Can you stack Aboriginal Entrepreneurship Program: Access to Capital and Indigenous Women Entrepreneurship (IWE) Program?
Yes. Aboriginal Entrepreneurship Program: Access to Capital and Indigenous Women Entrepreneurship (IWE) Program can be combined. They fund different things, so the trick is simple: apply to each separately and never claim the same dollar twice. Together they reach up to $300K+ in potential value.
Aboriginal Entrepreneurship Program: Access to Capital
A federal program from Indigenous Services Canada that gives Indigenous-owned businesses a non-repayable equity contribution toward starting, expanding, or acquiring a business. Funding is delivered through the national network of Indigenous Financial Institutions and Métis Capital Corporations, which combine the grant with their own loans and business advisory support. Individual entrepreneurs can receive up to $99,999 and Indigenous community-owned businesses up to $250,000, with no application deadline.
Indigenous Women Entrepreneurship (IWE) Program
A national microloan and advisory program for Indigenous women starting or growing a business, delivered through more than 30 Indigenous Financial Institutions. It draws on the federal Women Entrepreneurship Loan Fund, a $55 million ISED-funded pool for Indigenous women, and offers loans of up to $50,000 alongside dedicated business support officers and training. Some institutions blend the loan with a non-repayable grant for smaller or part-time businesses.
How to stack them
- 01Confirm you meet each program's eligibility on its own. Aboriginal Entrepreneurship Program: Access to Capital and Indigenous Women Entrepreneurship (IWE) Program are assessed separately.
- 02Apply to each program through its own application. There is no combined form.
- 03Allocate distinct costs to each program. You cannot claim the same dollar of expense under both, but you can fund different parts of the same project.
- 04Track both deadlines and keep the paperwork separated, so each claim stands on its own.
Stacking rules vary by program and change over time. Confirm the current rules with each program, or take the quiz and we will flag the combinations you qualify for.