o Export Support Fund ($20,000)
o Export Micro Voucher ($10,000)
o CanExport SME ($75,000)
Download Now! Five Grant Gotchas
There is grant money waiting for YOU! BUT if you step in a “grant trap,” your application is a NO! Learn the FIVE most common errors to AVOID in government grants! Get the 5 Grant Gotchas now to save you countless hours.
Looking to export products or services?
Are you an Alberta-based company or have a branch registered in Alberta.
Get your pen out because you’re about to get rich.
Well maybe not rich, but just a quick aside.
Last Friday night I went to the horse race track here in Edmonton.
Instead of my usual, I’m going for the long shot, I decided to make a return on my money.
Here’s the crazy thing: it worked!
I played the odds and bet place and show bets, and I gave the profits to Ethan.
He kept saying, “we’re rich.” Okay, I admit. I started it, but it was fun.
Hey, it takes a lot to capture a five year old’s attention.
Bottom line if you’re in Edmonton, you need to spend a night at the races.
Export Grants. Let us jump right in. Three grants; here we go;
EXPORT SUPPORT FUND | GOVERNMENT OF ALBERTA:
Value: Eligible companies will be reimbursed between $2,000 and $20,000 per year for a select range of approved export activities.
Description:
The Export Support Fund is a program designed to ease the cost of exporting. It will support Alberta small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) looking to enter new international markets – or a country that currently represents 10% or less of the company’s sales from the previous year.
Eligibility:
- Must have annual sales of $50,000 – $25 million
- Must be a for-profit company
- Must have a minimum of one full-time employee in Alberta
- Must be an incorporated legal entity in Alberta for at least 2 years
- Must be operating in Alberta
- Must have liability insurance of at least $2 million
- Indicate interest in developing sales in a market that represents 10% or less of the company’s sales for the last 12 months
- Must present a coherent market entry plan alongside the request for support
- Must be in one of the identified sectors outlined on the website
Eligible Expenses:
- Funded activities must aim at promoting international business development, represent new initiatives and provide an opportunity to yield concrete results
- For ease of verification and audit, the following activities would be eligible for funding through the grant with a maximum reimbursement of 50% of the costs incurred:
- Accommodation in a standard room
- Return economy airfare with allowance for the first single piece of checked personal luggage and one carry-on
- Registration for participation at select trade shows and/or events
- Translation of marketing materials
- Tender document(s)
Deadline: Ongoing
Contact: Export Support Fund | edt.aeep@gov.ab.ca
Website: https://www.alberta.ca/export-support-fund.aspx
EXPORT READINESS MICRO-VOUCHER PROGRAM | ALBERTA INNOVATES TECHNOLOGY FUTURES (AITF):
Value: $10,000 paid directly to the Service Provider.
Description:
The Export Readiness Micro-Voucher Program, (the “Program”) is a part of the Alberta Export Expansion Package (AEEP) presented by the Government of Alberta, Ministry of Economic Development and Trade (“EDT”). The Program has been designed to provide a relatively quick and flexible financial solution to support Alberta Small and Medium Enterprises (“SME” s) which are considering entering new international markets by offsetting the cost of obtaining an expert market assessment. The Program is funded by the EDT, and is administered by Alberta Innovates.
Eligibility:
Be a for-profit SME.
Eligible Expenses:
- Labour costs (gross wages or salaries incurred at reasonable market rates) for those individuals who are specifically identified as performing the service which is directly attributable to the Project and thereby quantifiable or measurable. Accordingly, general overhead is not considered an Eligible Expense
- Additional direct operating costs (incurred at reasonable market rates), not falling within the categories of labour and materials, but which can be specifically identified and quantified as having been incurred, or to be incurred, in the performance of the Project activities and which are so identified and quantified consistently by the Service Provider’s cost accounting practices
- Any other cost which Alberta Innovates pre-approves in writing as an Eligible Expense
Deadline: Ongoing
Contact: Neelum Mangat | 780-450-5085 | neelum.mangat@albertainnovates.ca
Website: https://albertainnovates.ca/funding-entrepreneurial-investments/export-readiness-voucher/
CANEXPORT SME | GLOBAL AFFAIRS CANADA:
Value: Minimum contribution of $10,000 and a maximum contribution of $75,000 and requires that the applicant match funds on a one-to-one basis (50% matching).
Description:
CanExport will provide up to $50 million over five years in direct financial support to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Canada seeking to develop new export opportunities, particularly in high-growth priority markets and sectors. CanExport is expected to assist up to 1,000 exporters per year across the country.
Eligibility:
- Be a for-profit company
- Be an incorporated legal entity or a limited liability partnership (LLP)
- Have a Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) business identifier number
- Have a minimum of one full-time equivalent (FTE) employee and a maximum of 250 FTE employees. The number of employees working for a company is based on the number of T4 slips produced by the company
- Have no less than $200,000 and no more than $50 million in annual revenue declared in Canada during its last complete fiscal year. Company’s revenues are based on the line 101 of the GST 34 return (or the FP-500-V for Quebec based applicants). Under this line, all income, including exempt supplies, taxable supplies as well as international sales, must be included
Ineligibility Activity:
Activities in a market where you have been exporting within the last 24 months.
Eligible Expenses:
- Business travel
- Participation at trade fairs
- Market research
- Adaptation of marketing tools for a new market
- Legal fees associated with a distribution/representation agreement
Deadline: Ongoing
Contact: CanExport | 1-866-203-2454 | CanExport@international.gc.ca
Website: https://www.tradecommissioner.gc.ca/funding-financement/canexport/sme-pme/index.aspx?lang=eng
RECOMMENDATIONS
- Grant Tip: Go after the Alberta Export Support (AES) one first, then CanExport Global. AES is WAY easier
- Grant Tip: call AES BEFORE YOU APPLY
- CanExport is harder to reach
- You won’t spend as much as you think (I’ve won the CanExport twice, and it’s hard to spend all the money.
- The funds are accepting applications. Why are you reading this blog. Get applying!
Have an AWESOME Week!!!
David Kincade
Phone: 780.297.6177
Email: davidk@albertabusinessgrants.ca
Download Now! Five Grant Gotchas
There is grant money waiting for YOU! BUT if you step in a “grant trap,” your application is a NO! Learn the FIVE most common errors to AVOID in government grants! Get the 5 Grant Gotchas now to save you countless hours.
