Small Business Grants Ontario 2026: What's Open Now

A note before you read: Grantsights builds its search tools and reports for United States funding only, so there's nothing to buy on this page. It points you to Ontario and federal programs and their official pages instead. If a Canadian version would help you, tell us you're in Canada.

Search "small business grants Ontario" and you'll find long lists that mix closed programs, loans, tax credits and city programs. This guide sorts them by what they really are and whether they're open today.

Ontario Small Business Funding by the Numbers (2026)

Ontario for-profit businesses signed 12,213 federal grant and contribution agreements worth about $4.6 billion that started in fiscal 2024-25, with a median of $15,000, according to Grantsights analysis of the Government of Canada's Proactive Disclosure of Grants and Contributions data. A few very large agreements drive that total, and 3,388 of the rows are zero-emission vehicle rebates paid through dealers, which no business applies for. Here are the programs an Ontario small business is most likely to deal with:

Source: 2024-25 Ontario for-profit agreements in the Government of Canada's Proactive Disclosure of Grants and Contributions data, Grantsights analysis. Status checked on each program's official page.

The pattern is the same as across Canada. Thousands of Ontario businesses get small amounts (a share of a summer student's wage, a $15,000 digital grant that's now closed), while six- and seven-figure agreements go to a few dozen firms a year, mostly on repayable terms. The Canada Summer Jobs median for Ontario businesses ($4,554) is about double the national business median of $2,319. The data doesn't say why, so plan on the program's own wage rules rather than either median.

Federal Programs as Ontario Businesses Use Them

Canada Summer Jobs gave Ontario businesses 2,669 agreements in 2024-25, the most of any federal program still taking applications. Grantsights checked each program below on its official page on October 28, 2026.

Canada Summer Jobs (open). According to Canada.ca, private sector employers need 50 or fewer full-time employees across Canada at the time of application and can get up to 50% of the provincial minimum hourly wage. Applications are open from October 27 to December 3, 2026 at 11:59 p.m. Pacific Time, for jobs between April 19 and August 28, 2027. See our Canada Summer Jobs guide for the application.

NRC IRAP (ongoing). Ontario firms signed 579 IRAP contributions with a median of $75,000. IRAP serves small and medium-sized businesses developing new technology, and its clean technology page lists the basic tests: incorporated in Canada, for-profit, no more than 500 full-time employees in Canada, and paid staff beyond the founders. You start with an Industrial Technology Advisor, not an online form.

CanExport SMEs (closed for 2026-27). According to the 2026-27 applicant's guide (opens in a new tab), it pays $10,000 to $50,000 per project at up to 50% of costs, for firms with 3 to 500 full-time employees and $300,000 to $100 million in Canadian revenue. The program page says all 2026-27 applications have been processed and the program is closed.

FedDev Ontario Business Scale-up and Productivity (repayable). FedDev Ontario's how funding works page (opens in a new tab) says its business funding is interest-free and unconditionally repayable, normally up to 50% of eligible costs, from $125,000 to $10 million per project. Its who-can-apply page asks for at least 5 full-time employees, no more than 500, and 3 years incorporated and registered. It's real financing for a growing firm, not a startup grant.

Regional Tariff Response Initiative (open). This is the one federal program with sizeable non-repayable money open to Ontario businesses today. According to the FedDev Ontario program page (opens in a new tab), updated October 19, 2026 and marked "accepting applications," it's for tariff-affected businesses with at least $1 million in annual revenue. It offers:

• Liquidity help of up to $2 million, non-repayable, at up to 50% of eligible costs, for up to 12 months ending no later than March 31, 2028
• Pivot projects under $1 million, non-repayable, at up to 50% of costs
• Larger pivot projects, repayable, at up to 75% of costs, with up to $20 million in total RTRI funding per business

FedNor runs the same initiative in Northern Ontario with the same $1 million revenue floor and up to $2 million in liquidity help. A case in point: on October 2, 2026, the Government of Canada announced nearly $26 million for 31 Greater Toronto Area recipients, including $700,000 for Daybar Industries Limited, a Brampton steel door and frame maker, toward a project worth more than $12 million.

Ontario Government Programs for Small Businesses

Starter Company Plus offers up to $5,000, which makes it the only provincial grant most new Ontario businesses can realistically get. Here's every provincial program Grantsights checked on Ontario.ca on October 28, 2026:

Starter Company Plus. According to the Government of Ontario, you must be 18 or older, an Ontario resident, a Canadian citizen or permanent resident, and not in school full-time or going back. You get one-on-one advice, workshops on things like business plans and marketing, and a mentor, then you can apply for the grant. You must add cash or in-kind support of at least 25% of the grant. The page was updated September 23, 2026 and lists no fixed deadline, but local centres run their own intakes, so call yours.

Summer Company. The maximum is $3,000, paid as up to $1,500 at the start and up to $1,500 when you finish. You must be 15 to 29, in high school, college or university, living in Ontario, and not already running a business. The 2026 general deadline was May 15, 2026; expect the 2027 intake in spring.

Ontario Together Trade Fund. According to the Government of Ontario, it's for for-profit businesses with at least 5 full-time equivalent employees and 3 years of financial statements, in a sector hit by U.S. tariffs or with significant trade risk (for example, revenue loss of 30% or more). Projects must be at least $200,000. Most get grants or loans of 10% to 20% of eligible costs, up to $5 million, and up to 30% of a loan can be forgiven if job and investment targets are met. Retail, sole proprietors, personal services, consulting and primary construction firms aren't eligible.

Regional Development Program (Southwestern and Eastern funds). Both funds want at least 3 years of operations, at least 10 employees (5 in rural Ontario), a project of at least $500,000 ($200,000 rural) and new jobs. Funding is up to 15% of costs, mostly as interest-free loans during the project. The southwestern fund covers counties from Essex to Simcoe and Niagara; the eastern fund covers Ottawa, Peterborough, Kingston's region and the rest of eastern Ontario. Application Period 24 runs November 3, 2026 to January 21, 2027.

Skills Development Fund. The Training Stream page says the application period has closed. It was last updated October 2, 2025, so there's no 2026 round to apply to today.

Ontario Small Business Advisory Centres (Formerly Small Business Enterprise Centres)

The Ontario Small Business Advisory Centres page (opens in a new tab) lists 53 locations, updated October 9, 2026. Many local websites still call them Small Business Enterprise Centres, and the Starter Company Plus page uses both names. They're your front door for the two provincial grants above.

According to the Government of Ontario, the centres offer free consultations with a business consultant, business plan reviews, workshops and seminars, lawyer or accountant referrals, help with licences and permits, import and export information, mentoring and succession planning. They don't charge for this, and they know which local and municipal programs are open, which no provincial page lists.

What Ontario's Program Pages Don't Tell You

About 3,495 Ontario businesses signed a federal digital adoption grant in 2024-25, and that program is closed now. Program pages describe what's possible; they rarely say what's likely. Here's what to read between the lines.

The provincial pages don't show who got money. Ontario doesn't publish award data for these programs in the federal disclosure file, so you can't see a typical award the way you can for federal programs. Ask the program contact or your advisory centre what a typical approval looks like before you build a budget.

"Up to" is a ceiling, not an estimate. The Ontario Together Trade Fund's maximum is 75% for projects with exceptional benefits, but its own page says most businesses get 10% to 20%. The regional development funds cap business support at 15%. A common mistake is planning a project around the maximum.

Most programs have a hidden size test. Three years of financial statements, 5 or 10 employees, $200,000 or $500,000 of project spending, or $1 million in revenue. A new or one-person business fails these before it starts. For those businesses, Starter Company Plus and Canada Summer Jobs are the realistic options.

Dates on the page can be stale. The Summer Company page was updated in September but still describes the 2026 program as open through May 15, 2026. The Skills Development Fund page hasn't been updated since October 2025. Check the update date on every page, and call before you apply.

Stacking rules cut both ways. The Eastern Ontario page says you can't stack its funding with other provincial programs, and CanExport caps total government help at 75% of project costs. Combining programs takes planning, not just more applications.

How to Put an Ontario Funding Plan Together

Here's a hypothetical example, not a real business. A two-person bakery in Peterborough that wants to add a café needs about $40,000. It won't qualify for the regional development fund (too small) or the trade fund (retail is excluded). A realistic plan: work through Starter Company Plus at the local advisory centre for training and a grant of up to $5,000 if the owner qualifies, hire a summer student through Canada Summer Jobs, and finance the rest with a bank or BDC loan. That's less exciting than a "grant list" promises, but it's money the bakery can actually get.

A manufacturer in Windsor with 40 staff and tariff losses is in a different position. It could apply to FedDev Ontario's tariff initiative for liquidity help, to the Ontario Together Trade Fund for a reshoring project, and in the next Southwestern Ontario Development Fund window for an expansion, checking each program's stacking rules first.

A few rules that apply almost everywhere:

1. Start with your advisory centre. It's free and knows local programs.
2. Never start work before approval. Costs before an agreement are usually ineligible.
3. Budget your own share. Most programs pay 15% to 50% of costs.
4. Write it properly. Our guides on how to write a grant proposal and how to write a grant budget apply in Ontario too.

Where to Go Next

If you have 50 or fewer full-time employees, apply to Canada Summer Jobs before December 3, 2026. If you're starting out, contact your Ontario Small Business Advisory Centre about Starter Company Plus, and read our Futurpreneur and startup funding guide if you're under 40. For the federal picture outside Ontario, see our small business grants in Canada guide. If you run a non-profit rather than a business, read grants for nonprofits in Canada.

Sources Checked

All pages read on October 28, 2026.

• Government of Canada open data, Proactive Disclosure of Grants and Contributions (opens in a new tab)
• Canada.ca, Canada Summer Jobs applicant guide (opens in a new tab) and who can apply (opens in a new tab)
• National Research Council, NRC IRAP support for clean technology (opens in a new tab)
• Trade Commissioner Service, CanExport SMEs (opens in a new tab) and 2026-27 applicant's guide (opens in a new tab)
• Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Youth Employment and Skills Program (opens in a new tab)
• FedDev Ontario, funding in southern Ontario (opens in a new tab), how funding works (opens in a new tab), who can apply (opens in a new tab) and Regional Tariff Response Initiative (opens in a new tab)
• FedNor, Regional Tariff Response Initiative (opens in a new tab)
• Canada.ca, FedDev Ontario news release, October 2, 2026 (opens in a new tab)
• Government of Ontario, Starter Company Plus (opens in a new tab)
• Government of Ontario, Summer Company (opens in a new tab)
• Government of Ontario, Ontario Together Trade Fund (opens in a new tab)
• Government of Ontario, Southwestern Ontario Development Fund (opens in a new tab) and Eastern Ontario Development Fund (opens in a new tab)
• Government of Ontario, Skills Development Fund Training Stream (opens in a new tab)
• Government of Ontario, Ontario Small Business Advisory Centres (opens in a new tab)