Women Entrepreneurs in Ontario: Directory of Funding & Support Sources

This page is a directory of sources of funding and support for women entrepreneurs in Ontario. The page will be regularly updated to ensure that funding sources are current.

(Know a funding or support source for women entrepreneurs that isn’t on this page? Please contact us and let us know!)

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🇨🇦 Federal Organizations Supporting Women Entrepreneurs

The following table lists national-level organizations—across the public, non-profit, and private sectors—that support women entrepreneurs in Canada. These organizations offer a range of resources including funding, mentorship, networking opportunities, and venture capital.

Many of these groups operate across provinces and territories, with programs that aim to advance gender equity and economic empowerment through entrepreneurship:

Table of Federal Organizations Supporting Women Entrepreneurs

Type	Organization	What They Do
International Partnerships	Business Women in International Trade	A program of the Trade Commissioner Service that helps Canadian women-owned/led companies export through women-focused trade missions, market advice, and connections to global buyers and trade commissioners.
Association	Women’s Enterprise Organizations of Canada	National association delivering the WEOC National Loan Program, offering loans up to $50,000 plus “wrap-around” guidance via regional partners to help women start and grow businesses.
Financing Non-Profit	Nventure DELIA	An alternative lending fund providing flexible micro-loans to women-owned ventures across Canada, with a streamlined, supportive application process.
Foundation	Canadian Women’s Foundation	Canada’s public foundation for gender equality, funding community organizations that advance economic security, prevent gender-based violence, and empower girls (ecosystem support rather than direct business grants).
Foundation	The Forum	National charity (formerly FWE) offering education, mentorship, and funding-readiness programs such as E-Series and the Odlum Brown Forum Pitch for women and gender-diverse entrepreneurs.
Network	Coralus (formerly SheEO)	A global community that mobilizes “radical generosity” to provide 0% interest loans and peer support to women- and non-binary-led ventures, recycling repayments into a perpetual fund.
Network	Start Up Women	Startup Canada’s year-round programming for women-identifying founders, offering mentorship, learning events, and curated resources to navigate funding and grow.
Network	WomensNet	Runs the Amber Grants, awarding multiple US$10,000 monthly grants and larger year-end grants; eligible to women-owned businesses in the U.S. and Canada.
Social Enterprise	PARO Centre for Women’s Enterprise	Ontario-based hub (strong presence in the North) providing peer circles, advisory, training, and access to loans and select grant programs for women entrepreneurs.
Venture Capital Firm	The51	Venture platform and community that mobilizes women’s and gender-diverse capital, investing in women-led early-stage companies and activating new women investors.
Venture Capital Firm	Dream Maker Ventures	VC firm with a Diversity Fund investing in underrepresented founders—including women—in Canada and the U.S., across pre-seed to Series A.
Venture Capital Firm	Disruption Ventures	Female-founded venture capital fund investing in women-led startups, with a hands-on approach at seed and early stages.

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🇨🇦 Ontario Organizations Supporting Women Entrepreneurs

Ontario has its own ecosystem of organizations dedicated to supporting women entrepreneurs. These include government agencies, non-profits, cooperatives, accelerators, and micro-lenders that offer localized funding, training, and business development support.

The table below lists organizations by region, helping women connect with relevant resources close to home:

Table of Ontario Organizations Supporting Women Entrepreneurs

Type of Organization	Organization	What They Do
Cooperative	Black Women Professional Coop (BWP Coop)	Membership co-op empowering Black women professionals and entrepreneurs with programming, events, and opportunities to build skills and networks.
Incubator	Women+ Entrepreneur Incubator Elevate	Investment-readiness incubator by Elevate (with The Firehood) for women and gender-diverse founders, culminating in investor connections and pitch opportunities (including cash investment prizes).
Accelerator	ELLA Accelerator for Women Entrepreneurs	York University’s YSpace accelerator stream for women-led ventures, offering focused 4-month programs (e.g., ELLA Ascend) with mentorship, workshops, and peer support to scale.
Accelerator	Yorku (Yspace)	York University’s entrepreneurship hub with programs in tech and CPG plus dedicated diversity streams (including women entrepreneurship), providing mentorship and staged support across the startup lifecycle.
Accelerator	Canada India Accelerator Program	Carleton University’s CIAP that helps Canadian women-led startups expand into India and other emerging markets via acceleration, mentorship, and market-entry connections.
Micro Lending Organization	SEED HHN	Community initiative in Hamilton–Halton–Norfolk that supports women entrepreneurs with micro-lending and a strong networking community to launch and grow businesses.

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