all 2026-27 applications have been processed, and no date for the next intake is posted.

FortisBC's list of rebates and offers for homes, businesses, and homes and community buildings in Indigenous communities. Amounts and rules differ by offer: use FortisBC's rebate finder to see what fits.

Up to $75,000

Start-up loans of up to $75,000 for Canadian citizens and permanent residents aged 18 to 39 starting or buying a business: up to $25,000 from Futurpreneur and up to $50,000 from BDC, each over five years, with up to two years of one-on-one mentoring. Applications are taken any time.

Research internships with graduate students and postdocs, co-funded by Mitacs. A partner organization (business, not-for-profit, hospital or municipality) contributes from $7,500 per 4- or 6-month internship and Mitacs matches it, for a $15,000 research award. Applications are taken on a rolling basis; talk to a Mitacs advisor first.

Business strategy internships with a post-secondary student: a $10,000 award per 4- or 6-month internship, of which the partner organization pays $5,000 (or a $15,000 model with at least $7,500 from the partner). Businesses, not-for-profits, hospitals and municipalities can apply at any time through the Mitacs portal.

NRC IRAP funds research and development of new technology products and services at incorporated, for-profit Canadian businesses with up to 500 employees. It starts with advice from an industrial technology advisor; funding comes later, in some cases. There is no deadline: you start with a phone call.