Women Ecosystem Fund (WEF)

Receive up to $3M in Non-Repayable Funding.

Women Ecosystem Fund (WEF) aims to increase women-owned businesses’ ability to access funding, talent, networks, and expertise needed to scale up, expand, and access new markets. The overall goal of this initiative is to support projects that will provide business supports for women entrepreneurs and strengthen the entrepreneurship ecosystem in Canada.

Attention: This program is currently closed. You can speak with a member of our team about future intake periods or similar funding programs you may be eligible for, get email updates through our weekly newsletter, or look through our list of available funding programs in our directory page.

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Funding Amount

Successful applicants may receive a non-repayable contribution up to $3 million depending on scope and impact of project.

Eligible Applicants

Applicants must be a Canadian not-for-profit organization or association which operates at a local, regional or national level and falls under at least one of the required WEF categories.

Eligible Activities

Must be led by an eligible non-for-profit organization that has been in operation for a minimum of three years as of September 26, 2022.

Deadline to Apply

Speak with a member of our team to find the latest intake period info for this program.

800+

Annual Funding Applications Supported

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Give your application the best chance of approval. Ryan supports the writing of applications for more than 100 Canadian federal and provincial government grants, tax credits, and no-interest loan programs.

Amount of Funding

Successful applicants may receive a non-repayable contribution up to $3 million depending on scope and impact of project.

Eligible Applicants

To be eligible for the Women Ecosystem Fund (WEF) program Applicants must:

Be a Canadian not-for-profit organization or association at a local, regional or national level and falls under at least one of the five categories:
1. Business and entrepreneur support organizations;
2. Research/innovation hubs;
3. Organizations that certify diverse suppliers in Canada;
4. Post-secondary institutions, universities, colleges and technical institutes; and
5. Indigenous organizations; and Business accelerators and incubators.
Applicant must have at least three years as of September 26, 2022;
Partner organizations should have a minimum of one year; and
Applicants must meet at least one of the following requirements:
- Have an established mandate focused on supporting women and/or women entrepreneurs; and/or
- Has administered a support program, focused on women entrepreneurs/women skills development, within the past three years.

Accessible Technology Program (ATP)

Eligible Activities

The eligible activities for the Women Ecosystem Fund (WEF) are:

Mentoring or networking;
Facilitate capacity building and skills development opportunities;
Involve innovative business development and deployment supports and/or strategies;
Compilation, development, and delivery of learning materials, policies, procedures, tools, and workshops responsive to the objectives of this initiative;
Establish or strengthen inclusive networks and partnerships that identify and share knowledge and best practices, and/or improve coordination of supports for small businesses and entrepreneurs;
Advance/support procurement and supplier diversity efforts;
Meetings, events, and workshops; and
Promotional initiatives to address issues faced by small businesses and entrepreneurs.

Eligible Activities

Program Deadline

Speak with a member of our team to find the latest intake period info for this program or subscribe to our newsletter to be notified.

Average of
Time Saving

95%

Throughout the application process

Apply for Funding

Successfully applying for the right funding program at the right time, focusing on the right topics is no easy challenge. We provide an average 95% time savings to our clients, compared to businesses that apply for funding in-house.

Women Ecosystem Fund (WEF)

Receive up to $3M in Non-Repayable Funding.