12 youth entrepreneur and student employment programs for Quebec businesses. Futurpreneur provides up to $75,000 in co-lending for entrepreneurs aged 18–39, PME MTL offers $15,000 for young Montreal companies, and federal wage subsidies cover up to 100% of minimum wage for non-profits. Quebec's bilingual startup ecosystem in Montreal, Quebec City, and Sherbrooke provides local accelerators and mentorship networks that amplify grant-funded growth.
Canada's only national co-lending and mentorship program for young entrepreneurs starting their first business. The $75,000 ceiling was raised in September 2024. Applicants must be Canadian citizens or permanent residents aged 18–39, with the business operating full-time for 24 months or less, majority ownership (>50%), and personal taxes filed and current. The program includes mandatory mentorship from an experienced business advisor for the full loan period. Futurpreneur operates a bilingual national portal with French-speaking advisors in Montreal and Quebec City.
Insider tip: Submit a draft business plan to Futurpreneur's analyst team before finalizing. They review drafts at no charge and flag weaknesses. This pre-submission review is the single most impactful step available to applicants.
Source: Futurpreneur Canada Official Program PageA $15,000 grant for legally constituted businesses headquartered on the island of Montreal, operating for less than five years, with the entrepreneur committing to work full-time in the business. The critical structural requirement is that the grant cannot be obtained standalone — you must simultaneously qualify for and receive a PME MTL loan. Retail and restaurant businesses are excluded. Each territorial PME MTL hub has its own CIC meeting schedule, typically monthly. Contact your local hub before preparing documents.
Source: PME MTL Fonds Jeunes EntreprisesComplementary start-up financing from the Business Development Bank of Canada for new businesses that do not qualify for traditional bank financing. BDC Start-up Financing can be stacked alongside Futurpreneur's $50,000 BDC co-lend component or accessed independently. Terms typically include lower payments in the first year to accommodate cash-flow constraints during early operations. This is a loan, not a grant, but its entrepreneur-friendly terms make it a standard companion to grant-funded startup capital in Quebec.
Source: BDC Start-up Financing| Program | Max Amount | Type | Repayable? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Futurpreneur | $75,000 | Co-lending + mentorship | Yes |
| PME MTL FJE | $15,000 | Grant (paired with loan) | No |
| BDC Start-up | $150,000 | Term loan | Yes |
Wage subsidies for employers creating summer jobs for youth. Non-profit Quebec employers access up to 100% of the provincial minimum wage; public-sector and private-sector employers receive up to 50%. The 2026 cycle closed on December 11, 2025. The 2027 call is open until December 3, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. Pacific, for summer 2027 placements. Positions must run 6–8 weeks, generally May–August, and must be new jobs that do not displace existing employees. Scoring is done within your federal electoral constituency, so competitiveness depends on your riding.
Insider tip: Align job descriptions with 2026 national priorities (affordable housing, green/environmental, digital skills/AI) for up to 30 bonus points. Assign a mentor with 2+ years of experience to strengthen the application.
Source: Canada Summer Jobs Official PageWage subsidies for Quebec employers creating paid work placements for post-secondary students in STEM, business, or related fields. Unlike Canada Summer Jobs, SWPP placements can run year-round. Employers must apply through approved delivery partners rather than directly to the federal government. In Quebec, sector-specific partners include BioTalent for biotech, ICTC for digital, and EMC for manufacturing. Magnet is the largest general-purpose partner. Apply the moment intake opens for your target term.
Source: Student Work Placement ProgramFunds intermediary organizations (non-profits, community agencies, Indigenous organizations) that deliver youth employment programming for youth aged 15–30 facing barriers. Individual employers cannot apply directly. Instead, Quebec employers should search for YESS-funded organizations in their region — many are community agencies, Indigenous organizations, or employment centres — and offer to host a youth placement through the intermediary. The program runs periodic calls for proposals, with the next expected in 2026.
Source: Youth Employment and Skills ProgramGrants for Quebec employers hiring new first-year apprentices in one of 39 designated Red Seal trades. The standard grant is $5,000 per apprentice. Employers hiring apprentices from equity-deserving groups (women, Indigenous peoples, newcomers, persons with disabilities, visible minorities) receive a doubled $10,000 per apprentice. The apprentice must be newly registered with the provincial apprenticeship authority. Construction and manufacturing trades are prioritized.
Source: Apprenticeship Service Employer Grant| Program | Subsidy Rate | Age Group | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Canada Summer Jobs | Up to 100% | 15–30 | Summer positions (May–Aug) |
| SWPP | 50%, up to $5,000 | Post-secondary | Year-round co-op placements |
| YESSP | Up to $25K/youth | 15–30 | Youth facing barriers |
| Apprenticeship Grant | $5K–$10K (paused) | Varies | Red Seal trade apprentices |
Connects incorporated Quebec companies with graduate students or postdoctoral fellows for funded R&D collaborations. The company contributes $7,500 in cash, and Mitacs matches it to fund a researcher for 4–6 months. With a 99% approval rate, the real work happens before submission. Invest time in your Mitacs advisor relationship — they will tell you if your project qualifies and help shape the proposal to pass peer review. Ideal for Montreal and Quebec City tech companies with genuine R&D challenges.
Source: Mitacs AccelerateThe largest innovation funding source for Quebec's incorporated CCPCs conducting R&D. Budget 2025 raised the enhanced-rate expenditure limit directly from $3M to $6M, meaning the maximum enhanced CCPC credit at the 35% enhanced rate is $2.1M per year. The claim must be filed within 18 months of the fiscal year-end — an absolute deadline with no extensions. CRA's single biggest audit trigger is reconstructed-after-the-fact documentation. Keep weekly or biweekly technical logs during the project, not at year-end.
Source: SR&ED Tax Incentive ProgramProvides advice, connections, and funding to Canadian SMEs undertaking technology innovation. Eligible companies must be incorporated, have 500 or fewer full-time equivalent employees, and demonstrate genuine technological uncertainty in their R&D project. IRAP is a relationship program: the quality of your Industrial Technology Advisor (ITA) relationship is the single most important success factor. Never start R&D before approval — IRAP cannot fund retroactively. Quebec companies in Montreal, Quebec City, Sherbrooke, and Trois-Rivières can access IRAP through the NRC's regional offices.
Source: NRC IRAP Official PageFunds export market development for Quebec SMEs entering new international markets. Applicants must be incorporated, have 3–500 employees, annual revenue between $300,000 and $100 million, and target a market where prior sales are under $100,000 or under 10% of total sales in the last 24 months. For 2026–27, only $3.1M of the $31M budget is allocated to U.S. projects, meaning non-U.S. applications face far less competition per dollar. Target markets covered by Canada's free trade agreements (CPTPP, CETA) are strategically advantaged.
Source: CanExport SMEsFunds Canadian SMEs that solve specific challenges posted by federal departments. Eligible companies must be incorporated, have 499 or fewer employees, conduct majority of operations in Canada, and address a challenge at Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 1–4. The single most important success factor is directly addressing every Essential Outcome listed in the challenge notice. Evaluators cannot infer anything not explicitly stated in your proposal. Do not reference external websites or supplementary documents; only information in the submission form is evaluated.
Source: Innovative Solutions Canada| Program | Max Amount | Type | Key Gate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mitacs Accelerate | $15K/intern | Matched R&D | University partner |
| SR&ED | $2.1M/yr | Tax credit | Qualifying R&D |
| IRAP | $75K–$1M | Grant | ITA relationship |
| CanExport SMEs | $50K/project | Grant | New market entry |
| Program | Amount | Type | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Futurpreneur | Up to $75K | Co-lending | Active |
| PME MTL FJE | Up to $15K | Grant | Active |
| BDC Start-up | Up to $150K | Loan | Active |
| Canada Summer Jobs | Up to 100% wage | Wage subsidy | Open until Dec 3, 2026 |
| SWPP | Up to $5K | Wage subsidy | Active |
| YESSP | Up to $25K/youth | Grant | Between intakes |
| Apprenticeship Grant | $5K–$10K | Grant | Paused; successor this fall |
| Mitacs Accelerate | Up to $15K | Matched R&D | Active |
| SR&ED | Up to $2.1M/yr | Tax credit | Active |
| IRAP | $75K–$1M | Grant | Active |
| CanExport SMEs | Up to $50K | Grant | Between intakes |
| Innovative Solutions | Up to $1M | Grant | Challenge-specific |
Futurpreneur Canada's Startup Program funds entrepreneurs aged 18 to 39 up to $75,000, and wants the full application, business plan and cash flow included, before your 40th birthday. Créavenir, the Desjardins program run with partner organizations across Quebec, uses the same band. PME MTL's $15,000 and the Ville de Québec's $50,000 set their conditions on the business, not on your age, as of October 19, 2026.
Your age decides two of these programs; sector, stage and province decide the rest. See the Quebec programs you clear at your age
You have two first-tier options. Futurpreneur Canada provides up to $75,000 in co-lending ($25,000 from Futurpreneur + $50,000 from BDC) paired with mandatory mentorship from an experienced business advisor. The application runs year-round in French and English, with dedicated advisors in Montreal. If your business is headquartered on the island of Montreal and has been operating for less than five years, you can also access PME MTL Fonds Jeunes Entreprises for an additional $15,000 grant — but only if you simultaneously qualify for a PME MTL loan. Retail and restaurant businesses are excluded from PME MTL.
Start by submitting a draft business plan to Futurpreneur for free review. Once approved, contact your territorial PME MTL hub to schedule a CIC meeting. The two programs serve different purposes and do not conflict: Futurpreneur funds startup capital, while PME MTL rewards early-stage Montreal businesses with a grant paired with a local loan.
| Stage | Program | Amount | Timeline |
|---|---|---|---|
| Draft plan | Futurpreneur pre-review | Free | 1–2 weeks |
| Startup capital | Futurpreneur + BDC | $75,000 | 4–8 weeks |
| Montreal boost | PME MTL FJE | $15,000 | 1–2 months |
Three programs stack cleanly for different student cohorts. Canada Summer Jobs covers summer positions (May–August) for youth aged 15–30, with non-profits receiving up to 100% of Quebec minimum wage and private businesses up to 50%. Applications are submitted directly to ESDC each fall for the following summer. SWPP funds year-round co-op placements for post-secondary students at 50% of wages, up to $5,000 per placement, applied through delivery partners like Magnet or sector councils. The Apprenticeship Service Grant paid $5,000–$10,000 per first-year apprentice in 39 Red Seal trades; it is paused, and the Build Canada Apprenticeship Service (up to $10,000) launches this fall.
The key is applying through the correct channel for each program. Canada Summer Jobs uses a constituency-based scoring system, so Quebec employers in less competitive ridings have higher approval odds. For SWPP, choose your delivery partner strategically: Magnet handles general placements, while sector-specific partners have dedicated budgets and faster processing.
Being a full-time student does not disqualify you from youth entrepreneur programs. Futurpreneur accepts applications from students aged 18–39 provided the business will operate full-time and you can demonstrate relevant training or experience. The Student Work Placement Program can also work in your favour if you structure your startup as an employer: an incorporated student venture can hire a co-op student through SWPP and receive 50% of the student's wages, up to $5,000 per placement. Mitacs Accelerate is particularly powerful for student founders in Montreal or Quebec City with a university affiliation, because it funds graduate-level R&D inside your company for as little as $7,500 in matching cash.
Student founders should also explore on-campus resources. Montreal's university ecosystem — McGill, Université de Montréal, Concordia, UQAM, and Polytechnique — offers incubators and accelerators that complement federal funding. The key constraint is time: programs like Futurpreneur require a commitment to work full-time in the business, which may conflict with full-time studies.
Founders outside the Greater Montréal area face a different funding landscape. PME MTL is unavailable outside Montreal, so your primary startup financing is Futurpreneur at up to $75,000. For additional support, contact your local CDEC (Corporation de développement économique communautaire) or SADC (Société d'aide au développement des collectivités) network. These community economic development organizations serve regions across Quebec — including Québec City, Sherbrooke, Trois-Rivières, Saguenay, and Gatineau — and can connect young founders to local financing, mentorship, and business incubation resources.
Canada Economic Development for Quebec Regions (CED) has 14 regional offices and can provide repayable contributions for scale-up investments. Young entrepreneurs in Québec City, Sherbrooke, or Saguenay should treat CED as a long-term funding relationship rather than a one-time application. The regional carrefours jeunesse-emploi also offer employment and entrepreneurship services tailored to local youth.
Quebec's innovation corridor — spanning Montréal, Québec City, and Sherbrooke — is one of Canada's densest R&D ecosystems. Your funding stack should start with Mitacs Accelerate for university-industry partnerships, then layer SR&ED annual tax credits to recover 35% of eligible R&D expenditures. Once you have an ITA relationship, pursue IRAP for project-specific funding. For AI and digital innovation, organizations like Scale AI (Montréal), IVADO, and CRIM provide additional research infrastructure and partnership opportunities.
The critical sequencing rule: never start R&D before IRAP approval, because IRAP cannot fund retroactive work. Document your SR&ED-eligible activities weekly, not at year-end. And build your Mitacs advisor relationship early — the 99% approval rate means the real gate is pre-submission project validation, not the formal application.
| Stage | Program | Amount | Cash Required |
|---|---|---|---|
| Early R&D | Mitacs Accelerate | $15K/intern | $7,500 |
| Annual claim | SR&ED | 35% of eligible spend | $0 upfront |
| Project funding | IRAP | $75K–$1M | 20% wage match |
| AI partnerships | Scale AI / IVADO | Varies | Partnership |
Wage subsidies pay an employer; founder money pays an owner. Canada Summer Jobs, the Student Work Placement Program and Québec's Subvention salariale each reimburse part of a wage you pay to someone else, so a student with nobody on payroll cannot claim them. Futurpreneur's loan, PME MTL's $15,000 and Créavenir go to the person who owns the business. As of October 19, 2026.
Two of the five below pay the founder or the business, three pay the employer, and none pays a student with nobody on payroll.
| Program | Who the money goes to | What it asks for |
|---|---|---|
| Futurpreneur Startup Program | The founder | Age 18 to 39, business running full time 24 months or less, more than 50% ownership |
| PME MTL Fonds Jeunes Entreprises | The business | Head office on the island of Montréal, under five years old, paired with a PME MTL loan |
| Canada Summer Jobs | The employer | A new summer job for someone aged 15 to 30 |
| Student Work Placement Program | The employer | A paid placement for an enrolled post-secondary student, through a delivery partner |
| Subvention salariale | The employer | A hire who faces barriers to work, asked for within 10 working days |
You can be both, in that order. An incorporated student venture is an employer: it can hire a co-op student through the Student Work Placement Program, while the founder's money comes from Futurpreneur or a bourse. More: youth and student hiring programs.
Sources: canada.ca, futurpreneur.ca, pmemtl.com, our Subvention salariale record. Read October 19, 2026.| Program | Channel | Key Document | Timeline |
|---|---|---|---|
| Futurpreneur | Direct (online) | Business plan + financials | 4–8 weeks |
| PME MTL FJE | Local PME MTL hub | Loan application + business plan | 1–2 months |
| Canada Summer Jobs | ESDC (canada.ca) | Job description + budget | Annual (fall) |
| SWPP | Delivery partner | Placement agreement | Term-specific |
| SR&ED | CRA (with T2) | Technical logs + T661 | File with taxes |
| IRAP | NRC ITA | Project proposal + budget | 4–12 weeks |
Une subvention, ou une bourse, ne se rembourse pas, et elle couvre souvent une partie des dépenses : la Ville de Québec paie jusqu'à 50 % des coûts d'un démarrage ou d'une reprise, 80 % pour une entreprise d'économie sociale.
Un prêt se rembourse, avec intérêt. Les 75 000 $ de Futurpreneur sont un prêt sans garantie, au taux préférentiel de RBC plus 3 %, plafonné à 9 %.
Un crédit d'impôt arrive plus tard. Vous payez la dépense, puis vous réclamez le crédit dans votre déclaration. Les crédits québécois ne portent pas sur votre âge.
| Programme | Type | Montant |
|---|---|---|
| Futurpreneur (18 à 39 ans) | Prêt et mentorat | Jusqu'à 75 000 $ |
| Créavenir, Desjardins (18 à 39 ans) | Subvention et crédit | 16 000 $ de crédit, subvention régionale |
| Fonds Jeunes Entreprises, PME MTL | Bourse, jumelée à un prêt | Jusqu'à 15 000 $ |
| Bourse de démarrage et repreneuriat, Ville de Québec | Bourse | Jusqu'à 50 000 $ |
La subvention Créavenir vient avec le crédit de Desjardins, jusqu'à 5 000 $ par Laval économique. PME MTL verse jusqu'à 15 000 $ à une entreprise de moins de cinq ans sur l'île de Montréal, jumelés à un prêt. Au 19 octobre 2026.
Oui. La Ville de Québec offre une bourse de démarrage et repreneuriat pouvant atteindre 50 000 $ pour créer ou reprendre une entreprise dans l'agglomération de Québec. Elle ne pose pas de condition d'âge.
Futurpreneur prête jusqu'à 75 000 $ aux 18 à 39 ans, avec mentorat. Créavenir ajoute jusqu'à 16 000 $ de crédit au taux préférentiel plus 0,5 %, par l'organisme partenaire de votre région, si le crédit conventionnel vous est fermé.
Les programmes nommés sur cette page sont décrits en anglais ci-dessus. Pour le volet numérique : subventions québécoises pour le numérique. Pour un organisme sans but lucratif : subventions pour OSBL au Québec.
Sources : futurpreneur.ca, desjardins.com, lavaleconomique.com, pmemtl.com, ville.quebec.qc.ca. Consulté le 19 octobre 2026.Program ceilings, eligibility rules, and budget allocations shifted in 2025–2026. These are the updates that matter.
Futurpreneur raised its combined ceiling to $75,000 in September 2024. The BDC parallel loan component increased from $45,000 to $50,000, bringing the total co-lending package to $75,000 ($25,000 from Futurpreneur + $50,000 from BDC). The age eligibility remains 18–39. Quebec entrepreneurs benefit from Futurpreneur's bilingual Montreal and Quebec City advisor networks.
Source: Futurpreneur Canada Core Startup ProgramBudget 2025 raised the SR&ED enhanced-rate expenditure limit from $3M to $6M. This directly increased the maximum enhanced CCPC credit at the 35% rate to $2.1M per year. The $4M figure sometimes cited for other programs does not apply to SR&ED. Quebec-incorporated tech companies conducting R&D are the primary beneficiaries of this change.
Source: Canada Revenue Agency SR&ED ProgramCanada Summer Jobs 2026 applications closed December 11, 2025. The 2026 cycle has ended. Quebec employers seeking summer 2027 placements should apply in the intake open until December 3, 2026. Non-profit employers continue to receive up to 100% of provincial minimum wage, while public-sector and private-sector employers receive up to 50%. Quebec had one of the highest application volumes nationally.
Source: Employment and Social Development CanadaCanExport SMEs is between intakes; the 2026-27 intake period ended August 31, 2026. The program continues at up to $50,000 per project, with the non-U.S. market prioritization meaning applications targeting CPTPP and CETA markets face less competition. For Quebec exporters, this creates an advantage in EU and Asia-Pacific diversification.
Source: Global Affairs Canada CanExport SMEsSWPP now pays 50% of wages, up to $5,000 per placement. Since April 1, 2026 the rate is the same for every student and at every delivery partner. The higher tier for students from under-represented groups and first-year students (70% of wages, up to $7,000) was withdrawn on that date. Quebec businesses can access SWPP through delivery partners including sector-specific councils for biotech, digital, and manufacturing.
Source: Employment and Social Development Canada SWPPPME MTL Fonds Jeunes Entreprises maintains its $15,000 cap and loan-pairing requirement. There have been no changes to the structural requirement that the grant must be paired with a PME MTL loan. Montreal entrepreneurs should contact their territorial hub early, as CIC meeting schedules vary by district and missing a cycle delays approval by one month.
Source: PME MTL Fonds Jeunes EntreprisesQuebec's youth business ecosystem spans Montréal, Québec City, Laval, Gatineau, Sherbrooke, Trois-Rivières, Saguenay, and Lévis, with the Greater Montréal area serving as the primary concentration of programs and the Québec City–Windsor corridor connecting regional innovation hubs. Investissement Québec provides provincial financing and investment support across the province, while PME MTL focuses on businesses headquartered on the island of Montréal.
The Ministère de l'Économie, de l'Innovation et de l'Énergie (MEIE) sets provincial entrepreneurship policy, and Scale AI in Montréal drives artificial intelligence commercialization. Research institutions including CRIM and IVADO provide R&D infrastructure and graduate talent pipelines. The CDEC and SADC network covers regional Quebec with community economic development offices, while Futurpreneur Québec maintains bilingual advisors in Montréal and Québec City.
Support organizations include La Ruche (co-working and incubation), École des entrepreneurs du Québec (training and mentorship), and the regional carrefours jeunesse-emploi that provide youth employment services in every region. Canada Economic Development for Quebec Regions (CED) operates 14 regional offices, making it the most geographically distributed federal agency in the province. Young founders in Montréal benefit from the densest concentration of resources, while regional founders should leverage the CDEC/SADC network and CED regional offices to access equivalent support.
Most youth entrepreneurship support in Quebec is help, not cash. District 3 Innovation Hub coaches Quebec founders at no charge and takes no equity. Créavenir only moves once a partner organization in your region backs the plan. The SADC and CAE network and Evol lend with advisors attached, and the Ville de Québec pays 30% of a consultant's bill, up to $30,000 a year, as of October 19, 2026.
3,293 companies in 8 Quebec cities are named in federal business-funding records, fiscal 2005 to 2026; 805 of them were funded in fiscal 2025 or later. In Montréal the typical company on the record received $125K in total across those years. The record is federal: territorial and provincial programs are not in it.
| City | Companies on record | Typical total per company | Funded since fiscal 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Montréal | 1,635 | $125K | 448 |
| Québec | 655 | $120K | 152 |
| Laval | 261 | $112K | 46 |
| Sherbrooke | 181 | $192K | 55 |
| Gatineau | 173 | $175K | 23 |
| Lévis | 141 | $150K | 29 |
| Saguenay | 131 | $171K | 20 |
| Longueuil | 116 | $172K | 32 |
Data as of July 2026. Covers published federal agreements over $25,000 for the programs we track, in cities with 20 or more named companies; loans and most tax credits are not in it. Each city links to its full list. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Canada.
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Quebec youth entrepreneur programs in our database, each with eligibility, funding amounts and how-to-apply detail.