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Women Entrepreneurship Fund

The Government of Canada is committed to advancing gender equality, women’s economic empowerment, and supporting women entrepreneurs through the new Women Entrepreneurship Strategy (the Strategy), announced in Budget 2018. As part of the Strategy, the Government has made funding available to women-owned and/or women-led businesses to support them in their growth and to pursue market opportunities abroad.

The full and equal participation of women in the economy is essential to Canada’s competitiveness. Current female entrepreneurs face unique barriers as they move along the business cycle. As a result, women own fewer than 16% of businesses and are underrepresented in the economy.

By addressing women’s economic empowerment through initiatives such as the Women Entrepreneurship Strategy, Canada will have the potential to add $150 billion in incremental GDP by 2026 and reach its goal of doubling the number of majority women-owned businesses by 2025.

Entrepreneurship Fund objectives

The Entrepreneurship Fund is a $20 million investment which aims to assist women entrepreneurs to grow their existing businesses and enable them to pursue opportunities in domestic and global markets. It will provide successful applicants up to $100,000 in non-repayable contribution funding for a 12 month project.

3. Application process details and deadline

A complete application package for the Women Entrepreneurship Fund must be submitted by November 15, 2018 23:59 PST and must include:

  1. The Women Entrepreneurship Strategy Application Form, and
  2. Required supporting documents (see Attachments section below)

Application intake:

Applications should be submitted through the Women Entrepreneurship Strategy portal by the November 15, 2018 at 23:59 PST deadline. Receipt of your application package will be acknowledged within two business days. All applications will be reviewed after the deadline. If your application package is incomplete, your application will be rejected.

It is highly recommended that your application be submitted before the deadline to ensure there are no unforeseen issues at the time of submission. Late submissions will not be considered for funding.

Applicants living in rural or remote areas with limited internet access may send their application package (postmarked no later than the deadline date) by registered mail to:

Women Entrepreneurship Strategy – Small Business Branch
Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada
C.D. Howe Building
235 Queen Street, 5th Floor, West Tour, Mail Box 13
Ottawa, ON K1A 0H5
Canada

More information here: http://www.ic.gc.ca/eic/site/128.nsf/eng/00001.html

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