Smallball: The Greatest Opportunity in Grants in 2025

Dear CEOs & Executives,

Let me summarize two serious 2025 government problems, and how you can grow your business with these opportunities:

• Canada’s productivity rate.
• Youth unemployment (20% in Alberta in July 2024 and 14% national).

So what?

Here is why you should care:

• The government is throwing money at businesses to solve these problems.
• If you can figure out where the money is and how to get it, you win.

My phone rang in April 2025.

I answered and the gentleman owned a small business in central Alberta. He was growing and needed to hire people.

“Are there any grants out there for that,” he asked?

“A lot,” I replied.

“I don’t have time to do it, and I don’t want to do it,” he said to me.

“Ok,” I said. “Send me someone on your team. I’ll show them how to do it, then this knowledge will be embedded into your organization.

He did. 12 weeks later, four grants won and $50,000 in winnings. Plus, the business has a good relationship with the grant agencies, so his business can continue to win grants year after year.

How and why did this happen?

More importantly, how can you learn from what happened here, so that you can start winning and growing your sales.

I. Mindset – I’ve seen this over my entire career. Some entrepreneurs believe “I’ll invest and get a return.” He didn’t even have access to a training grant (which is now open). He put a student in my class and held me accountable. He 10X his return in 12 weeks.

II. Throughout the course, the student had several “aha” moments. Here are a few you can borrow:

1. 1. “It’s about helping the grant agency achieve its goals.”
   2. “If you speak with them and have a good relationship, you make progress.”
   3. Websites and grant guidelines can be out of date or missing information. Had the student just “accepted what was written,” this person would have missed out on thousands of dollars. Plus, now all the company’s competition doesn’t know that these grants exist in their niche.

I called this article “smallball” (a reference to winning a baseball game by playing smart, such as speed, bunting, and advancing runners, rather than relying on home runs).

Employee grants matter because they are lucrative, faster to win, and you can win them over and over. You can win tens even hundreds of thousands of dollars in employee grants.

Most businesses want to win the big grant, but the small ones add up fast.

Now, I want to leave you with a question. Earlier I mentioned that “there are too many grants to ignore?”

How many would it take for you to believe this statement? 1, 2, 5, 10, 20? What if I showed you 35 from Alberta and other provinces!

If you don’t know all these grants exist, send me someone on your team. I’ll teach them the ins and outs of grants. You too can win thousands and grow your business in this current environment.

Here are Canadian government grants for youth and young adults:

Federal grants:

1. Canada Summer Jobs | Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC)
2. Career Ready Program | TECHNATION
3. Student Work Placement (Co-op) │Eco Canada
4. Student Work Placement Program │Eco Canada
5. Youth in Natural Resources | ECO Canada
6. Career Starter Program │ BioTalent Canada
7. Student Work Placement Program (SWPP) │ BioTalent Canada
8. BioTalent Canada
9. Communautique
10. Ampere’s SkillWorks program (DS4Y)
11. Independent Media Arts Alliance
12. Career Launch: Clean Tech Internships
13. Propel Student Work Placement Program
14. Information and Communications Technology Council
15. Young Canada Works in Both Official Languages (employers) │Canadian Heritage
16. Apic program │Fédération de la jeunesse canadienne-française (FJCF)
17. YMCA Summer Work Student Exchange (SWSE) Program
18. Student Work Placement Program (SWPP) Powered by Magnet
19. Federal Student Work Experience Program
20. Destination Trade │ Electricity Human Resources Canada (EHRC)

Alberta:

1. The Will Grant │ Alberta Hospitality Association
2. Rupertsland Institute – Youth Summer Employment
3. FIRST Jobs: TechBOOST
4. Municipal Internship Program │ Government of Alberta
5. Wage Subsidy Program | Aboriginal Futures
6. Calgary Wage Subsidy Program │TECHNATION
7. AFPA’s Food Futures Program │Alberta Food Processors Association (AFPA)

BC:

1. Innovator Skills Initiative │ Innovate BC
2. Get BC Working! Program
3. Summer Student Farm Worker Bursary │Investment Agriculture Foundation of BC (IAF)

Ontario:

1. Youth Internships in Northern Ontario │Federal Economic Development Agency for Northern Ontario
2. Indigenous Workforce Development Program │Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation (NOHFC)

New Brunswick:

1. Find out what they mean for, “Financial remuneration may be included. Experiential Learning
2. Student Employment Experience Development

PEI:

1. DS4Y PEI program

I’m saving three for the Grant Gazette Pro members – people responsible for following grants in your organization. These employee grants are my absolute favourites: one for technology, agriculture, and small business.

Members Area access shows THREE MORE GRANTS.

This fall your business has one opportunity to apply for a training grant, train someone on your team, and start to win grants. Your journey starts with contacting me here.

I look forward to serving you and helping your business grow!

David Kincade

davidk@albertabusinessgrants.ca

780-297-6177