Small Business Grants for Canadian Therapists
If you’re a mental health therapist or practitioner in the health and healing space, there are three grant programs available to you that provide training and funding for your brick-and-mortar practice. Each of them come with their pros and cons. Keep reading below to determine which one is best for you.
THE DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION GRANT $2500
The application portal is now open until January 31st, 2024 (or until there are no more funds).
This program is a collaboration between the Government of Canada and the Provinces of Ontario, British Columbia, Atlantic Canada, Saskatchewan, Alberta, Yukon, and the Northwest Territories.
This program provides grant recipients with training and advisory support on how to apply relevant technology to their mental health practice or health clinic to set up their own online space for the first time or enhance their current online presence.
Key Eligibility Points for Therapists and Healers:
You must have a permanent ‘brick-and-mortar’ establishment in Ontario and NOT rent office space on a temporary month-to-month basis (you signed a yearly lease agreement)
You employ 1-50 employees (which can be yourself)
You’re paying commercial property tax (commercially assessed), either directly or through commercial rent
Your business is registered in Ontario and/or is incorporated
Is open for business/operating at the time of application (not a start-up)
Is a consumer-facing business and can be accessed by consumers or provides in-person services and/or product sales to consumers
Is NOT a purely online business
Is NOT a home-based business
You have completed the application process, which includes:
the Digital Main Street Assessment
passing the pre-qualification quiz
the online training
developing a Digital Transformation Plan
How this grant can help with your website design costs? You can use the funds toward the redesign of your current website, including enabling e-commerce, or for the development and design of a new website.
For in-depth guidelines, you can read this helpful FAQ document and how-to guide on filling out the application, or skip straight to the application page.
APPLICATION TIP: Having a project proposal to submit with your application can help. Lucky for you, I can help with that! But first, we’ll need to hop on a consultation call so we can discuss exactly what you’ll need to create an online space that’s a true reflection of you and your private practice.
CDAP GRANT: GROW YOUR BUSINESS ONLINE $2400
The application portal is now open. Paused for Quebec.
The government of Canada is offering micro-grants up to $2400 to help with the costs related to adopting digital technologies.
Key Eligibility Points for Therapists and Healers:
Is a for-profit business
Is a registered or incorporated business
Is a consumer-facing business
Can be accessed by consumers or provides in-person services to consumers
Has at least one employee on payroll that is not the owner or a contractor (full time or part time, but for at least three months prior to application) or have had at least $30,000 in annual revenue in the most recent tax year.
Must commit to maintaining digital adoption strategy for six months after participation in the program
Must consent to participating in follow-up surveys, sharing information with the Government of Canada (ISED and Statistics Canada), and having the name of the business published as a recipient of funding
How this grant can help with your website design project? You can use the funds toward implementing a robust SEO strategy on your current website.
For in-depth information about eligibility costs, visit the CDAP program page.
APPLICATION TIP: Having a project proposal to submit with your application can help. Lucky for you, I can help with that! But first, we’ll need to hop on a consultation call so we can discuss what type of SEO strategy is best for you.
THE STARTER COMPANY PLUS PROGRAM UP TO $5000
The application portal is now open for Hamilton, Ontario residents until the end of January.
The Starter Company Plus is a training and mentorship program for businesses that have been operating for 2 years or less. The program offers opportunities for training in business planning, marketing, social media, bookkeeping, and financial management. There are also funding opportunities of up to $5,000 for eligible businesses approved into the program.
Participating Municipalities (if you don’t see yours here, you can complete a quick search in Google for your area):
Halton (Oakville, Burlington, Milton)
How this grant can help with your website design project? You can use the funds toward the development of a new website or implementing a robust SEO strategy on your current website.
For in-depth information about this program, you’ll need to search for this program within your municipality.
APPLICATION TIP: Having a project proposal to submit with your application can help. Lucky for you, I can help with that! But first, we’ll need to hop on a consultation call so we can discuss what the best plan forward for you would be.
