In 2025, small businesses in Canada saw many ups and downs, from tariffs being implemented to new grants and incentives, high interest rate increases, to employment rate issues.
One thing that was consistent was the country’s ability to funnel money towards small business growth and entrepreneurship. “Made in Canada”, made it big as we showed the world that we, Canadians, stick together when it matters. This pushed our entrepreneurship spirit up, up, and up.
Heading into 2026, this is still the case!
New funding for 2026 has been mentioned by the federal government, with a plan of nearly $500 billion to Canadian business owners. So, it’s time to take a piece for yourself as you make your plans for 2026.
But how do you get small business grants for 2026?
Key steps to securing business grants in 2026
In this small business guide, we will be showing you exactly how to get small business grants in 2026, and trust me, we know how!
In 2025, we helped thousands of entrepreneurs via our Small Business Startup Platform obtain government funds, government-backed options, and grants in general.
So, let’s start the prep work.
The key steps to secure business grants in 2026 start with:
- A solid business plan
- Proper financial statements (or projections)
- A visually appealing PitchDeck presentation
Once the key requirements are in place, the fun stuff begins - matching you to the grants and funding options that are available, based on your specific needs. This starts with:
- Knowing your funding needs
- Understanding how much you truly need
- Finding those programs - and yes, I mean programs, not one program.
- Applying on time and correctly!
💡Over 80% of funding applications are denied due to simple mistakes. Avoiding these via expert guidance is key. Call in, ask for help 📞 1-800-288-9691
Requirements for securing business grants in 2026
Sounds easy - all you need is a business plan, financial statements or projections, and a pitch! And it is, but, many many entrepreneurs give up on these steps simply because it requires time and effort.
So, if you are afraid of a little work, stop right now, turn back and you’re done.
But, if you believe in yourself, your entrepreneurial dream, and want to start or expand your business, and ultimately get some grants and funding this year, it’s time to get down to the work.
Your Business Plan
The business plan is generally the key to your success when you are trying to obtain small business grants or funding.
A business plan acts as a resume, but for your business!
In most cases, when a funding agency is reviewing your work, they will be looking at you to make a decision on grant funding; they will be considering your business plan and your application as the key piece of information that will get the approval or not for funding.
In other words, your business plan must be a solid piece of work that contains clear details of your business model, funding requirements and in-depth explanation of your financial plan - ie: your statements or future projections.
In short, you need a business plan that explains what you will do, how you will do it, why it will work, how much you need to make it work, and what success will look like.
Without a business plan, you will be denied.
Your Financials
Financial statements are as important, if not more important, than a business plan!
But, you can’t have a business plan and apply for funding without proper financials.
So what to do…
As an existing business, you likely have financial statements already. You know, your profit/loss, your balance sheet, and cash flow statement?
If you don’t know - ask your accountant!
As for a startup, it’s hard to give statements of a business that hasn’t happened just yet. In this case, it’s all about projections - or really, just smart guesses.
This is where your funding ask is very important. As you are trying to access business grants in 2026, the goal is to explain how the added funding will help your business. This explanation will come in the form of showing your projected financial outcome.
With the secured business grants or funding, what will your revenue look like? What about your expenses? What do you expect?
The financials are tough - you want to get them done right.
Don’t be afraid to ask for expert help - a perfect reason to use the Small Business Startup Platform to get expert assistance with it all!
Your PitchDeck
Now, let’s assume your business plan is all done, your financials make sense, the next step is getting a nice, friendly, professional presentation that you can use to break the ice with these funding agencies.
Uh oh, design work!
Just when you thought you were done, another hurdle comes your way.
The PitchDeck however is not mandatory, so if you want to skip it, you may.
But keep in mind that a PitchDeck, while not mandatory, is an easy way to present your business model and your funding needs in a quick, visually appealing manner.
Think of it like this; a funding agency get’s hundreds of applications per day, all with a business plan. Let’s say, they are all just plain, boring text. Imagine the poor guy who has to read all those plans! Now, your plan comes in and has a PitchDeck attached, some color, some images, more fun and differnt.
Let’s leave it there for you to decide if it’s needed or not.
At the end of the day, to secure business grants in 2026 for your small business, you will need 1) a business plan; 2) financial statements or projections and 3), while optional, but very much recommended, a PitchDeck presentation.
Securing business grants in 2026
Let’s assume that you’ve knocked out each of the key requirements as mentioned, including your business plan, financial statements, and your pitch.
What’s next to actually secure grants for your business?
Well, as mentioned, 4 simple, but very important steps:
- Knowing your funding needs
- Understanding how much you truly need
- Finding those programs - and yes, I mean programs, not one program.
- Applying on time and correctly!
1️⃣ Knowing your funding needs
When looking at obtaining business funding, it’s always easy to say “give me as much as I can get*”, *but in reality, this can cause many problems. So, let’s be smart about it.
As you’ve developed your business plan, if it was done following key government standards, you’ve likely outlined what you need funding for. Those expenses you have, or plan to have, but simply can’t cover on your own.
Those are your funding needs.
If you have a long list (100+), while it’s not impossible, the goal is to prioritize one over another. So, a good way to look at it is to think about what you need now (today, tomorrow), to make your business run - at least to the next point.
What you need later on, we can worry about that then.
I say today and tomorrow, but since funding can take weeks to be approved, ideally, you are seeking funding in advance! And when you ask for funding, think 3-6 months ahead!
In other words, don’t get greedy, ask for what you need!
2️⃣How much is truly needed?
It’s hard to estimate how much to ask for - this is a recurring problem that most business owners have when seeking funding.
Asking for too much, you risk being denied.
Asking too little, what if it’s not enough!
So - how do you determine how much you need?
Unfortunately, there isn’t a magic answer that will help you with this, but straight-up guesses, backed with a bit of research.
Think about the expense you are trying to cover - how much is realistic?
That’s the answer + maybe 10-20% more just in case.
If you need a hand figuring this out, working with an expert at Canada Startups could put you on the right path, as we’ve done it thousands of times!
3️⃣Finding the programs!
The most challenging step!
There are over 1,500 different funding programs. Many are government, some are government-backed, some are private. There are nearly 250 differnt funding agencies across Canada - from local, provincial, to federal government.
To secure small business grants in 2026, you really have to do A LOT of research.
But who has time to do that?
Take an easier approach - the Canada Startups Funding Database lists over 1,000+ funding options, including the key grants, loans, tax breaks, private options, and more, with expert guidance and assistance each step of the way.
With this support, an expert will find the programs for you, match you to the most funding options based on your business plan and specific funding needs. This also ensures the next step is taken care of as well!
4️⃣Apply on Time and CORRECTLY!
As mentioned earlier, over 80% of funding applications are denied - often due to simple mistakes.
- applying too late
- applying without the key requirements (plan, pitch, financials)
- asking too much
- not reading the instructions on the application correctly
- etc…
It’s all avoidable, so the best advice we can give you on this is ask for help, or take the time and do it carefully, step by step!
So what did you learn?
To successfully secure business grants in 2026, you need to take care of a few things - starting with a good business plan, financial projections, a visually appealing presentation.
Don’t be afraid to ask for help!
Once the key requirements are in place, know exactly what you need the funds for, how much you will be seeking in funding, access the various grants, government-backed options, private..etc, and apply on time, ensuring you check off every single point off the application requirements.
It’s not impossible - it just takes time and a bit of effort!