Grant · Federal (Canada-wide)
CanExport SME – Export Development Grant
Also known as: CanExport SME
Federal grants up to $50,000 (covering 50% of eligible costs) to help Canadian SMEs develop new export markets. Covers market research, trade show attendance, legal fees for market entry, translation, and business development travel to target markets.
RE-VERIFIED 2026-09-13 after the drift monitor flagged this entry. Two corrections. The intake is now closed outright, not just for the US stream: "Applications are not being accepted at this time" and "The application intake period ended at 12:00 p.m. (ET) on August 31, 2026." And the 2026-27 minimums were raised, which the previous entry did not carry — from the program's own qualify page: "Businesses with less than 3 employees or more than 500 employees are not eligible" and "Businesses generating less than $300,000 or more than $100 million during the last fiscal year are not eligible." The old entry said 1 employee and $100,000, so a two-person or $200K-revenue client would have been told they qualified. The "$3.1 million" US-allocation sentence the previous sourceQuote relied on is no longer on the page at all. Re-verify at tradecommissioner.gc.ca before advising. Intake closed 2026-08-31 — next intake date not yet announced. Confirm current status directly with the program.
Who qualifies
- ⚠️ HARD GATE: 3–500 employees — raised for 2026-27 from the previous 1-employee floor
- ⚠️ HARD GATE: annual revenue between $300,000 and $100 million in the last fiscal year — raised for 2026-27 from the previous $100,000 floor
- Active Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) business number; incorporated companies, limited liability partnerships and cooperatives are eligible structures
- Exporting or seeking to export a Canadian product or service
- Target market must be a new market (not already >20% of company revenue)
- Activities must be export-focused: trade shows, market research, prospecting trips
- Cannot fund domestic activities or general marketing
- As of the 2026-09-13 check the intake period has ended and no applications are being accepted, for any market
Typical applicant
Established Canadian SMEs with proven domestic sales seeking to break into new international markets — tech companies, manufacturers, service firms with exportable offerings
Verified against the official program page as of 2026-09-13. Programs change — always confirm current details with the program office before committing project spend.
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