The City of Toronto supports female small business owners and entrepreneurs looking to build small businesses via its Starter Company Plus Grant – Female Founders Stream. The selected recipients will receive training, mentoring, and advice and a micro-grant of $5,000 to assist with the growth and expansion of their business.

The Starter Company Plus Grant program includes

• Up to 15 hours of business training,

• A micro-grant of $5,000

• Up to six months of advisory and mentoring services.

Available Funding/Prizing

• A micro-grant of $5,000

• Up to 15 hours of business training,

• Up to six months of advisory and mentoring services.

ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA

The eligibility criteria for the grant are segmented into the applicant and business requirements.

Applicant Requirements

The Applicant must

• Be a Canadian citizen or permanent resident,

• Be 18 years of age or older,

• Identify as female,

• Not be attending school or planning to return to school while enrolled in the program,

• Be devoting a minimum of 35 hours per week to their small business and not employed anywhere else,

• Not be enrolled in any other government-funded employment program,

• Be a resident of Toronto with the ability to demonstrate proof of physical address.

Business Requirements

The Applicant’s Business must

• Must be a registered business at the time of application (Sole Proprietor, Partnership or Corporation) and this business registration documentation (Master Business Licence or Articles of Incorporation) must show a Toronto address,

• Must have a commercial business bank account at the time of application which corresponds with Business Registration documentation,

• Must have been in operation for 6 months and up to 5 years and be able to demonstrate financial activity statements for this period,

• Must have majority ownership and the ability to demonstrate proof of ownership and/or shareholder agreement,

• Must be located in Toronto with ability to demonstrate proof of physical address,

• Must not be past recipient of the Toronto Main Street Recovery and Rebuild Initiative’s Retail Accelerator Program and any stream of the Starter Company Plus Grant or other funding from a Small Business Enterprise Centres within Ontario,

• Businesses that require certification and/or license must be current at the time of application, and

• Must be able to commit to in-person and/or virtual entrepreneurship training,

• Must have already invested 25 per cent of the grant amount ($1,250) into the business at the time of application (cash, marketing efforts, equipment, commercial rent, or other legitimate start up expenses).

You can view the complete list of eligibility criteria here

APPLICATION LINK

Click the link to apply

DEADLINE

Applications for this fund are due by Friday, October 18th, 2024.

As always, we will keep you posted on any relevant grant programs and contests for small businesses and organizations within the province.