Funding and support for Indigenous businesses and organizations

Where we provide funding

Who is eligible?

Includes Indigenous:

• businesses and entrepreneurs
• economic development corporations (IEDCs)
• not-for-profit organizations or associations

Contact us for details indigenous-autochtones@feddevontario.gc.ca.

There is no deadline to apply and no need to complete an application form before contacting our dedicated team.

Project activities

Indigenous businesses or IEDCs in southern Ontario may be eligible for funding to:

• increase production capacity, purchase and install equipment
• develop new products, services or solutions
• access services or expertise necessary to complete your project
• participate in trade shows, business functions or other activities for market development opportunities
• strengthen business, management and marketing capacity
• attract and develop workers
• invest in businesses in your region, provide financial support to advance community interests

Indigenous not-for-profit organizations or associations in southern Ontario may be eligible for funding to:

• provide services for Indigenous businesses and entrepreneurs, such as access to capital, networking and mentoring opportunities, or specialized business support services
• enable First Nations, Métis and Inuit Peoples’ participation in new or growing sectors
• offer services to Indigenous businesses to support a skilled workforce
• increase the technical capacity (new equipment or software adoption, marketing, sales, product design, etc.) as well as managerial capacity (financial management, human resources, etc.) of Indigenous businesses
• develop new tools, technology, products, services or systems for Indigenous economic development

Please consult with indigenous-autochtones@feddevontario.gc.ca to obtain information on full eligibility requirements.

Contact us

Please contact one of our dedicated officers to discuss your project idea.

We also welcome your comments, questions and feedback by email indigenous-autochtones@feddevontario.gc.ca.

FedDev Ontario partners supporting Indigenous economic development

Aboriginal Impact Capital - Provides Indigenous mid-market companies opportunities and tools to participate in the southern Ontario economy. AIC is a joint effort of southern Ontario's four Aboriginal Financial Institutions—Two Rivers Community Development Centre, Tecumseh Community Development Corporation, Métis Voyageur Development Fund and First Nations Farm and Business Financing Program of Ontario. FedDev Ontario is a proud supporter of the establishment of AIC.

National Aboriginal Capital Corporations Association - Helps to reduce barriers that Indigenous women face when starting or growing their businesses and ensure that they have access to the resources and capital they need to prosper and thrive. The Agency provided funding to support the National Aboriginal Capital Corp. Association to develop capacity, tools and a proof of concept for an Indigenous women's microfinance fund.

FedDev Ontario Indigenous recipients making an impact in southern Ontario

Mādahòkì Farm – An Indigenous not-for-profit located in Nepean, Ontario, Mādahòkì Farm received funding in 2021. The farm provides a year-round permanent Indigenous Marketplace accessible by Indigenous artists, creators and farmers, a permanent home for endangered Ojibwe Spirit Horses, and promotes authentic Indigenous culinary and farm-to-table experiences. Indigenous Experiences Mādahòkì Farm project is a tangible way to help ensure that Algonquin Anishinabeg heritage continues to be a defining element of the National Capital Region experience.

Ojibway Bay Marina Ltd. is located in Rama on Lake Couchiching on the Trent-Severn Waterway and is owned and operated by the Chippewas of Rama First Nation. With support from FedDev Ontario, the Marina enhanced its retail/booking system docks, improved the safety and accessibility of its facilities, and made greening upgrades to amenities, signage and tourist offerings.

Drader Manufacturing Industries Ltd. – Located in Brampton, Ontario, Drader is an established Métis-led plastics manufacturer that received funding from FedDev Ontario to enhance its manufacturing capabilities to meet demand from a producer of cricket protein to build component parts for their cricket habitats. The project supports Drader's expansion into new markets as well as the local and Canadian cricket farming and food production supply chain.

First Nations Technical Institute – To support skills development among Indigenous youth, FedDev Ontario provided funds to support the First Nations Technical Institute's (FNTI) expansion of the FNTI aviation technology program and pilot training school. This expansion enabled the Institute to double the number of Indigenous students it trains as commercial pilots, skills that will help them secure good jobs at a time of acute skills shortages in the aviation sector.