The Women Entrepreneurship Loan Fund will help ensure that more women entrepreneurs have the tools and financing they need to succeed. The Government of Canada has selected several delivery organizations to provide loans to women entrepreneurs.
The selected delivery organizations are now accepting loan applications from women entrepreneurs. Please visit the recipient organization websites below to determine if loans are available for your business.
The Government of Canada continues to be committed to advancing gender equality and women's economic empowerment and to supporting women entrepreneurs through the Women Entrepreneurship Strategy (WES).
What is the Women Entrepreneurship Loan Fund
While progress has been made since the launch of the Women Entrepreneurship Strategy (WES) in 2018, access to capital, particularly in smaller amounts, remains a significant barrier for many women entrepreneurs seeking to start or grow their businesses. To help address this barrier, the Government of Canada allocated $55 million in Budget 2021 for the creation of a new national microloans fund. This new program is providing loans of up to $50,000 to women entrepreneurs, particularly for start-ups, underrepresented groups or sole proprietorships which may experience more difficulty in accessing financing.
Selected delivery organizations
Through this program, the following organizations are now accepting applications for loans. Please visit the selected organizations' websites below for details on how to apply:
- The Women's Enterprise Organizations of Canada (WEOC) Start your journey
- The National Aboriginal Capital Corporations Association (NACCA) Start your journey
- The Northumberland Business Development Assistance Corp Start your journey
- Coralus, formerly SheEO Start your journey
- Evol Start your journey