It depends on the features you are looking for and if you want hands on help. We have DIY options (Success/ Premium) to full Fractional Grant Management Support. Need help deciding?
The Basic Plan (2 week access) is for trial purposes to get an inside look and explore how we can help you streamline your grant activities. You can do a search to explore grants and learn how the platform works. It’s designed to get an inside look and see how to can help you save time in the grant process.
Success Plan
The entry level account is the Success Level Plan. It is designed for companies who want access to the platform (up to 3 users in a company) to build a list, get alerts when new grants surface, access our grant management system to organize & store data for grants, get tips on how to apply to different types of grants, store funding contacts in one place, access templates to prep core grant data, view the stages of your applications at a glance.
Premium Plan
This Premium Plan includes all the above plus up to 5 users in your company. This is designed for companies who want some hands-on support to get started. It allows for building a more streamlined grant list, advice on how to build your grant strategy, the ability to download a grant capture list for investors or other stakeholders, access our GrantAI writing tool (streamline the writing process), and get direct connections to strategic service providers upon request. It’s designed to give you some hands-on help to get started in the process.
Fractional Plan
Can’t stay on top of grants and missing deadlines? Don’t have internal skills or capacity to get it done? This is when the Fractional Plan makes senses. We can connect you to get a quote for fractional support (hands on help to build your grant strategy, guide you in the grant process, provide document reviews, and ongoing grant writing support).
Association Plan
Do you have a business network, membership community, or client database who has a need for grants? We can design a plan to meet your business or membership needs. Reach out and we can explore ideas to serve your members or clientele.
Send us a note and we can help find the best plan for you.
No. The account requires you to add your proprietary data to get started, and cannot be shared. This is outlined in the terms of use document. If you have contacts who want to use the platform share our Basic Plan to take a look and we are happy to chat with them if they have questions.
Yes and No. Yes grants are seen as free money as if approved you don’t have to pay back the amount awarded. No it’s not free money if you factor in your time, and you are still required to contribute a % matched funding in the grant application.
Grants are not designed to fund the costs related starting up a business and don’t usually cover basic operating costs. If looking for funding for operating costs or start-up costs that is most likely funded via a loan program.
Some grants are designed for all businesses (ex student hiring). Other grants are designed to support a particular sector the government wants to grow (ex agriculture, healthcare, digital tech, AI, energy, aerospace, defence, construction, environment, fintech, proptech, and many more). Grants are used as a mechanism to stimulate the economy federally, and provincially, and sometimes municipally.
No. Grants are mostly designed to be reimbursed once you have spent money on the activities approved in a grant. They often ask to prove you have the matched amount when you apply. This is done to ensure you have the cashflow to carry the costs while waiting to be reimbursed.
It depends on the grant and how busy the evaluators are. Factor in time to prep your docs and ask each grant advisors for timelines when you are applying. As a rule, the bigger the dollar amount, the longer the process.
No. You must meet the grant criteria 100% to qualify.
If registered for our service (Success/ Premium) you will get notified as new grants surface (based on the filters you have selected). Keep in mind when you hear public announcements in the media about new funding programs coming, it may be months before an actual program is launched.
Yes. Our Success Level allows for up to 3 users and our Premium Level provides access for up to 5 users. Access is set up by a primary account administrator who approves and removes access to users for your account. (If needing more users reach out).
Yes. You will be able to select the grant program or request adding one if not found in our system. Our platform is designed to help you manage all grants in one place.
No. Grants (for the most part) only cover costs once a grant is approved and signed. If you have incurred costs prior to approval those costs will not be factored into a grant. The only funding program where you can go back and claim costs spent is SR & ED (tax credit program for R & D). We can connect you to a SR & ED provider if you have question about the SR & ED tax credit program.
Keep in mind each grant requires you to contribute a % of funding to an application. You need to show you have the money to cover costs while waiting to get reimbursed. Funders often ask for documents like your financials to prove you have money in the bank and can carry costs while waiting to get reimbursed. You need to have money to build your business when applying for grants.
No. When exploring operational costs, you would access loans, or investors to address that type of expense in your company.
Yes. There are a few grant mechanisms depending on the training you are doing, and the province you are in. Most funding in this space is run provincially ( and sometimes co funded by federal governments as well).
Yes if operating and registered in different provinces. When accessing grants most programs you apply where your head office is located. If you operate in multiple provinces, you need to prove you have an office in the province, and registered to operate in that province. Programs may also require # years in operation in province to qualify. Read the grant guide to learn the core criteria.
Anytime. Grants are available for start-ups (pre revenue / R & D) to scale ups (scaling globally). What you want to make sure is you fit the criteria 100%, have the matched funding for the program, and have the required docs needed to apply.
There may a few grants designed just for women. The majority of grants are for all companies. As funders want to distribute funding equitably, it can be an added value to share your ownership status as a woman. If you identify as woman led founder (51% ownership or more) it may position you more favorable when they have diversity quotas to fulfill.
Yes. The government in Canada respects diversity when it comes to funding. They may ask questions when you apply as to your diversity status. It can add value as they look to award funding to meet the diversity within our business community.
It depends on the grant program and the rationale as to why you were rejected. Some programs you need to clarify the issues (why you got rejected) before you reapply if you wish to improve your chance of closing funding. Always book a meeting with a funding advisor if you get rejected if it’s an option. You can book a coaching call to get help too. Our grant team can support ideas on how to improve outcomes.
General grants are designed to reach a broader audience and you can apply if you meet the criteria. Most general grant programs (ex hiring grants) are open until funding is used up. Challenge grants are highly competitive and often have a deadline to apply. The chance of closing a challenge grant is based on # of applications in a round and the quality of applications they receive. The process often much longer and often has an Expression of Interest round followed by a Full Application round is selected to move forward.
No. Support to prepare and draft applications cannot be incorporated into grant application costs.
Most companies who have used a variety of grants writers for one off project see the quality of writing is inconsistent. Over the past 10 years, we have designed a grant writing process (fractional support) to ensure quality work is offered in all your grant applications. Depending on your needs we can discuss how we can help streamline how to get things done. Request grant help and we can explore options with you.
Grants are complicated and confusing. It can save you a lot of time if you understand the grant funding landscape and what you need to do to be grant ready. Booking a coaching hour will help you get your questions answered, and streamline where to invest your time. This is one of our most popular requests.
We have attached in our resource page general information about how to prep for R & D grants common questions that will be asked).
A TRL is used to evaluate what stage your R & D project is at. The scale starts at 1 (idea) and ends at a 9 (commercialization). Most R & D grants you apply to will have a TRL level you are need to be at to apply. https://ised-isde.canada.ca/site/innovation-canada/en/technology-readiness-levels
Grants in R & D are designed to target a certain stage of development. When being interviewed by a funder, they will ask what TRL level you are at. If you don’t know or not at their TRL you will not qualify for their funding. Therefore, it’s important to know your TRL before you enter into conversations with funders.
It depends on the funding program but most R&D grants are looking for you to explain what your innovation is, your expertise to advance the innovation, and what TRL you are at. Some funders may evaluate based on if your innovation has technical uncertainty (what unique methods processes you are using to build). Have questions? Book a coaching call with us.
SR & ED is the acronym for Scientific Research and Experimental Development Tax Credit Program. It’s a great incentive to help recoup qualified costs associated with research and development work in Canada. Each province had different %’s you can recoup when making claims. The great thing about SR & ED is you can go back in time for money spent. TIP: Its way easier to claim if you have a system on how you track R & D upfront. If you have questions, we can connect you to a SR & ED provider to find out if you qualify and get your specific questions answered. https://www.canada.ca/en/revenue-agency/services/scientific-research-experimental-development-tax-incentive-program/what-are-sred-tax-incentives.html
Innovation is often defined as technology that has not been created anywhere in the world before, or you are taking technology from one sector and applying it to solve a problem in another sector. The definition maybe different between funders. We recommend asking what the definition is before you invest time in a grant process.
When applying for all R & D grants you will be asked to explain what is your IP strategy and how do you plan to protect it. (Note: Its one-way funders screen to identify what you are doing is innovation). IP provides a way to protect your technology from competitors and can also help investors or other stakeholders see the value of your product or business. It can also add value to your business if looking to sell or raise capital.
We recommend you book a call with an IP provider to get your questions answered before you apply for R & D funding. If you have questions about IP, we are happy to connect you to an IP provider for a free chat.
Most R & D grants ask for a variety of supporting docs and all must be provided when you apply. The most common docs are: business plan, financials, projections for scaling, scope of work for the R & D project, quotes if using contractors, your innovation definition, your Intellectual Property (IP) strategy (describing what is the IP you plan to capture and how you plan to protect it), and risks of the R & D project ( technical/ business, regulatory, timelines, etc) and your mitigation strategy if those risks surface.
Over the last 10 years we know there is a range of service providers in the marketplace who offer quotes to help you build out your technology. You first want to make a list of the functionalities (project scope) you want the technology to do. Then ask us for recommendations to get quotes. What is important when evaluating contractors is you use the same project scope if vetting different contractors so you get comparable quotes. We have a list of contractors if you want options.
100% yes. We often get investors asking us to evaluate if the companies they are thinking about investing in are maximizing grant funding. It can help to use out grant capture list in your pitch deck when raising capital.
It’s an outline of the project you are developing with the support of grant funding. Included in a scope is the main objective (what the project plans to accomplish, milestones (to target steps in how you are building the technology), # weeks/ or hrs for each milestone, who will do the work on each milestone (internal staff, new hire, or contractor), and other costs related to each milestone. Finally, it has an outcome that states what will be the outcome is the project is successful.
No. Each R & D program will be looking for different things based on their funding criteria, the TRL they serve, and how they screen projects. Key to all R& D is describing what is the innovation, the TRL, your development roadmap (what has been built and what is left to build) what is the innovation and IP. If you have questions about how to be pitch ready for funders, we are happy to run though the “how to’s” in a coaching call.
It varies depending on the grant program. We suggest if you close funding to get a copy of reporting data upfront from the funder so your team (who is working on the project) knows what data to track for reporting.
It depends on the grant program. Some allow you to hire an existing employee under a grant and others require you to hire a net new employee to capture funding. Read the grant guide if one is available.
Absolutely. We are passionate about helping people understand what is important as you enter the R & D funding landscape. We understand what funders are looking for and can help you prepare to show up grant ready. There are questions you will be asked in the process of being screened and if not prepared you may pitch the wrong message about your business and end up being kicked out of the queue. If in doubt book a coaching call with us.
There could be a variety of reasons why you may not be capturing funding. It can range from the time you are pitching a project (end of a funding round), how you are pitching your project, supporting docs not well developed, or if a grant advisor doesn’t see what you are doing is innovation. We are happy to explore ideas about your R&D projects and how to communicate what funders are looking for.
Yes. Although grants are open year round April is when the federal budget is announced and many programs start to open. Tip: It’s also important to start pitching R & D projects well in advance as some funders may have a vetting process in advance to make sure you are projects ready when funding opens. Our system will notify you (based on the filters you have set up in your grant search criteria) when grants open.