Get funding for your group's project to support Indigenous entrepreneurship
Use our Access to Business Opportunities funding to support a regional or national initiative that will provide tools and support to foster Indigenous entrepreneurship.
This program does not provide funding for individual business startups, acquisitions, or expansions.
Call for proposals: open
The deadline to submit your application is October 31, 2026 at 11:59 pm Eastern time.
On this page
About the program
This funding offers non-repayable contributions.
We fund national or regional projects that:
- Promote a culture of entrepreneurship
- Improve access to business opportunities
- Strengthen the capacity of Indigenous organizations
To explore other government funding opportunities, visit the Indigenous Business Navigator Service.
Projects are monitored and funding recipients are required to provide Indigenous Services Canada with regular updates on their projects.
The Access to Business Opportunities stream has an annual budget of $850,000.
We may reimburse up to 100% of costs for eligible activities, up to a maximum of $500,000 per recipient per year.
Funding depends on:
- The needs of the recipient
- The eligibility of costs
- The economic benefits
- Project viability
Who can apply
- First Nation and Inuit communities
- Indigenous-owned organizations and associations (as long as they are not charitable or religious)
- Labour organizations
- Universities, colleges, and other learning institutions
Funding may be provided to Indigenous for-profit organizations and entities solely in support of activities that are non-commercial in nature and not intended to generate profit, increase business value or otherwise confer a commercial advantage. Any contributions to private firms are made exclusively to advance program priorities and objectives and must not result in profit generation for the funded entity.
Eligible projects
The scope of the project must be either:
- National: expected benefits will impact numerous communities and regions throughout Canada
- Regional: expected benefits will impact several communities in a specific region
Eligible project activities may include:
- Institutional development, including training and development and business supports to business development organizations
- Business advisory services and training
- Support provided to businesses (ultimate beneficiary) seeking to start, scale or innovate
- Market development
- Organizational development and advocacy activities
We may give preference to proposals aligned with Indigenous and Government of Canada priorities.
These priorities may include, but are not limited to:
- Cleantech and greentech
- Indigenous procurement
- Gender-based Analysis Plus
- Capacity building
For more details on eligibility, consult the Contributions to support land management and economic development: terms and conditions.
How to apply
Consult with us
Submit a project pitch by email to APA-ABO@sac-isc.gc.ca. It is recommended to review the program requirements first as stated in the Contributions to support land management and economic development: terms and conditions.
To ensure there is enough time to review and complete the full intake process, applicants must submit project pitches no later than 2 weeks before the application deadline on October 17, 2026 at 11:59 pm Eastern time.
You should receive an emailed response within 5 business days of submitting your project pitch.
We will contact you to help ensure your:
- Project aligns with program priorities
- Project meets the eligibility requirements
- Organization is well prepared to complete the steps in the application stage of the process
We may also request additional project information, if required.
If your project aligns with the program's terms and conditions, you will receive an invitation to complete and submit the application.
Send us your application
The application will be used to complete a due diligence and benefits assessment.
The due diligence and benefits assessment is an in-depth evaluation of your organization's capacity and experience to:
- Implement the proposed project
- Achieve the stated project objective
- Meet program reporting requirements
Review stage
The review process can take up to 5 months, depending on the volume of applications.
After a due diligence and assessment review is completed, the review committee conducts a thorough evaluation of your application by comparing it to other applications received.
After the review stage is complete, we will notify all applicants of the decisions made by the committee.
Deadline
Applications will be accepted from January 1, 2026 at 12:00 am Eastern time to October 31, 2026 at 11:59 pm Eastern time.
If you apply after our intake period closes we may:
- Invite you to apply in the following intake period
- Retain your application for the following intake period
Contact Us
To learn more, email us at APA-ABO@sac-isc.gc.ca