Fund Your Project

Through the Department of Commerce and Industry, the Cree Nation Government offers several programs which may support development in the tourism sector, including:

• Cree Social Economy Round Table Fund – Grants up to 75% of project costs (max. $25k) for not-for-profit businesses with a social or cultural component.
• Cree Entrepreneurship Assistance Fund – Grants up to 25% of project costs (max. $100k) for eligible startups, expansions, and acquisitions.
• Regional Development Fund – Grants up to $1M for large-scale projects that benefit multiple communities.
• Cree Real Estate Development Fund (CREED) – Grants up to 25% of project costs (max. $100k) for Cree entrepreneurs with businesses in construction, real estate, and related products and services
• Rurality Regions Fund (formerly FARR) – Funding for projects aligned with priorities set by CNG.

For more information and to apply for CNG funding programs, contact your Community Economic Development Officer.

Watch: COTA workshop on CNG Funding Opportunities, January 2024

Apatisiiwin Skills Development (ASD) supports the people of Eeyou Istchee through programs and services related to employee skills development, job readiness, training, and special projects. They currently offer funding in three main areas:

• Youth Programs – Organizations can apply for subsidies to hire and train Cree youth through programs like the Youth Initiative, Summer Work Experience, and Mentored Work Placements. This is a great way to build your organizational capacity while providing Cree youth with valuable skills and experience!
• Capacity Building Programs – Organizations can apply for funding to cover professional development and training.
• Workforce Development Programs – Organizations can apply for funding in a variety of areas, including entrepreneurship, employing persons with disabilities, and research & development.

Contact your local ASD Office

Watch: COTA workshop on ASD Funding Opportunities, January 2024

Indigenous Tourism Quebec is the province’s official representative of the Indigenous tourism industry.

They offer funding program(s) that aim to propel the success of Indigenous tourism entrepeneurs. For example, the Expert Support Services program can help Indigenous tourism enterprises purchase a bank of 15 hours with an expert to support them with human resources, legal services, financial management, or general consulting.

For more information, visit their funding opportunities page here.

The Indigenous Tourism Association of Canada oversees the Indigenous Tourism Fund: Micro and Small Business Stream. Up to $25,000 per business may be allocated for projects across six categories:

• Effective Community Engagement and Support
• Excellence in Visitor Experience
• Ensuring Health, Safety, and Comfort
• Practicing Sustainable Indigenous Tourism
• Excellence in Marketing and Visitor Services
• Demonstrating Business Acumen/Practices

For more information on this fund, you may reach out to Michelle Brown, ITAC Business Support Coordinator at Michelle@IndigenousTourism.ca. Indigenous Tourism Quebec can also answer questions about this fund; please contact Marie-Pierre Laine at mplaine@tourismeautochtone.com to connect with them.

ITAC also offers a special accreditation, “the Original Original,” that can help to market your business as a verified, high-quality, authentic Indigenous experience in Canada. For more information, visit The Original Original Accreditation Program – Indigenous Tourism Association of Canada.

There are several funding programs through Indigenous Services Canada which may be of interest to tourism entrepeneurs and communities in Eeyou Istchee. These include:

• Community Opportunity Readiness – Provides start-up funds to undertake pre-development activities (consolidation of the former community economic opportunities program, the major projects investment fund, and the community-based components of the Indigenous business development program).
• Aboriginal Entrepeneurship Program (AEP) – Provides access to capital and business opportunities to Indigneous entrepeneurs and business owners in Canada.
• Strategic Partnerships Initiative – Helps Indigenous communities participate in complex economic opportunities.

You can find a full list of programs online here.

The Government of Canada provides a variety funding programs that support culture, history and sport initiatives. Programs that may be of interest to organizations in the Eeyou Istchee tourism sector include:

• Celebrate Canada Program – Provides funding for activities organized on National Indigenous Peoples Day.
• Commemorate Canada Program – Provides funding to initiatives that commemorate and celebrate historical figures, places, events, and accomplishments.
• Building Communities through Arts and Heritage – Supports local festivals, community anniversaries, and commemorative community capital projects.
• Listen, Hear our Voices – Supports First Nations governments and non-profit organizations in digitizing documentary heritage and/or building the skills, knowledge, and resources to do this work in their communities.
• Indigenous Heritage – Museums Assistance Program – Provides funding for projects related to the preservation, management and presentation of Indigenous cultural heritage in Canada

You can find a full list of programs online here.

CED supports projects targeting entrepreneurial growth, innovation, diversification and local economic development. Their funding programs include:

• Regional Economic Growth through Innovation (REGI)
• Quebec Economic Development Program (QEDP)
• Community Futures Program (CFP)

If you have a question about the CED funding program, you can contact them here or reach out to us for more information.

The Northern Incubator-Accelerator (IANord) provides professional, sectoral and financial support to promote responsible and sustainable nature-culture-adventure tourism projects in regions located north of the 49th parallel.

Applications open approximately once a year, on a rotating basis (exact dates TBD). You can follow the Northern Incubator-Accelerator on Facebook to stay up-to-date on their calls for application. We will also share this information in our COTA community newsletter, so be sure to sign up for our updates!

The Government of Québec is offering financial assistance to non-profit organizations and Indigenous communities who wish to invest in boat cleaning stations, in an effort to control the spread of invasive species in bodies of water. The new program will cover up to 80% of costs for eligible projects up to a maximum of $30,000.

More information can be found here.

Note: This webpage is currently only available in French; English readers can translate it using their browser’s built-in translation tool.

As part of the Action Plan for Responsible and Sustainable Tourism 2020-2025, the ministère du Tourisme has announced the “Mesure de soutien pour l’achat de véhicules hors route électriques (VHRE).”

This program aims to provide financial support for the purchase of new electric off-road vehicles for tourism businesses, covering up to 50% of eligible expenses before taxes.

Learn more and apply here.

Société du Plan Nord offers several funding programs specifically targeting the northern territory.

• Financial Support for Northern Initiatives (Fonds d’initiatives nordiques): Supports projects in the northern territory that promote community development, the development of the northern territory, and/or solutions derived from applied research.
• Financial Support for Training Northern Workers (Aide financière pour la formation de la main-d’œuvre en milieu nordique):  Supports training projects of interest to northern communities.
• Financial Support to Promote Food Security in Northern Communities (Programme de sécurité alimentaire nordique): Supports community projects to produce fruit or vegetables for local or regional consumption and/or projects aimed at preserving or processing locally produced or harvested foods.
• Opportunity budget