Apply now for the Ontario government’s Racialized and Indigenous Supports for Entrepreneurs (RAISE) 2.0 grant program. RAISE provides access to business development training, culturally responsive and tailored business coaching, networking opportunities, and a one-time grant of $10,000 to support Indigenous, Black and other racialized entrepreneurs.
Applications must be submitted on or before December 8, 2023 at 11:59 p.m. Business owners that participated in the program in previous years are not eligible. Business owners that previously applied but were not accepted into the program are encouraged to reapply this year.
Applications are processed in the order they are received. Eligible applicants will be accepted into the program until the program budget is reached.
To be eligible for the program, applicants must be an Indigenous, Black or other racialized individual that owns a small business in Ontario and the business must be registered with the Canada Revenue Agency. Once admitted into the program, participants must complete business development training and business coaching (including networking), and complete a Business Action Plan that is reviewed by the business coach and validated by the Government of Ontario prior to receiving the grant payment.
After completion of the program, participants will be required to submit a report-back confirming that they have used the entirety of the grant on eligible expenses related to their Business Action Plan. Participants will also be invited to take part in surveys and other evaluation methods to improve the quality of the program.
Visit the Ontario government’s RAISE 2.0 Grant Program webpage for more information about the program, eligibility criteria and the application process.
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