Desjardins Créavenir (Young Entrepreneur Grant and Credit)
Compared with the 242 other application forms we have read
- The decision is made by your bank or credit union, not the funder. 6 work that way.
- The heaviest thing to produce is a full business plan. 19 ask for that.
- Scored mainly on whether you can afford it and pay it back. 42 lead with that.
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Eligibility & Details
What this program funds and who can apply
Program Description
Créavenir is Desjardins' start-up package for entrepreneurs aged 18 to 39 whose business is three years old or less and who cannot get enough conventional credit. A selected project receives coaching, a $3,000 grant (up to $5,000 for innovative projects) that can serve as the owner's equity to unlock other financing, and a line of credit and credit card of up to $16,000 at prime plus 0.5% over five years, which can rise to $30,000 after six months of good financial behaviour. You apply through a partner local development organization in your region (about 170 partner organizations in all, four of them in Ontario), and the business must keep its main account at Desjardins.
Eligibility Requirements
- Be between 18 and 39 years old
- Have a start-up business that is 3 years old or less
- Have no access to conventional credit, or not enough of it to carry out the project
- Keep the business's main account at Desjardins
- Submit a structured business project (business model, business plan and financial forecasts) to the partner local development organization in your region
- The project must be viable, with personal equity or collateral too low for traditional financing
- Partner organizations operate across Québec and, in Ontario, in Ottawa, Prescott-Russell and through ACCFutures and the Nickel Basin Federal Development Corporation; some partners add their own conditions (Laval Économique, for example, asks that the company be legally incorporated, or in the process for a new company, and that a business takeover acquire at least 50% of the share capital)
Quick Assessment
Funding Details
- Amount
- $3K to $5K grant + $16K creditGrant of $3,000, or up to $5,000 for innovative projects (conditions apply), plus a credit offer of up to $16,000 at prime + 0.5% for 5 years (line of credit and credit card), with a limit of up to $30,000 after 6 months of good financial behaviour. The credit is repayable; the grant is not.
- Type
- Program
- Level
- Private
- Deadline
- Ongoing, no deadline
Program Scorecard
Competition, effort, and approval at a glance
Moderate — standard application process
Below average competition
Moderate — standard requirements
How to Win
Insider tips, common pitfalls, and what successful applicants look like
Insider TipStart with the partner organization, not the caisse: Desjardins' page lists one or more partners per region (CLD, MRC, SADC, city development office), and that partner decides whether your file goes to Créavenir.
Rejection Pitfalls 5
- Entrepreneur under 18 or over 39
Success Profile
Evaluation Criteria
How Desjardins Créavenir judges your application
What the reviewer scores, what gets applications rejected, and what to write.
Distilled from 5 source documents on lavaleconomique.com, condensed into one brief. Sources as of 2026-09-07.
5 sources
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What Desjardins Créavenir favours
Demonstrate good credit behaviour◦
“Good credit behaviors must be seen in the contractor.”
The form
Contact details
- 1First Nameshort answer
- 2Last Nameshort answer
- 3Company Nameshort answer
- 4Company Addressshort answer
- 5Emailshort answer
- 6Phoneshort answer
- 7Industryshort answer
Project or needs
- 8Project or needswritten answer
Business plan
- 9Business plan and financial forecastsupload
Desjardins Créavenir states no length limits for these answers.
Judged against
- 1
Is the founder young and in charge?
Show them Confirm the entrepreneur is 18 to 39 and holds at least 50% of the shares.◦
- 2
Is the plan and its numbers solid?
What to show, and the funder’s 1 criterion behind it in Premium
- 3
Will this borrower behave well on credit?
What to show, and the funder’s 1 criterion behind it in Premium
- 4
What is the project and what does it need?
What to show, and the funder’s 3 criteria behind it in Premium
3 questions the reviewer answers about you, in Premium.
Premium · the rest of this brief
See all 9 rules that can reject you and every criterion you are judged on. Then we draft your application for you.
7 more rules that can reject you · 5 more criteria · 2 more prompts
Do you pass?
Each one can rule you out. Tick the ones you meet.
You
Entrepreneur aged 18 to 39
For young entrepreneurs between the ages of 18 and 39 who want to start a business or consolidate one.
Entrepreneur holds at least 50% of shares
The entrepreneur must hold at least 50% of the shares.
Documents to attach
Ticks are kept on this device.
The money
StackingFinancial leverage for other funding sources
Offer financial leverage to facilitate access to available sources of financing and conventional credit.
From application to money
- Talk to the team firstContact Créavenir team before applying
- Send the contact formComplete intake form with project details
- Submit plan and forecastsSubmit business plan and financial forecasts
- Credit decisionDesjardins makes credit decision
In the funder’s words · 4
- Talk to the team first
- Contact the Laval économique Créavenir team before the financing application.
- Send the contact form
- Complete the intake form with your details and a few words describing your project or needs.
- Submit plan and forecasts
- The team evaluates your needs and helps you complete the business plan and financial forecasts.
- Credit decision
- Desjardins makes the credit decision on the financing.
Quoted lines are word for word from the source documents; lines marked ◦ are our reading of them.
Everything you need to win Desjardins Créavenir
Not a marketing summary. The actual checklist, intel, and stack strategy reviewers look for.
- 5 rejection pitfalls reviewers flag — so you catch them first
- 6-document checklist with what each reviewer is actually checking
- Your Application Game Plan — the print-ready PDF the preview below describes
- 5-step application timeline with prep hours per step
- Insider tip from program officers on what separates winners
- Success profile + evaluation criteria — exactly what reviewers score on
Application Playbook
Step-by-step process, required documents, and expenses
Application Steps
Required Documents 6
Eligible Expenses 3
Ineligible Expenses 1
Intake Periods
Deadline Notes
Ineligible Organizations
- 4 more application steps
- 4 more required documents
- 3 eligible expenses
- 1 ineligible expense
- Intake periods
- Deadline notes
- Ineligible organizations
Funding Stack Strategy
Compatible programs, clawback risk, and combined funding potential
Stacking partner data not yet available.
Clawback Risk
Medium RiskHow Desjardins Créavenir Compares
Side-by-side with similar programs
| Program | Amount | Difficulty | Payment | Deadline |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Desjardins Créavenir (Young Entrepren... | up to $5,000 | Moderate | Mixed (Advance + Reimb.) | Ongoing, no deadline |
| Ontario Job Grant (formerly Canada-On... | Up to $10,000 per employee | Easy | Varies | Ongoing — year-round... |
| Ontario Innovation Tax Credit | Up to 8% tax credit | Moderate | Tax Credit Offset | Ongoing |
| Quebec R&D Tax Credit (CRIC — Researc... | 20-30% tax credit (CRIC) | Hard | Tax Credit Offset | Ongoing |
| Investissement Québec — Project Finan... | Varies | Hard | Mixed (Advance + Reimb.) | Ongoing |
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Frequently Asked Questions
Quick answers to the questions founders most often ask about Desjardins Créavenir