Question 1

Building Up Manitoba Program (BUMP): how much funding, and who qualifies?

Accepted Answer

50% cost-shared reimbursement — up to $10,000/employee for training, $25,000 for HR strategy development, $100,000 total maximum. The most broadly useful program for an established Manitoba employer: send staff to external training or bring in an HR consultant, and get half the cost back. The one hard gate that trips people up — the employer must have been fully operational for at least a year, no exceptions. Training has to be delivered by an arm's-length third party whose primary business is training; conferences, degree programs, and related-party trainers don't qualify. Eligibility: Fewer than 500 FTE employees including all affiliates · operating at least 1 year · third-party training that leads to new employment, a better job, or increased job security Deadline: Continuous intake, no set deadline (training must fall within the current fiscal year, April 1 – March 31).

Question 2

Futurpreneur Canada — Core Startup Financing: how much funding, and who qualifies?

Accepted Answer

Up to $75,000 (up to $25,000 from Futurpreneur + up to $50,000 from BDC) + 2 years of mentorship. The go-to option for a founder aged 18-39 whose business is too new for BUMP or most provincial programs — eligibility is a sales test, not an incorporation-date test. A pre-startup venture (first sales expected within months) or a business with under a year of significant sales both qualify, as long as there's a business plan and a 24-month cash flow forecast. Eligibility: Founder aged 18–39 at application · majority ownership by the qualifying founder(s) · business plan + 24-month cash flow ready Deadline: Continuous intake, no set deadline.

Question 3

Efficiency Manitoba — New Buildings Program 3.0: how much funding, and who qualifies?

Accepted Answer

Up to $12,000 for design-stage energy modelling, plus up to $11.20/sq.ft. (scaled to energy savings above the NECB 2020 baseline) for construction. Easy to miss if you're not already looking for it: designing or constructing a new commercial, multi-unit residential, or industrial building in Manitoba can unlock a meaningful per-square-foot incentive. The one real deadline here isn't a calendar date — it's a milestone: you have to apply BEFORE the project is tendered and BEFORE the building permit is issued, so this only works if you loop us in early. Eligibility: New building or building addition · follows NECB 2020 Tier 1 · design demonstrates at least 5% energy savings vs. the NECB 2020 reference building · not yet tendered or permitted Deadline: Rolling intake — reconfirmed directly with Efficiency Manitoba July 29, 2026, no fixed calendar deadline.

Question 4

NRC IRAP Youth Employment Program (YEP): how much funding, and who qualifies?

Accepted Answer

Cost-shares a portion of a young graduate's salary for a 6–12 month placement (exact amount confirmed only through your assigned Industrial Technology Advisor — NRC's own page does not publish a fixed dollar figure). A sub-stream of core NRC IRAP funding, specifically for hiring a post-secondary graduate (age 15–30) onto a defined R&D, engineering, multimedia, or market-analysis project. Same access process as core IRAP — one phone call starts it, no separate application form. Eligibility: Business meets core IRAP eligibility (incorporated, for-profit, operating in Canada, ≤500 FTE) · candidate is 15–30, a first-time post-secondary graduate, legally entitled to work · placement is 6–12 months, minimum 30 hrs/week Deadline: No standalone deadline — apply anytime by calling NRC IRAP (1-877-994-4727) to be matched with an advisor.

Question 5

CanExport SME – Export Development Grant: how much funding, and who qualifies?

Accepted Answer

Up to $50,000, covering 50% of eligible costs (market research, trade shows, legal fees for market entry, translation, business development travel). If new-market exporting is on your radar for this fiscal year, this is the one to move on now — non-U.S. markets are still open, but the deadline itself is five weeks out and the U.S. envelope already ran out ahead of schedule. Eligibility: Canadian SME, 1–500 FTE employees · annual revenue $100,000–$100 million · target market not already >20% of company revenue · export-focused activities only Deadline: August 31, 2026, 12:00pm ET — but the U.S.-market allocation is already fully committed and closed; only non-U.S. markets remain open.

Question 6

CIBC Biz Pitch Competition™ 2026: how much funding, and who qualifies?

Accepted Answer

$45,000 CAD total across four categories: Entrepreneurial Success Story of the Year ($20,000), Start-Up of the Year ($10,000), Promising Student Entrepreneur of the Year ($10,000), Most Popular Vote ($5,000). Run by CIBC Business Banking with the Women Entrepreneurship Knowledge Hub, not a government program — no cost to enter and a real prize pool across four categories, including one just for student entrepreneurs. Eligibility: Resident of Canada, age of majority · owner/co-founder of an eligible Canadian-registered, Canadian-headquartered business · not a CIBC or WEKH employee or immediate family member Deadline: August 31, 2026, 11:59pm ET — finalists pitch live virtually October 20, 2026.

Question 7

TELUS #StandWithOwners Contest: how much funding, and who qualifies?

Accepted Answer

Three Grand Prizes of $125,000 each; six Community Awards of $10,000 each. Worth flagging even though it isn't a grant: no cost to enter, no guaranteed odds, and a real prize pool. A reasonable low-effort addition alongside an actual funding strategy — not a substitute for one. Eligibility: Canadian, operational, revenue-generating business · 1–100 employees · for-profit, charity, non-profit, or social enterprise Deadline: Application window closes September 2, 2026, 11:59pm ET.