Black Entrepreneurship Program

The Black Entrepreneurship Program is a federal initiative of Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada that puts $189 million over five years behind Black business owners and entrepreneurs across Canada. It is built as a national program rather than a single fund, with support aimed at starting, growing, and sustaining Black-led businesses. The program's remit is broad, but its delivery is organised around concrete capital and ecosystem channels that are meant to reach Black founders and the organisations that support them. Its financing mix includes the Black Entrepreneurship Loan Fund, which offers loans up to $250,000 through FACE and BDC, alongside the Ecosystem Fund, which issues grants to Black-led non-profits for mentorship and training. The Black Entrepreneurship Knowledge Hub, led by Carleton University and Dream Legacy Foundation, adds research and knowledge-building to the program's delivery. That combination gives the initiative a capital arm, a community-infrastructure arm, and a learning arm, which makes it more than a single competition window. The program is strongest for applicants who can fit a clear role in that three-part structure: entrepreneurs seeking capital, non-profits building support infrastructure, or researchers documenting barriers and outcomes. Loan applications move on a rolling basis, while ecosystem opportunities are periodic, so the practical path is to work through the partner channel that matches the project. Applicants with a Black-led mandate and a defined delivery plan are the best fit for how this program is structured.

Each grant below is a distinct funding opportunity with its own eligibility, scope, and deliverables.