Quebec Social Enterprise Grants & Funding
Quebec has the most developed social economy in North America — a full financing network built for nonprofits and cooperatives that earn revenue for a social mission. This is the plain-English map of the grants, patient capital, and loans a Quebec social enterprise can actually get in 2026, and how to reach them.
See the top programs →Quebec funds social enterprises — nonprofits and cooperatives that earn revenue for a social mission — through a dedicated économie sociale system, not the regular startup track. The fastest money is grants: PME MTL's Fonds de développement de l'économie sociale ($5,000–$50,000) in Montréal and PartÉS (up to $15,000 in technical-support subsidy) through RISQ province-wide. Larger needs are met with patient capital from RISQ and the Fiducie du Chantier de l'économie sociale, and inclusive loans from Evol. Start with your local social-economy office — in Montréal a PME MTL pole.
What counts as a social enterprise in Quebec
Quebec is unusual: it has a legal and financial definition of the social economy (économie sociale, anchored in the 2013 Loi sur l'économie sociale). A social enterprise here is a collective enterprise that sells goods or services but exists for a social mission, not to distribute profit to owners. In practice that means one of two legal forms:
- A nonprofit (OBNL / OBSL) that earns commercial revenue — a community café, a recycling social enterprise, a training organization that sells services.
- A cooperative (coopérative) — worker, consumer, solidarity, or producer co-ops that operate a business owned by their members.
This matters because Quebec's social-economy programs are built specifically for these forms. A regular for-profit startup applies to PME MTL's Fonds Jeunes Entreprises or Investissement Québec; a nonprofit or co-op starts in the économie sociale stream, and, outside the sectors it excludes, can also use Investissement Québec's ESSOR. Getting the door right is the whole game.
If your organization is an OBNL or a coopérative that earns revenue, you are not a fringe case in Quebec — you are a recognized category with its own funds, advisors, and capital. Apply to the social-economy programs, not the standard business ones, and you unlock money most for-profit founders can't touch.
The top social enterprise programs in 2026
These are the programs a Quebec nonprofit or cooperative is most likely to qualify for. Non-repayable grants come first, then technical-support and design subsidies, then the loan and patient-capital tools that finance growth.
| Program | What it gives | Typical amount | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| PME MTL — Fonds de développement de l'économie sociale (FDÉS) | Non-repayable grant | $5,000–$50,000 | Montréal social enterprises, planning to growth |
| PartÉS (RISQ / MEIE) | Technical-support subsidy (50% cost-share) | Up to $15,000 | Business plans, feasibility, strategy for co-ops & OBNLs |
| PME MTL — Commerce X Design | Non-repayable grant (up to 20% of project) | $10,000 | Retail-facing enterprises adding design (min. $50K project) |
| Evol | Conventional loan | $20,000–$450,000 | Inclusive & diversity-led collective ventures |
| RISQ (Réseau d'investissement social du Québec) | Loans & capitalization | Varies · confirm | Working capital & growth for collective enterprises |
| Fiducie du Chantier de l'économie sociale | Patient capital (multi-year, deferred) | Varies · confirm | Real estate, equipment & long-horizon growth |
Which Quebec programs will take your co-op or OBNL?
As of October 22, 2026, 17 Quebec grants and loans take a co-operative or an OBNL. Three are social enterprise funds in the strict sense: PME MTL's FDÉS, RISQ's PartÉS and Laval's Fonds d'entrepreneuriat collectif; the rest are regular programs that name you. Two set a share of income from sales (FDÉS 20%, PSCE Volet 3 more than 40% for a non-profit), Québec City's programs and DÉPART want mainly commercial activity, and most publish none.
What is your organization?
Where do you operate?
What share of your income comes from sales? (sets FDÉS, PSCE Volet 3 and the city programs)
- 2 social-economy funds
- 5 regular programs
Below its line or outside its area (0)
No sales share published: 8 programs
- PartÉS (RISQ)$2,000 to $15,000 grant toward a consultant, by stageNo share published; co-ops and OBNLs onlyAll of Quebec
- Fonds d'entrepreneuriat collectifUp to $50,000 grantNo share published; sales plannedLaval
- ESSOR Component 1AUp to $50,000 grant for a feasibility studyNo share published; excludes care, education, arts, food and personal servicesAll of Quebec
- ESSOR Component 1CUp to $50,000 grant for a digital planNo share published; $2.5 million in revenueAll of Quebec
- Fonds locaux d'investissement (MRC)Loan up to $150,000 a yearCommercial activity; no share publishedYour MRC
- Laval local investment fundsLoan up to $250,000No share publishedLaval
- Subvention salarialePart of a new hire's wagesNo share publishedAll of Quebec
- MFOR-E training programUp to $100,000 per training agreementNo share publishedAll of Quebec
20% of income from sales: 1 program
- PME MTL FDÉS$5,000 to $50,000 grant20% of income from salesMontréal head office
More than 40% own revenue: 1 program
- PSCE Volet 3$25,000 to $60,000 grant for an export projectMore than 40% own revenue (non-profits); $10 million in revenueAll of Quebec
Mainly commercial: 7 programs
- Bourse de démarrage et repreneuriatUp to $30,000 to create a collective enterpriseMainly commercialQuébec City agglomeration
- Défi-QuébecUp to $50,000, by call for projectsMainly commercialQuébec City agglomeration
- Capitale-CommerceUp to $35,000 for a street-level shopMainly commercial; 11 named districtsQuébec City agglomeration
- Capitale-InnovationUp to $500,000 to sell a product you ownMainly commercialQuébec City agglomeration
- Capitale-ProductivitéUp to $150,000 for equipment or automationMainly commercial; six named sectorsQuébec City agglomeration
- Bons d'accompagnement vers la croissanceConsultant fees, up to $15,000 a year for a non-profitMainly commercialQuébec City agglomeration
- Programme DÉPART$15,000 to $125,000 grantMainly commercial; targeted territoriesLow-vitality MRCs
See every program your organization clears, beyond this page →
Quebec's social-finance network — who's who
More than most provinces, Quebec's social economy is a network of specialized bodies, each with a role. Knowing who does what keeps you from knocking on the wrong door.
The advisors and front doors
The Chantier de l'économie sociale is the province-wide umbrella that represents and coordinates the sector. On the ground, Montréal social enterprises go through the six PME MTL poles' économie sociale teams; outside Montréal, the pôles régionaux d'économie sociale and the CDR network (coopératives de développement régional) provide start-up, governance, and development support — the CDRs specifically for cooperatives.
The capital providers
RISQ (Réseau d'investissement social du Québec) is Quebec's pioneer social-economy investment fund, offering loans and capitalization plus the PartÉS technical subsidy. The Fiducie du Chantier de l'économie sociale provides patient capital — long-term financing where the principal is repaid only at the end of a multi-year term, historically around 15 years. Evol lends to inclusive and diversity-led ventures. Federally, the Social Finance Fund channels capital through intermediaries into social enterprises across Canada.
Non-repayable
Project money you don't pay back. In Quebec's social economy, mostly local and mid-sized.
Repaid over the long run
Larger financing repaid over years — or, with patient capital, only at term end.
The distinctive one
A social enterprise sells goods or services — contracts and social procurement are core funding, not extras.
Montreal, Québec City, Laval or a region: who funds a social enterprise near you
Each part of Quebec has its own first door for a social enterprise, as of October 22, 2026. In Montreal it is PME MTL's FDÉS, a $5,000 to $50,000 grant applied for through the six PME MTL poles. Pick your place:
Montréal (the island)
FDÉS through your PME MTL pole; Commerce X Design for storefronts in Centre-Est and Centre-Ville only.
PaysGrant of $5,000 to $50,000; Commerce X Design $10,000
Québec City agglomeration and Wendake
Bourse de démarrage et repreneuriat, then Capitale-Commerce, Capitale-Innovation and Défi-Québec.
PaysUp to $30,000 to create a collective enterprise; up to $35,000, $500,000 and $50,000
Laval
Fonds d'entrepreneuriat collectif (co-ops and non-profits only); Laval's local investment funds.
PaysGrant up to $50,000; loan up to $250,000
Elsewhere in Quebec
Your MRC's local investment fund and pôle régional; Programme DÉPART in targeted territories.
PaysLoan up to $150,000 a year; DÉPART grant of $15,000 to $125,000
Outside the three cities, the first money is usually a loan: the MRC fund lends, and DÉPART's grant reaches only the low-vitality territories it targets.
Sources: PME MTL, Laval Économique and Ville de Québec pages, read October 22, 2026; GrantCompass catalogue records for Commerce X Design, Capitale-Commerce, Capitale-Innovation, Défi-Québec, the local investment funds and DÉPART.How social-economy financing blends grant + patient capital
The single thing that separates social enterprise financing from a normal grant search is that no one tool does the job alone. A Quebec social enterprise is built by layering instruments that each cover a different part of the picture.
A typical Quebec social-economy project stacks money in three layers. Grants (PME MTL FDÉS, PartÉS) fund the planning, feasibility, and early development where there is no revenue yet and no capacity to repay. Patient capital from the Fiducie or RISQ then funds the capital-heavy step — a building, equipment, a first big contract — with a repayment structure that waits until the enterprise has a revenue base. Finally, earned revenue and loans (Evol, bank financing, contracts) carry the ongoing operation.
This is why patient capital exists at all: a social enterprise often can't service conventional debt in its early years, but it also isn't giving away equity like a startup. Patient capital bridges that gap — it behaves like a long, mission-aligned loan that trusts the enterprise to build value first and repay principal later. Funders expect to see this blend in your plan; a social enterprise asking for a single grant to cover everything usually signals that the financial model isn't fully thought through.
Practically, the sequence matters: use a PartÉS-funded feasibility study and a FDÉS development grant to produce the business plan and financials that a patient-capital provider will then underwrite. The grants make you investment-ready; the patient capital scales you.
Don't hunt for one big grant. Sequence the tools: a technical-support subsidy and a development grant to get investment-ready, then patient capital from RISQ or the Fiducie to grow, with earned revenue carrying operations. That blend is what Quebec's social-economy system is designed to deliver.
Funding by stage: emergence, development, growth
Social enterprises get rejected for the same reason startups do — applying to the wrong door for their stage. A pre-launch collective doesn't need patient capital yet; an established co-op with revenue shouldn't be chasing a small feasibility subsidy. Match the money to the moment.
PartÉS technical-support subsidy for feasibility and business planning, plus advisory help from your CDR or pôle régional d'économie sociale. Small, focused, and mission-checking.
PME MTL's Fonds de développement de l'économie sociale for development projects, Commerce X Design for retail-facing enterprises, and first working-capital loans from RISQ or Evol.
Patient capital from the Fiducie du Chantier de l'économie sociale and RISQ capitalization for real estate, equipment, and long-horizon expansion, backed by Social Finance Fund intermediaries.
The CDR network exists to help you specifically
Cooperatives get dedicated start-up and governance support from the coopératives de développement régional (CDR) in their region — free advisory help to incorporate, structure membership, and build the plan. Pair that with PartÉS for feasibility and RISQ for financing.
You're a social enterprise — apply to the économie sociale stream
An OBNL that sells goods or services qualifies as a collective enterprise. The Fonds de développement de l'économie sociale ($5,000–$50,000) funds your growth projects, and patient capital can finance a building or equipment — money a grants-only nonprofit rarely reaches.
Start with advice and a feasibility subsidy, not capital
Before financing, get your model right. Book your regional pôle d'économie sociale or CDR, then use PartÉS (up to $5,000 before you launch) to pay for the feasibility study and business plan that later financing will be underwritten against.
Subventions pour les OBNL: what a non-profit can get before and after it sells
En bref : un OBNL sans ventes commence par PartÉS (2 000 $ à 5 000 $ pour une étude de prédémarrage); le FDÉS de PME MTL s'ouvre quand les ventes atteignent 20 % des revenus.
Non-profit grants in Quebec's social economy depend on whether the OBNL sells anything yet. As of October 22, 2026, an OBNL with no sales starts with PartÉS, which pays $2,000 to $5,000 toward pre-startup studies by an outside consultant, with a local economic development organization backing the project.
- PartÉS pre-startup: $2,000 to $5,000 for a business plan, market study or feasibility study. In Laval, the FEC also funds creating a collective enterprise.
- PartÉS rises to $10,000, and $15,000 after three years. ESSOR's feasibility grant publishes no sales share.
- FDÉS opens in Montréal: $5,000 to $50,000.
- Québec City's programs and DÉPART name you, on the same terms as a business.
Hiring and training money does not wait for sales: Subvention salariale and MFOR-E take co-operatives and non-profits (compare: hiring grants, training grants).
A charity or community group that will never sell is outside the social economy; its money is on nonprofit grants in Quebec.
Sources: RISQ, PartÉS page (amounts by stage of development) and PME MTL, FDÉS page, read October 22, 2026; GrantCompass catalogue records for Subvention salariale and MFOR-E.Who qualifies
Eligibility varies by program, but Quebec's social-economy funds share a common core. You generally qualify if:
- Your organization is an OBNL or a coopérative registered in Quebec (with an NEQ from the Registraire des entreprises).
- You pursue a social or collective mission and don't distribute surplus to private owners — your bylaws reflect that.
- You have (or are building) a commercial revenue model — social enterprises sell goods or services, they aren't purely grant-funded charities.
- Your activity is in Quebec, and for local funds (PME MTL, a pôle régional), within that specific territory.
- You can show a viable plan and some own contribution — most tools cost-share or expect matching, they rarely cover 100%.
Some tools add their own gates: Commerce X Design is for retail-facing enterprises with a minimum $50,000 project; Evol requires a leader from an underrepresented group holding 25%+ of the shares in a strategic role; and patient capital from the Fiducie expects a growth project with real assets to finance.
Can a co-op or OBNL use ESSOR and the regular business programs?
Yes, in most sectors. As of October 22, 2026, Investissement Québec's ESSOR program accepts a for-profit business or a social-economy enterprise as defined by the Loi sur l'économie sociale, registered in Quebec. A co-op or OBNL that sells can apply for ESSOR's feasibility grant (Component 1A, up to $50,000) until the program ends on March 31, 2027, unless its activity is in health care and social assistance, education, arts and recreation, restaurants and lodging, or other services such as repair and personal care, which the 1A guide (March 2026) excludes among others; check any other component's guide too.
Three Quebec funds are reserved for you: FDÉS, PartÉS and Laval's FEC. Of 75 active Quebec programs in our catalogue, 34 name co-ops, non-profits or social-economy enterprises; 17 of them are in the finder above.
| Program | Takes a social-economy enterprise? | The condition |
|---|---|---|
| ESSOR 1A, feasibility | Yes | No sales share published; not for care, education, arts, food or personal services |
| ESSOR 1C, digital | Yes | $2.5 million in revenue, after the 1B diagnostic |
| ESSOR Volet 2 and Volet 3 | Yes | Mostly loans, for projects of $100,000 or more |
| PSCE Volet 3 | Yes | A non-profit needs more than 40% own revenue; $10 million in revenue |
| Programme DÉPART | Yes | Mainly commercial, in a targeted territory |
| MRC local investment funds | Yes | Commercial activities |
| Laval Fonds créateur d'entreprise | No | Private for-profit only; Laval sends you to the FEC |
| Laval Virage Techno | No | Non-profits excluded |
How to apply
There is no single social-economy portal. Each tool is submitted to the body that delivers it. The path that works for most social enterprises:
- Confirm your legal form. Be a Quebec-registered OBNL or coopérative with an NEQ, and mission-aligned bylaws — this is the entry ticket to the économie sociale stream.
- Find your social-economy support. Montréal enterprises find their PME MTL pole's économie sociale team; elsewhere your CDR (for co-ops) or pôle régional d'économie sociale.
- Use a feasibility subsidy first. PartÉS (up to $5,000 before you launch, $15,000 after three years in operation) pays for the plan, market study, and financials that later grants and capital are judged on.
- Apply for the development grant. Submit to PME MTL's FDÉS (or your local équivalent) with your plan, budget, and evidence of your own contribution.
- Line up patient capital for growth. For assets or scale-up, approach RISQ and the Fiducie du Chantier — expect underwriting, not a form.
- Layer federal social finance. Look at the Social Finance Fund and investment-readiness support that reaches social purpose organizations across Canada.
Common first-timer mistakes
Quebec's social economy is generous but easy to misread. The mistakes that cost social enterprises the most:
- Applying to the startup stream. A nonprofit or co-op that applies to PME MTL's Fonds Jeunes Entreprises gets redirected: the économie sociale stream is the right door, while Investissement Québec's ESSOR does take social-economy enterprises outside the sectors it excludes.
- Searching only in English. The best tools surface under French names — économie sociale, Fonds de développement, capital patient, coopérative. Search only in English and you miss half the map.
- Expecting one big grant. Social enterprises are financed by a blend of grant, patient capital, and earned revenue. Waiting for a single grant that covers everything stalls the project.
- Skipping the advisors. The CDR and pôle régional advisors are free and know which fund fits — going straight to an application without them is the biggest predictor of a weak file.
- Ignoring earned revenue in the plan. Funders want to see a real commercial model, not a nonprofit that depends entirely on grants — the revenue side is what makes you a social enterprise.
When you can apply: rolling, until the envelope runs out, or a program end date
Quebec business grant deadlines in the social economy are mostly budget limits, not dates. As of October 22, 2026, PME MTL's FDÉS is ongoing, PartÉS and Evol take applications on a rolling basis, Laval's FEC runs until its funds are exhausted, and ESSOR takes applications until the program ends on March 31, 2027.
Rolling or ongoingApply any time
Until the envelope runs outApply early
A program end dateESSOR ends March 31, 2027
A call for projectsWatch the call
What's changed in 2026
The federal Social Finance Fund is now deploying capital. Ottawa's $755M Social Finance Fund — invested through wholesalers into social-finance intermediaries — has moved from setup into active deployment, expanding the pool of repayable capital available to Quebec social enterprises through those intermediaries.
Investment-readiness support remains in flux. The earlier federal Investment Readiness Program (IRP) offered grants to help social-purpose organizations become investment-ready; its availability has shifted between cycles, so confirm current federal readiness support before counting on it.
Inclusive-enterprise financing keeps expanding. Evol continues to broaden its reach as Quebec's dedicated lender for women-, Indigenous-, immigrant-, and diversity-led ventures, including collective enterprises — a clear signal of where new money is flowing.
The province keeps prioritizing the social economy. Quebec's économie sociale action plan continues to back the sector through the MEIE, the Chantier, and the regional pôles, keeping the FDÉS, PartÉS, and patient-capital tools funded into 2026.
Sources: Government of Canada (Social Finance Fund); Ministère de l'Économie, de l'Innovation et de l'Énergie; Chantier de l'économie sociale; Evol.FAQ
Can a nonprofit (OBNL) actually get funding for a social enterprise in Quebec?
What's the difference between a grant and patient capital for a social enterprise?
Do cooperatives qualify for the same programs as nonprofits?
Is Montréal the only place to get social-economy funding in Quebec?
What is the Fiducie du Chantier de l'économie sociale?
Is there a social-enterprise fund in Québec City?
Is there a social-enterprise fund in Laval?
Can a co-op apply to ESSOR?
Is a for-profit company with a social mission part of the économie sociale?
Get matched to Quebec social-economy funding you qualify for
New économie sociale programs and intakes open all year. Join the list and we'll flag the grants, patient capital, and loans that fit your OBNL or coopérative as they become available — no French-language digging required.
Free. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
See your Quebec funding matches in 2 minutes
Answer a few quick questions about your organization and see the Quebec grants, capital, and loans matched to your mission and stage — free, and in English.
Find my funding matches →