Funding Basics
The fastest way to build trust is to explain the difference between free money, repayable funding, tax credits, and cost-share programs before an owner gets attached to the wrong expectation.
The four funding buckets
| Type | How to explain it |
|---|---|
| Grant | Money that usually does not need to be repaid, but it is competitive, specific, and often reimburses only part of approved costs. |
| Loan | Repayable money, sometimes government-backed or interest-free. This is where many larger dollar figures sit. |
| Tax credit | Value claimed through tax filings after eligible work or spending, common for R&D and apprenticeship-style activity. |
| Subsidy | Partial support for a cost such as training, hiring, exporting, or market development. |
Say this early
- Most programs will not cover 100% of a project.
- Do not buy, sign, or commit before approval.
- Quotes, budgets, timelines, and clean books matter.
- The strongest files create jobs, capacity, exports, productivity, accessibility, or public benefit.
Quick triage questions
Assessment Call Flow
Use this order to keep calls warm but disciplined. The goal is not to sell hope; it is to find the cleanest fundable project.
- Set expectations: funding is usually tied to a project, not general cash needs.
- Business basics: location, industry, ownership, years operating, revenue, employees, registration, incorporation.
- Eligibility flags: youth, woman, Indigenous, Black, newcomer, disability ownership; citizen or permanent resident status; rural, BIA, export, innovation, agriculture, tourism.
- Project: what they want to do, why now, cost, timeline, quotes, whether any costs are already committed.
- Outcomes: jobs, productivity, new markets, accessibility, energy savings, local benefit, exports, training.
- Readiness: books, tax status, bank relationship, supplier quotes, lease or property documents, business plan.
- Close: give a realistic fit level, the top one or two programs to verify, and a document checklist.
Useful lines
- "Have you already signed or paid for anything? That changes eligibility."
- "The bigger number may be a loan, not a grant. Let us separate free money from repayable support."
- "A funder does not fund a business in general. They fund a clear project with proof."
- "If this is not ready today, we can still build toward a stronger application."
Gentle red flags
- Asking for rent, payroll, debt repayment, or inventory with no project.
- Costs already paid or committed.
- No quotes, no bookkeeping, no registration, or no timeline.
- Owner wants a guaranteed result or a guaranteed amount.