Grants available for Alberta based Entrepreneurs

For businesses and start-ups, it can be difficult to find funding sources, whether it’s through the use of loans or grants. Thankfully, there are a variety of resources and companies, as well as federal and provincial government funding and grants available in the Alberta area to help jump-start your business. While the Alberta Women Entrepreneurs group does not offer a grant program themselves, they do propagate lists of grants available in the Alberta area and offer small loans for local businesses. They’re one of the many sources of funding and grants we’ll be covering in this article.

The AWE Growth Loan

The Alberta Women Entrepreneurs group offers to finance upwards of $150,000 for female-owned businesses operated in the Alberta area. The AWE Growth Loan seeks to assist by providing funding to your business, while also providing a community of support to help your business grow. The AWE loan is unique as it has competitive interest rates from 2 to 4%, as well as flexibility in repayment, clarity on terms, and no hidden fees related to the loan. You also have access to a community of like-minded women who have decades of experience in business and the entrepreneurial world. For qualification details and to apply, check the AWE website for more information.

The Cultural Industry Organization Operating Grant

The Cultural Industry Organization Operating Grant or TCIOOG is a grant designed to provide funding to cover the costs of printing books, magazines, or sound recordings; working with publishing and recording label style businesses. The grant is offered under the Alberta Media Fund and provides two grant tiers of respective amounts. There are a variety of eligibility requirements, and your business will need to be in operation for at least two years in the Alberta area in order to apply. For more eligibility information and information on how to apply, visit the TCIOOG website for more details.

Canada-Alberta Job Grant

For businesses looking for government funding to assist their employees and unemployed Albertans to seek training opportunities, the Canada-Alberta Job Grant is for you. The grant is designed to provide funding of $10,000 per trainee per fiscal year in order to cover the direct costs of tuition fees, mandatory student fees, examination fees, textbooks or software, required materials directly related to the training course, and any eligible travel cost for participants and trainers in the training program. Wages cannot be reimbursed the grant. For more information regarding funding, eligibility, and other important details; visit the Canada-Alberta Job Grant site.

The Alberta Export Expansion Program

This grant is designed to assist Alberta export companies and non-profit organizations to increase their access to global markets by providing them funding to small and medium-sized enterprise businesses, municipalities, industry associates, Indigenous communities, and other economic organizations which promote Alberta exports. The grant aims to reimburse up to 50% of for-profit and municipal applicants and 75% of non-profit applicants. The eligible costs include accommodations, airfare, inter-city ground travel, registration for events and trade shows, translation or interpreter service, and conference room spaces for meetings. The maximum funding provided is $25,000 per approved grant. Please see the Alberta Export Expansion Program site for more details.

The Multiculturalism, Indigenous, and Inclusion Grant Program

This program is created by the Albertan government to support the initiatives and projects which help to build on Canada’s intercultural awareness and understanding of Multicultural and Indigenous cultures. The program aims to provide Albertans with a cross-cultural understanding of those around them, to understand the impact of discrimination and to work collectively to reduce it in workplaces and civil society, to have diverse backgrounds and workplaces celebrated and welcomed by Albertans, and to for both Albertans and newcomers to feel their culture and heritage are valued. Eligible organizations can apply for the MIIG and receive a maximum amount of $25,000. See their site for more information.

Micro Voucher for Service Providers

Alberta Innovates is another great organization in the area which offers micro voucher grants in order for businesses, not for profits, and organizations to hire web designers and software engineers to assist with de-risk technological solutions for your business. Qualifying enterprises can receive up to $10,000 in funding, as well as coaching and monitoring to assist your business with commercialization and scaling up your business. Additionally, the voucher can help with market assessment, patent development, product testing and R&D, and other business marketing strategies.