Small Business Grants & Funding in Ontario

01 At a glance

Ontario funding by the numbers.

Ontario runs the largest provincial funding stack in Canada, layered on top of federal programs.

980

Open programs

provincial + federal

$3.1B

Active value

open in ON

35%

Top SR&ED rate

incl. ON innovation credit

11

Closing in 7d

act soon

02 Top programs here

Programs Ontario companies use most.

Provincial agencies (OCI, MEDJCT) plus federal programs available to every Ontario SME.

Ontario Centre of Innovation (OCI)

Provincial

Voucher and collaboration programs pairing SMEs with academic R&D partners.

up to $150K

per project

Regional Development Program

Provincial

Capital + expansion grants for businesses outside the GTA creating jobs.

$500K

cost-shared

NRC IRAP

Federal · available in ON

Cost-shared R&D for incorporated SMEs — 80% labour / 50% subcontractor.

≤ $10M

by stage

SR&ED + ON Innovation Tax Credit

Federal + provincial

Refundable R&D credit, topped up by Ontario’s 8% OITC for a ~35% blended rate.

~35%

blended

03 Live in Ontario

Live Ontario funding briefs.

Every Ontario grant and credit as it opens — sourced, dated, plain-English.

View all →

6 live · sourced + dated · re-checked 3 min ago

GRANT OCI · Provincial 21 MAY

OCI Critical Technology Initiatives voucher reopens

Up to $150K to co-develop with an Ontario academic partner. AI, quantum and cyber prioritized.

Amount $150K · Close 18 JUN Read brief →

CREDIT CRA + ON · Tax credit 22 MAY

Ontario Innovation Tax Credit stacks on doubled SR&ED limit

The 8% OITC now applies on the new $6M federal expenditure base — material for scaling CCPCs.

Amount 8% OITC · Close Annual Read brief →

GRANT MEDJCT · Provincial 16 MAY

Regional Development Program intake for Eastern Ontario

Cost-shared capital grants for manufacturers expanding outside the GTA and creating 5+ jobs.

Amount $500K · Close 30 MAY Read brief →

GRANT Mitacs · National 03 MAY

Mitacs Accelerate — Ontario intern matching

4-month research internships at $7.5K matched. Ontario universities lead national placement volume.

Amount $15K · Close Rolling Read brief →

GRANT NRC IRAP · Federal 14 MAY

IRAP AI-for-Manufacturing stream open to ON SMEs

Up to $750K covering 80% of R&D labour for Ontario manufacturers adopting AI inspection.

Amount $750K · Close 07 JUN Read brief →

BENEFIT BDC · Federal 06 MAY

BDC cleantech working-capital line available in Ontario

Sub-12% repayable capital for ON cleantech firms with $1M+ revenue. Stacks with OCI + SR&ED.

Amount $5M cap · Close Rolling Read brief →

04 Who qualifies

Is your Ontario company eligible?

Most Ontario funding requires you to be incorporated and operating in the province. Beyond that, eligibility turns on your sector, headcount, revenue and the type of project you are funding. The most common qualifying profile looks like this:

✓Incorporated in Canada and operating in Ontario (federal or provincial incorporation both qualify).

✓1–500 employees for most SME R&D programs (IRAP, OCI); some provincial grants cap lower.

✓A defined project with eligible costs — R&D labour, capital, export activity, hiring or training.

✓Matching funds available — most programs are cost-shared (you fund 20–50% of the project).

05 FAQ

Ontario funding — asked + answered.

What small business grants are available in Ontario?

01

Ontario companies can access provincial programs (Ontario Centre of Innovation vouchers, the Regional Development Program, sector funds) plus every federal program — IRAP, SR&ED, CanExport, Mitacs and the BDC/EDC lines. CanaGrants tracks all of them and scores each against your business profile.

Can I combine Ontario and federal funding?

02

Yes — stacking is the norm. A typical Ontario R&D project combines IRAP (federal cost-share) + SR&ED with the Ontario Innovation Tax Credit (≈35% blended) + a BDC line. We flag stacking rules and any conflicts per opportunity.

How much is the Ontario Innovation Tax Credit?

03

The OITC is an 8% refundable credit on eligible R&D, claimed on top of the federal SR&ED credit. With Budget 2025 doubling the SR&ED expenditure limit to $6M, the combined value for scaling Ontario CCPCs is materially higher this year.

Do I have to be in Toronto?

04

No. Several programs — notably the Regional Development Program — specifically target businesses outside the Greater Toronto Area, and most provincial funding is open province-wide from Ottawa to Windsor to Thunder Bay.

06 Keep exploring

The Ontario grants and funding your business could be missing.