Hamilton Small Business Grants (2025): 23 Funding Programs to Help Hamilton Entrepreneurs

The Trade Accelerator Program (TAP) is an innovative 4 week virtual and in-person initiative, designed to accelerate the strategic development of your business and to better prepare you for an expansion into international markets. The TAP program will connect your business with top industry experts, provide you with the necessary coaching needed to build a personalized export strategy, and equip you with the tools and resources to find success as you grow your business. Each cohort will have access to an e-learning platform that will facilitate networking with other participants, peer learning opportunities, inventory of learning materials, access to resources, and engagement with other TAP graduates.

Innovation Factory’s Synapse Competition is Ontario’s premier life science pitch competition. Designed to help move your innovative life science products and services out of the lab and into the market, the competition pairs innovators with business and entrepreneurship students, and provides the training, mentorship, and resources to be successful.

The Start-up and Office Tenant Attraction (SOTA) Program is intended to provide
low-interest Loans or Forgivable Loans that will facilitate the undertaking of eligible leasehold
improvements to office space by property owners or authorized tenants in order to support the
creation of new office space and improve the marketability and attractiveness of existing office
space. This Program will serve as a tool to reduce office vacancy rates in Downtown Hamilton
and other eligible commercial areas and serve as a means of attracting new and expanding office
uses and businesses to Hamilton.

Southern Ontario Pharmaceutical & Health Innovation Ecosystem (SOPHIE) Program brings together Innovation Factory’s commercialization services with the Synapse Life Science Consortium’s strategic network to leverage access to Hamilton’s unique life sciences capabilities and research expertise. This funding will support collaborative projects for Ontario-based life science firms in the later stages of commercialization and in need of financing to secure technology validation and first sale.

The Revitalizing Hamilton Tax Increment Grant Program (the Program) is intended to provide a Grantto incentivize property owners within strategic commercial districts to develop,redevelop or otherwise improve properties and/or buildings (including designated heritage buildings) in a mannerthat will supportthe broader revitalization ofthe commercial district as well as generate new municipal property tax revenue through increased property assessments.

LiONʼS LAIR is an annual competition presented by Innovation Factory in partnership with the City of Hamilton Economic Development office, which brings together the entrepreneurship and innovation community in Hamilton. The competition gives up-and-coming entrepreneurs the opportunity to pitch their business to a panel of Hamilton’s top business experts for a chance to win cash prizes.

The intent of the LEED Grant Program is to provide an economic catalyst for the construction and or redevelopment of sustainable industrial, commercial, mixed-use and multi-unit residential (as defined in Part 3 (Group C) of the National Building Code) buildings and land development in the urban area. This program applies to the Hamilton LEEDING the Way Community Improvement Project Area (as such boundaries are presently defined).

The Founders Fast Track program helps your start-up with customer development, crafting a successful pitch, financial planning strategies, and understanding market trends. The program concludes with a speed pitching event with investors, and the top 10 start-ups are invited to compete for cash prizes at Innovation Factory’s LiONS LAIR competition.

This program will provide specialized industry expertise to develop growth plans and related strategies in areas such as talent attraction, raising follow-on investment, product development and quantification of product benefits/market value propositions, commercialization of intellectual property, and market diversification. Each RIC will distribute up to a maximum of $20,000 in matching seed funding to select innovative businesses in various sectors.

Companies looking to develop or acquire a new business, grow their customer base, open a satellite office, or develop distribution channels or partnerships are welcome to ‘land’ in Hamilton, Ontario – the gateway to possibility!

Book a 30-minute Discovery Call with our Global Hamilton Team to learn why Hamilton is the place for your business and gain access to relevant resources and connections to ensure a smooth transition.

The Hamilton Heritage Property Grant (HHPG) Program is intended to provide financial assistance in the form of a grant for structural / stability work required to conserve and restore heritage features of properties used for commercial, institutional, industrial or multi-residential purposes; the conservation and restoration of heritage features of properties; and for heritage studies/reports/assessments for properties that are designated under Parts IV or V of the Ontario Heritage Act.

The Hamilton Heritage Conservation Grant Program (HHCGP) is intended to provide financial assistance in the form of matching grants between $1,000 to $5,000 for the conservation and restoration of cultural heritage resources. The objective of the Hamilton Heritage Conservation Grant Program is to assist in the on-going conservation of heritage properties designated under the Ontario Heritage Act that are not eligible for the Hamilton Heritage Property Grant Program (HHPGP).

HEALTHI program provides an opportunity for Canadian life science firms to work directly with the Research Administration groups at Hamilton Health Sciences or The Research Institute at St. Joe’s Hamilton to create the pre-trial protocols and documents required to undertake a commercialization project or clinical trial in one of Canada’s leading research hospitals.

The Hamilton Community Heritage Fund will be the source of funding for this loan program. The purpose of the loan is to act as a catalyst for stimulating the rejuvenation of designated heritage properties within the City of Hamilton.
Acting as a lender, the City provides financial support for the program and ensures that conservation and development activity arising from the program within the City is consistent with sound principles of managing and protecting designated heritage properties.

The members of Hamilton’s Economic Development team are equipped to provide you with personalized service for your business. Hamilton’s Foreign Direct Investment plan and its Business Attraction Program have successfully generated awareness of the city as a premiere North American business hub where local and international businesses can grow.

The ERASE Tax Assistance (ETA) Program is intended to reduce the tax increase resulting from the remediation and redevelopment of a brownfield site in order to mitigate costs required to remediate historical environmental contamination on brownfield sites in support of their redevelopment/reuse. The tax cancellation provided under this Program enables brownfield sites to be viable candidates for redevelopment relative to non-contaminated sites, supports the intensification/infill of existing vacant and underutilized sites, reduces the need for greenfield lands to accommodate future population and employment growth, and generates new property tax revenue through increased property assessments.

The ERASE Redevelopment Grant (ERG) Program is intended to provide tax increment-based Grants towards costs required to remediate historical environmental contamination on brownfield sites in support of their redevelopment/reuse. By providing Grants to mitigate these financial impediments, the Program enables brownfield sites to be viable candidates for redevelopment relative to non-contaminated sites, supports the intensification/infill of existing vacant and underutilized sites, reduces the need for greenfield lands to accommodate future population and employment growth, and generates new municipal property tax revenue through increased property assessments.

The ERASE Commercial District Remediation Loan (ECDRL) Program provides low-interest Loans which are intended to overcome barriers owners may face obtaining traditional financing for costs required to remediate historical environmental contamination on brownfield sites in support of their redevelopment/reuse. Specifically, this Program is intended to work in concert with broader efforts to support the revitalization of strategic commercial districts and corridors, including those programs and initiatives established under the Revitalizing Hamilton’s Commercial Districts Community Improvement Plan.

The Downtown and Barton/Kenilworth Housing Opportunities Program (the Program) is
intended to provide financial assistance in the form of a low-interest Loan to promote the
development of multiple dwelling units that will create new housing opportunities and support
robust local commercial district populations that add vibrancy and support demand for local
commercial businesses/services. Activities supported by this program include:
– The creation of at least 10 new dwelling units through the development of a multiple
dwelling on vacant land, surface parking areas or the redevelopment of existing
buildings;
– A building addition containing at least 10 new dwelling units; and/or,
– The conversion of existing non-residential space into housing consisting of at least 10
new dwelling units

The Commercial Vacancy Assistance (CVA) Program will provide financial assistance in the
form of a Grant to new permanent or ‘pop­up’ commercial tenants of a presently vacant at, or
below grade, commercial space so as to make permanent interior improvements for the
purposes of improving the attractiveness and usability of the space for the intended
commercial use. To be eligible, the intended commercial use must be accessible to the public/
customers and may include, but not be limited to, retail uses, artists studios/galleries
containing a retail component, personal service businesses, microbreweries, commercial
entertainment uses, commercial recreation uses and/or dine-in or take-out restaurants

The Commercial District Revitalization Grant Program is intended to provide
Grants that will support long-lasting and predominantly exterior physical improvements to the
appearance, accessibility and environmental sustainability of commercial or mixed-use
commercial properties located within strategic commercial districts, including Business
Improvement Areas (BIA), whose visibility and long-term success contributes to Hamilton’s
image for both residents and visitors. Activities supported by this program include:
• Exterior building façade improvements;
• Exterior/interior improvements that achieve Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities
Act (AODA) standards;
• Exterior building/property improvements which improve appearance or functionality
including those that enhance environmental sustainability of the building/property; and
• Limited interior mechanical/ventilation improvements for restaurant uses

The Commercial District Housing Opportunities Program (the Program) is intended to provide
financial assistance in the form of a low-interest Loan and Grant to promote the improvement
or development of dwelling units that will create new/improved housing opportunities support
robust local commercial district populations that add vibrancy and support demand for local
commercial businesses/services. Activities supported by this program include:
– Converting existing non-residential spaces into dwelling units where permitted in accordance with the applicable City zoning by-law;
– Undertaking renovations to existing dwelling units;
– Creation of new dwelling units, including accessory Dwelling Units, via building additions or new detached accessory buildings, including laneway housing; and/or
– Creation of new dwelling units through development of vacant land, surface parking lots or redevelopment of existing buildings.

The Canadian Medtech Alliance (CAMEDA) program brings together leading Ontario contract design and manufacturing organizations (CDMOs) with Innovation Factory’s commercialization services to catalyze medtech manufacturing in Canada. While also leveraging the Synapse Life Science Consortium’s strategic network, CAMEDA recipients have access to the unique life science capabilities and research expertise of the Hamilton ecosystem and beyond.

This funding will support collaborative projects for Ontario-based life science firms in the later stages of commercialization and in need of financing to advance regulatory approvals, conduct clinical trials, and undertake initial batch manufacturing.

The Barton/Kenilworth Tax Increment Grant Program is intended to provide a Grant to incentivize property owners located along the Barton Street East and Kenilworth Avenue North commercial corridors to develop, redevelop or otherwise improve properties and/or buildings (including designated heritage buildings) in a manner that will support the broader revitalization of these districts as well as generate new municipal property tax revenue through increased property assessments.

The Barton / Kenilworth Revitalization Grant Program is intended to support the development
of properties as well as the maintenance, functionality, viability, accessibility and aesthetics of
existing commercial, mixed use commercial, multi-residential or institutional use buildings
within the Barton Street and Kenilworth Avenue North commercial corridors which were the
subject of the Barton and Kenilworth Commercial Corridors Study.

The Barton/Kenilworth Planning and Building Fees Rebate (BKPBFR) Program is intended to provide grants that will serve as a rebate of specific Planning and Building application fees for
approved development-related applications which will support the redevelopment of underutilized properties as well as further facilitate the undertaking of works that will improve the
maintenance, functionality, viability, accessibility and aesthetics of existing commercial, mixed
use commercial, multi-residential or institutional use buildings within the Barton Street East and
Kenilworth Avenue North commercial corridors which were the subject of the Barton and
Kenilworth Commercial Corridors Study.

The Artist in Residence (AIR) program provides a selected recipient with access to free studio space and associated benefits of being absorbed in the creative ecology of The Cotton Factory, with support provided by the Women’s Art Association of Hamilton. The AIR program is designed to enhance individual artistic practices and support professional aspirations of emerging and mid-career artists/creatives in Hamilton. Recipients are selected by an adjudication panel of Hamilton-based arts professionals and previous AIR recipients.