Discover funding programs designed for small-town entrepreneurs, farmers, and rural businesses. From regional development grants to agricultural financing, find the support to grow your rural enterprise.
Rural and agricultural businesses in Canada access funding through three main channels. First, the six regional development agencies — FedNor (Northern Ontario), ACOA (Atlantic Canada), PrairiesCan (Prairies), PacifiCan (British Columbia), CED (Quebec), and CanNor (the three territories) — fund business expansion, innovation, and community projects, while in Northern Ontario the province's Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation (NOHFC) runs Invest North, whose Locate stream reaches up to $5 million. Second, federal agricultural programs — the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership (SCAP), AgriInnovate, AgriMarketing, and Farm Credit Canada financing — support farms and agri-food processors nationwide. Third, provincial rural economy funds and the federal Canada Small Business Financing Program back local projects and equipment purchases. Most programs define “rural” as communities outside major urban centres, while national farm programs such as Farm Credit Canada financing and SCAP serve agricultural businesses in every province, rural or not.
Which channel fits you? Farm or agri-food producer → start with Farm Credit Canada and SCAP. Northern Ontario business → NOHFC Invest North. Atlantic, Prairie, B.C., Quebec, or territorial business → your local regional development agency. Need equipment or property financing rather than a grant → the Canada Small Business Financing Program.
Own a main-street storefront? Canada's cities run 43 active municipal storefront and property-improvement programs, most of them matching grants administered through city hall or your Business Improvement Area, and we track them in a dedicated directory of storefront and facade improvement grants.
Last updated: October 2026 · Verify program details and deadlines on the official program pages linked below.
Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation (NOHFC), Government of Ontario
A comprehensive economic development program providing grants and loans to support business expansion, innovation, and community development in Northern Ontario. Whether you're a startup, growing business, or established enterprise, NOHFC's Launch, Grow, Innovation and Locate streams help rural and northern businesses thrive.
For grant and loan programs, “rural” is not one definition: each program draws its own line, as of October 23, 2026. Community Futures and CBDC loans use each local office's service map, the New Brunswick Rural Economy Fund counts municipalities under 25,000 residents, and FCC's AgriSpirit Fund takes communities under 50,000 people. Pick your province to see every line that applies to you.
How many people live in your town or municipality?
Who is applying?
Pick your province to see your first rural door.
| Program | Where | How it draws the line | Who can apply |
|---|---|---|---|
| CBDC General Business Loan | NB, NS, PE, NL | Service map Each of 41 CBDC offices serves its own part of rural Atlantic Canada. | For-profit businesses, seasonal or year-round. Loans up to $150K. |
| New Brunswick Rural Economy Fund | NB | Population cut Municipalities with fewer than 25,000 residents. | Non-profits, municipalities, Regional Service Commissions and First Nations; businesses should ask the fund. Up to $1M (varies). |
| SADC and CAE small-business loans | QC | Service map The business must sit in an SADC or CAE territory. | Businesses under 200 employees. Loans up to $300K. |
| Programme DÉPART | QC | Named list Only targeted low-vitality MRCs and territories qualify. | SMEs of 250 employees or less; co-ops and non-profits with mainly commercial activity. Up to $125K. |
| Community Futures Ontario (CFDC loans) | ON | Service map 60 offices; some northern ones also serve cities such as Thunder Bay. | Small businesses and social enterprises. Each office sets its loan size. |
| Rural Ontario Development Program | ON | Service map The project must sit inside an eligible rural area on Ontario's Rural and Urban Areas map. | Businesses with 1 to 20 employees; municipalities, non-profits, Indigenous communities and local services boards through the community streams. |
| NOHFC Invest North | Northern ON | Service map An eligible Northern Ontario postal code. | Northern Ontario businesses, through four streams. Up to $5M. |
| Community Futures Manitoba | MB | Service map 16 offices in rural and northern Manitoba; Winnipeg sits outside. | For-profit businesses, startups and buyers. Loans up to $150K. |
| Community Futures Saskatchewan | SK | Service map 16 offices; Saskatoon and Regina city centres sit outside. | For-profit businesses under 500 staff and $20M revenue. Loans up to $150K. |
| Community Futures Alberta | AB | Service map 27 offices, outside the Edmonton and Calgary metropolitan areas. | Small businesses; one office's form also lists non-profits and co-ops. Loans up to $150K. |
| Community Futures BC | BC | Service map 34 offices; most of Metro Vancouver and Greater Victoria sit outside, while Kelowna, Chilliwack and Abbotsford are inside. | Small businesses, and non-profits launching a social enterprise. Loans up to $1M. |
| NDIT Business Diversification and Sustainability | Northern BC | Service map The Northern Development region, about 70% of B.C. | Businesses two years or older with over $30,000 in revenue; First Nation development corporations; job-focused non-profits. |
| FCC AgriSpirit Fund | Every province and territory | Population cut Communities under 50,000 people. | Charities, towns and Indigenous governments, or a non-profit partnered with one. Not businesses. $10K to $25K. |
Your town clears more than these rural lines. See every program your town clears, rural rules included →
Explore programs designed to support entrepreneurs and businesses in rural communities, small towns, and agricultural regions across Canada.
Farm Credit Canada
Provides financing and services to agriculture and agri-food businesses across Canada. Specialized lending for farms, food processors, and rural enterprises.
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada
A five-year federal-provincial framework supporting innovation, competitiveness, and resilience in the agriculture sector through various grant programs.
Regional Development Corporation of New Brunswick
Supports local and regional priorities that grow local economies in New Brunswick, focusing on community-driven economic development projects.
Government of Yukon
Supports projects providing long-term, sustainable economic benefits to Yukoners and Yukon communities, including business innovation and diversification.
ACOA
Supports business development and economic growth in Atlantic Canada through various programs for businesses in NB, NS, PEI, and NL.
Prairies Economic Development Canada
Supports business growth and economic diversification in Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba with various funding programs.
Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency
Supports economic development in Canada's three territories through funding for businesses and communities in NWT, Yukon, and Nunavut.
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada
Supports the development of export markets for Canadian agricultural products through funding for marketing activities and trade shows.
Regional Development Agencies
Provides support to Canadian businesses affected by tariffs, helping them diversify markets and adapt to trade challenges.
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada
Supports under-represented groups in agriculture including women, Indigenous peoples, youth, and persons with disabilities.
Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada
Government-backed loans helping small businesses access financing for equipment, improvements, and real property. Available to all rural businesses.
The rural development grants below are run by provinces, a territory and a regional trust. As of October 23, 2026, four of the six take applications: the New Brunswick Rural Economy Fund, Quebec's Programme DÉPART, the Yukon Community Tourism Destination Development Fund and NOHFC's Invest North streams. The Rural Ontario Development Program reopens January 18, 2027.
Most rural money is repaid. Of the 25 open, between-intake or upcoming programs in our catalogue whose eligibility rules use the word “rural”, 14 are loans or forgivable loans, 10 are grants and 1 is an award, as of October 23, 2026.
Canada's six regional development agencies provide tailored support for rural and remote businesses in every part of the country.
Economic development for Northern Ontario, beside the province's NOHFC, which runs the Invest North Program with funding up to $5 million.
Supports businesses in New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, and Newfoundland and Labrador.
Economic development in Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba with focus on diversification and innovation.
Supports business development and economic growth throughout British Columbia.
Regional economic growth in Quebec through grants and contribution programs.
Economic development in Yukon, Northwest Territories, and Nunavut.
Community Futures is the network of local offices that lends to small businesses in rural Canada, and as of October 23, 2026, every province has one: Community Futures offices in the West and Ontario, SADCs and CAEs in Quebec, and CBDCs in Atlantic Canada. The money is a loan you repay, not a grant, and the offices also give business advice.
| Network | Offices | Loans | Federal funder |
|---|---|---|---|
| Atlantic CBDCs | 41 | $5,000 to $150,000, plus a first-time entrepreneur loan | ACOA |
| Quebec SADCs and CAEs | One per territory | $5,000 to $300,000 | Not in our record |
| Ontario CFDCs | 60 (36 south, 24 north) | Set by each office | FedDev Ontario, FedNor |
| Community Futures Manitoba | 16 | Up to $150,000 | PrairiesCan |
| Community Futures Saskatchewan | 16 | Up to $150,000 | PrairiesCan |
| Community Futures Alberta | 27 | Commonly up to $150,000 | PrairiesCan |
| Community Futures BC | 34 | Up to $1,000,000 | PacifiCan |
Does your town count? Each office's map decides; the rural checker above gives you the question to ask.
In Yukon, the Northwest Territories and Nunavut, the northern business desks are on our territories grants guide.
Find the office that covers your postal code before you write a plan. Pick your province in the checker →
Searching for regional development grants in Canada? The larger grants and contributions come from the six regional development agencies listed above, while Community Futures handles the smaller loans in the same regions. Which agency covers your region, and what each one funds, is in our regional development agency funding guide.
Specialized funding streams for Canadian farmers, food processors, and agricultural businesses.
Farm Credit Canada financing and provincial crop insurance programs.
Funding for new agricultural technologies and processes.
Value-added processing grants and equipment financing.
AgriMarketing program for international market development.
Environmental programs and sustainable agriculture funding.
FCC Young Farmer Loan and new entrant programs.
Agritourism grants in Canada are thin as of October 23, 2026: Destination Canada's Tourism Sprint Program, which pays up to 50% of planning costs to $25,000 and accepts for-profit tourism businesses, is between intakes. The doors left are your province's cost-share under the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership, a territorial tourism fund such as Yukon's, or a Community Futures loan.
Grants or loans? The grants here reach $25,000 (Tourism Sprint) and $375,000 (Yukon's tourism fund); the loans reach $500,000 (CALA-guaranteed) and $2,000,000 (FCC Young Farmer Loan).
Tourism money by province is on our tourism and hospitality grants guide.
For a first farm, the named programs are loans. The FCC Young Farmer Loan lends up to $2M to producers under 40 buying farm assets. In Alberta, AFSC's Next Generation Loan serves producers under 40, and older producers new to farming. New-entrant programs and land options are in our farm financing guide.
Farm Credit Canada is Canada's largest agriculture and food lender. To borrow from your own bank instead, the Canadian Agricultural Loans Act (CALA) guarantees farm loans up to $500,000 from participating banks and credit unions, for land, buildings, equipment and livestock. Federal farm grants are on our agriculture grants guide.
No: the Rural Business Development Grant (RBDG) is a U.S. Department of Agriculture program for rural America, and its grants go to towns, nonprofits and tribes there, not to businesses. The Rural Economic Development Loan and Grant (REDLG) is a USDA program too, and as of October 23, 2026, neither is open to Canadian businesses.
Canada's nearest doors are Community Futures, SADC and CBDC loans, the Rural Ontario Development Program and the New Brunswick Rural Economy Fund.
Get answers to common questions about rural and agricultural business funding in Canada.
Rural Canadian businesses can access multiple funding sources: Regional Development Agency programs (FedNor, ACOA, PrairiesCan, PacifiCan, CED, CanNor), provincial rural economy funds, agricultural programs like SCAP, Farm Credit Canada financing, and community development grants. Funding ranges from $5,000 to $5 million+ depending on the program and project scope.
Each program draws its own line for 'rural': Community Futures and CBDC loans use each office's service map, the New Brunswick Rural Economy Fund counts municipalities under 25,000 residents, and FCC's AgriSpirit Fund takes communities under 50,000 people. Some programs focus on specific regions like Northern Ontario, the Prairies, or Atlantic Canada. Farm programs such as Farm Credit Canada financing and SCAP serve agricultural businesses in every province, rural or not.
Yes, new farmers can access Farm Credit Canada's Young Farmer Loan program, provincial agricultural support programs, the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership (SCAP) programs, and regional development grants. Some offer favourable terms to younger farmers: FCC's Young Farmer Loan lends up to $2M to producers under 40 with no processing fees.
Northern Ontario businesses can access the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation's Invest North Program (up to $5 million through its Locate stream), Indigenous economic development funds, and federal regional development initiatives. FedNor specifically focuses on economic development, innovation, and community growth in Northern Ontario.
Yes, rural tourism businesses can access multiple programs including provincial tourism development grants, regional development agency funding, rural economy funds, and specific tourism programs like Manitoba's Tourism Development Fund. Agri-tourism operations can also tap into agricultural funding streams.
Rural businesses can access the Universal Broadband Fund for connectivity improvements, provincial digital transformation grants, regional development agency technology programs, and IRAP funding for innovation projects. Many programs now prioritize digital adoption for rural and remote businesses.
It depends on the office. Community Futures, SADC and CBDC loans use each local office's service map, not a population number, so ask the office: “Is [your town], [postal code] inside your service area?” Some networks name exclusions: Community Futures Alberta works outside the Edmonton and Calgary metropolitan areas.
No: the Rural Business Development Grant (RBDG) is a U.S. Department of Agriculture program for rural America, and its grants go to towns, nonprofits and tribes there, not to businesses. Canada's nearest doors are Community Futures, SADC and CBDC loans, the Rural Ontario Development Program and the New Brunswick Rural Economy Fund.
Agritourism grants in Canada are thin as of October 23, 2026: Destination Canada's Tourism Sprint Program, which pays up to 50% of planning costs to $25,000 and accepts for-profit tourism businesses, is between intakes. The doors left are your province's cost-share under the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership, a territorial tourism fund such as Yukon's, or a Community Futures loan.
Eligibility, funding amounts, application steps, and timing for the rural and agricultural programs above.