Apply for financial assistance
Prepare your documentation
Contact us to get in touch with the team at your regional business office, who will determine whether your project is eligible, answer your questions, and guide you through the next steps.
If you use a representative to present your project, they must be registered in the Registry of Lobbyists. Their fees cannot be reimbursed with the financial assistance from CED.
To be ready to answer our questions, have your business plan on hand. Alternatively, prepare a summary of your project containing the following information:
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Brief description of the business or organization
- Number of employees, managers, and shareholders
- Your products/services and business model
- Your markets, current and target customers
- Your tangible competitive advantages (what sets you apart from the competition)
- Your financial situation (e.g., recent financial statements)
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Brief description of the project
- Objectives and planned activities
- Total cost and financing of your project
- Project start and end dates (e.g., implementation schedule)
- Expected benefits
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If your project is not deemed eligible, we will refer you to other sources of information and funding.
Submit your application
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If your project is deemed eligible, an application form for financial assistance will be sent to you by a member of the business office team. At the same time, you will be informed of the additional information and documents you need to provide so that we can proceed with a full review of your application.
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For information purposes:
- Your corporate and organizational structure (e.g., list of shareholders and percentage distribution of shares for key executives, list of affiliated companies, members of your board of directors)
- A detailed description of your project
- Financial statements for the last two years and the most recent interim financial statements
- An Excel file detailing project costs and financing in the format below:
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| Type of cost | Amount |
|---|---|
| Type of cost X | $ xxx |
| Type of cost Y | $ xxx |
| Type of cost Z | $ xxx |
| Etc. | $ xxx |
| Total project cost: | $ xxx |
| Sources of funding | Amount |
|---|---|
| CED (assistance requested) | $ xxx |
| Other federal, provincial, municipal government assistance (Who?) | $ xxx |
| Conventional lender (Who?) | $ xxx |
| Company/organization (working capital) | $ xxx |
| Total financing (equivalent to total project cost) | $ xxx |
Important reminder
Costs incurred before the official submission of the duly signed application form for financial assistance
are generally not eligible. Please inform us if any costs related to your project have already been
incurred.
What happens after you submit an application?
You will receive an acknowledgment of receipt. While your application is being reviewed, we may ask you for additional information.
Upon receipt of all documentation, we will render a decision in accordance with our service standards.
If the decision is favorable, we will send you an agreement to sign and explain the steps for submitting your claims.
If the decision is unfavorable, the reasons will be communicated to you as soon as possible.