Apply now for the Starter Company Plus Grant

The Starter Company Plus Grant program includes:

• Up to 15 hours of business training,
• A micro-grant of $5,000, and
• Up to three months of advisory and mentoring services.

Eligibility & Requirements

Applicant Requirements

The Starter Company Plus Grant is available to entrepreneurs that meet the following criteria:

• Be a Canadian citizen or permanent resident
• Be 18 years of age or older
• Not be attending school or planning to return to school while enrolled in the program
• Be devoting a minimum of 35 hours per week to their small business and not employed anywhere else
• Not be enrolled in any other government-funded employment program
• Be a resident of Toronto with ability to demonstrate proof of physical address.

Business Requirements

Eligible entrepreneurs must also have small businesses that meet the following criteria:

• Must be a registered business at the time of application (Sole Proprietor, Partnership or Corporation) and this business registration documentation (Master Business Licence or Articles of Incorporation) must show a Toronto address
• Must have a commercial business bank account at the time of application which corresponds with Business Registration documentation
• Must have been in operation for minimum six months and up to five years and be able to demonstrate financial activity statements for this period
• Must have majority ownership and the ability to demonstrate proof of ownership and/or shareholder agreement
• Must be located in Toronto with ability to demonstrate proof of physical address
• Must not be a past recipient of the Retail Accelerator Program  and any stream of the Starter Company Plus Grant or other funding from a Small Business Enterprise Centre within Ontario
• Businesses that require certification and/or license must be current at the time of application
• Businesses that operate year-round, i.e. not seasonal businesses, with consistent revenues month over month
• Must be able to commit to in-person and/or virtual entrepreneurship training
• Must have already invested 25 per cent of the grant amount ($1,250) into the business at the time of application (cash, marketing efforts, equipment, commercial rent or other legitimate startup expenses).

Ineligible Businesses

The following businesses are ineligible for a Starter Company Plus Grant:

• Nightclubs, lounges, cabarets, discotheques, music festivals and events or other similar activities
• Online businesses that are resellers of existing products from other manufacturers (e.g. resellers of beauty and/or fashion accessories, phones and phone accessories, tablets, computers, etc.)
• Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs), retirement homes and long-term care homes
• Technology applications which are not market-ready
• Student housing and other property rentals
• Childcare centres, including daycares
• Home care for elderly and/or vulnerable populations
• Quasi-financial institutions or money service and money transfer businesses (including insurance companies and financial services companies),
• Cryptocurrency (e.g. Bitcoin) businesses and traders
• Businesses brokering funds or taking on a fiduciary duty handling funds for clients (including investment, insurance, and real estate brokers who handle funds in trust for clients)
• Brokers (insurance, real estate, investment, etc.) who are working for an existing firm are not seen to be creating a new business
• Businesses and platforms that raise funds for charities
• Charities and non-profits
• Franchises
• Collection agencies
• Businesses that raise investment capital for other businesses
• Businesses that include or promote financing from equity crowd funding (share capital)
• Any businesses that produce and/or primarily retail products whose ingredients include any derivatives of marijuana/cannabis, psilocybin or any other substances included on Schedule I, II, III and/or IV of the Canadian Controlled Drugs and Substances Act (S.C. 1996, c. 19)
• Recording artists and other similar self-promoting artists and activities.