Black Businesses
Black Entrepreneur Program (BEP) |
The Black Entrepreneurship Program (BEP) is a partnership between the Government of Canada, Black-led business organizations, and financial institutions. With an investment of up to $221 million over four years, it will help Black Canadian business owners and entrepreneurs grow their businesses and succeed now and into the future.
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Black Innovations Programs |
The Ontario government is investing $1.2 million over three years to help young Black entrepreneurs and Black-owned tech start-ups access the resources and tools they need to succeed in the province's changing economy. The funding will be provided through Ryerson University DMZ's Black Innovation Programs, which support Black-led businesses by connecting them with customers, capital, experts and a community of entrepreneurs and influencers. Read more Added February 19, 2021 |
Black Youth Action Plan |
The Ontario government is doubling funding for the Black Youth Action Plan by investing an additional $60 million over three years. This funding will renew existing Black Youth Action Plan programming, which will include the creation of a new economic empowerment programming stream to support and train young black entrepreneurs and increase economic opportunities. Read more |
National Ecosystem Fund |
The Federal government is investing up to $53 million to develop and implement the National Ecosystem Fund to support Black-led business organizations across the country. This will help Black business owners and entrepreneurs access funding and capital, mentorship, financial planning services, and business training. This initiative is part of the Black Entrepreneurship Program, in which the Federal government is investing up to nearly $93 million. Read more |
Ontario Increasing supports for Black Students |
The Ontario government is investing $6 million over the next three years to help Black children and youth achieve their educational and career goals by creating the new Student and Family Advocates initiative in Ottawa, Hamilton and the Greater Toronto Area. The advocates will provide community-based and culturally relevant supports to Black students ages 6-25 and act as advocates for Black families within the education system. Read more Added February 19, 2021 |
Female
Tech Undivided |
The Federal Government announced a $370,000 investment to support women entrepreneurs for Tech Undivided, as part of the Government's recent top-up of $15 million to Canada's first-ever Women Entrepreneurship Strategy (WES) Ecosystem Fund. With this investment, to be delivered through FedDev Ontario, ventureLAB's Tech Undivided program will support women entrepreneurs in the tech sector to generate revenue and investment capital, by putting them on a sustainable path to growth and long-term success. Areas of focus will include:
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Women Entrepreneurship Strategy |
On May 16, 2020, the Honourable Mary Ng, Minister of Small Business, Export Promotion and International Trade, announced that the Government of Canada will provide $15 million in additional funding to support women entrepreneurs through the Women Entrepreneurship Strategy (WES). This money will go directly to select organizations that are currently WES Ecosystem Fund recipients and will help women entrepreneurs through the COVID-19 pandemic. Read more |
XcelerateHER |
Empowers women entrepreneurs with support and resources to help them start, grow or scale their business and overcome barriers and challenges they face in today's economy. A coalition of leading female entrepreneurs and community partners launched XcelerateHER to unite entrepreneurial women and connect them to the support and resources available in the Central Ontario entrepreneurial ecosystem. |
Indigenous
Canadian Council for Aboriginal Business (CCAB) |
The Ontario government is providing the Canadian Council for Aboriginal Business (CCAB) with $110,000 from the Ontario Together Fund to deliver online tools and resources that will support Indigenous businesses. Read more |
Indigenous Small and Medium Business Support |
Funding will allow for interest-free loans, as well as non-repayable contributions, to help Indigenous businesses unable to access the government's existing COVID-19 support measures. Support for Indigenous businesses will be provided through Aboriginal Financial Institutions, and administered by the National Aboriginal Capital Corporations Association and the Métis capital corporations in partnership with Indigenous Services Canada. Read more |
Ontario Increasing Mental Health Supports for Indigenous Peoples, Families and Communities |
The Ontario government is investing over $12.8 million to immediately expand and enhance culturally appropriate mental health and addictions services for Indigenous peoples, families and communities across the province. This funding is part of the $176 million being invested in the government's mental health and addictions plan, Roadmap to Wellness. The plan is delivering high-quality care and building a modern, connected and comprehensive mental health and addictions system. Read more Added March 5, 2021 |
Ontario Invests in Affordable Housing for Indigenous People |
The Ontario government is providing over $6.2 million to help create safe and affordable housing for Indigenous people in Orillia. The funding is being delivered through the Social Services Relief Fund and will support those experiencing homelessness or at risk of becoming homeless during COVID-19. Read more Added February 19, 2021 |
Support for Indigenous Businesses |
The Federal Government has announced additional funding totaling $133 million in new funding to support Indigenous business through the pandemic and into recovery. Of these additional funds, $117 million will reach more community-owned First Nation, Inuit and Métis businesses including micro-businesses, who are not eligible for existing business support measures. A new stimulus development fund will also provide $16 million to support the Indigenous tourism industry. Read more |
Social Services Relief Fund |
The Ontario government is allocating an additional $120 million to help municipalities and Indigenous community partners protect the health and safety of vulnerable people during COVID-19. This investment builds upon the second phase of social services relief funding announced this fall and brings the government's total allocation to $510 million. Read more |
Support for People and Jobs Fund |
The government of Ontario is providing up to $10 million through the Support for People and Jobs Fund to Indigenous-owned small and medium sized businesses to help them with much needed capital as the province begins to safely and gradually reopen the economy. Loans of up to $50,000 will be available to businesses that are either ineligible for, or unable to access, existing federal and provincial COVID-19 response initiatives for small businesses. Loans will be available through Aboriginal Financial Institutions. Up to 50% of each loan will be in the form of a non-repayable grant, with no interest due on the loan portion until December 31, 2022. Businesses may use these funds to cover general expenses such as payroll, rent, utilities and taxes. They may also be used towards increasing production capacity, developing new products, moving to online marketing, or to make improvements to accommodate social distancing requirements, such as the installation of plexiglass barriers. |
Youth
Black Youth Action Plan |
The Ontario government is doubling funding for the Black Youth Action Plan by investing an additional $60 million over three years. This funding will renew existing Black Youth Action Plan programming, which will include the creation of a new economic empowerment programming stream to support and train young black entrepreneurs and increase economic opportunities. Read more |
Futurpreneur Canada Funding for Young Entrepreneurs |
The Federal Government has announced an additional $20.1 million in support for Futurpreneur Canada to continue to support young entrepreneurs across Canada (aged 18-39) who are facing challenges due to COVID-19. The funding will allow Futurpreneur Canada to provide payment relief for its clients for up to 12 months. Please see link for more details. Read more |
Green Jobs in Natural Resources |
The Government of Canada has announced $15.8 million to create green jobs and training opportunities for Canadian youth in the fields of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) in the energy, forestry, mining, earth sciences and clean technology sectors. To be eligible to receive funding through this program to hire an intern, employers or hiring organizations can be:
Applications are now available. Read more |
LevelUP Student Partnership Program |
Level UP is a new program from Riipen that gives businesses the opportunity to complete projects with the support of top students. The program allows organizations to work directly with students on 80-hour remote projects, designed around a central project and at no cost to you. This program is funded in part by the Government of Canada's Work-Integrated Learning Initiatives. Read more Added February 19, 2021 |
Ontario Increases Mental Health Funding for Postsecondary Students |
The Ontario government is providing $7 million to help increase access to mental health and addiction services for postsecondary students during COVID-19. The funding will provide more supports for students, both on-campus and virtually and can also be used to address the needs of vulnerable and diverse groups, such as Indigenous students, LGBTQ students and students with disabilities. Read more Added February 19, 2021 |
Ontario Increasing supports for Black Students |
The Ontario government is investing $6 million over the next three years to help Black children and youth achieve their educational and career goals by creating the new Student and Family Advocates initiative in Ottawa, Hamilton and the Greater Toronto Area. The advocates will provide community-based and culturally relevant supports to Black students ages 6-25 and act as advocates for Black families within the education system. Read more Added February 19, 2021 |
Student Work Placement Program |
As part of the Federal COVID-19 Emergency Response Plan, an additional $80 million in funding will be provided for the Student Work Placement Program to support up to 20,000 post-secondary students across Canada to obtain paid work experience related to their field of study. Additionally, funding through the program will temporarily be more flexible:
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Summer Company |
The Summer Company program can help you launch and operate a business this summer. The program provides:
Don’t miss this great opportunity to apply to the 2021 Summer Company Program if you are interested in starting a business in Wasaga Beach. Space in the program is limited! Read more |
WILWorks - Student Wage Subsidy for Manufacturers |
The Excellence in Manufacturing Consortium (EMC) WILWorks program provides wage subsidies for student placements in manufacturing and related sectors (e.g. North American Industry Classification - NAICS codes 31-33). The program is offered as part of the Student Work Placement Program (SWPP). Subsidies are 75% of the cost of wages, up to a maximum of $7,500 per student placement. Students can work from home. Program is in effect until March 31, 2021. Apply now |