Honorific grants 2020 Edition

To complement traditional financing sources and stimulate entrepreneurship in Québec, the Ministère de l’Économie, et de l’Innovation is collaborating with Entreprendre ici to offer this year 25 grants, with a maximum value of $25,000 each.

These grants are intended ethnocultural diversity entrepreneurs who are planning to create or develop a business, all around Québec. Recipients will engage in a one-year mentorship program.

The candidacy period for the 2020 edition

The nomination period will run from August 10th to August 31st , 2020 at 12 p.m. (noon). The application form will be available during this period.

 Eligibility criteria’s

  • Being a Canadian citizen or permanent resident

  • Being 18 years of age or over

  • Have your Quebec business number (NEQ) and attach proof of business registration

  • Having your head office in Quebec

  • 50% or more of the shares/ownership must be held by individuals belonging to ethnocultural diversity.

  • Submit updated documents if reapplying for the grant.

  • Not having submitted an application for the 2020 honorary grant from the Ministry of the Economy and Innovation (for those 35 and under)

 Excluded projects

  • Sexual, religious or political projects

  • Projects related to illicit or recreational drugs

  • Projects of bars or nightclubs

Selection process

Candidacy period

The submission of applications is from August 10th to August 31st , 2020 at 12 p.m. (noon)

Applications evaluation and sorting

Applications will be evaluated from September 8th to October 22nd , 2020.

Finalist announcement

On October 26th, 2020, the 50 finalists for the honorary grants will be announced.

Virtual pitch session with the independent jury

On November 3rd and November 5th , 2020 the 50 finalists for the honorary grants will be announced.

Honorific grants virtual Gala

The ceremony will take place online on November 13th, 2020. The presence of finalists is mandatory.

Documents to attach to the application form

Applications written in French only are submitted online by completing the application form available online from August 10, 2020. This form must be accompanied by the following elements:

  • An executive summary of no more than three pages (mandatory use of the template below - any excess of three pages will result in the disqualification of the candidate);

  • Financial statements(for each year of activity of your business up to a maximum of 3 years);

  • Proof of NEQ.

  • Financial projections over 3 years (You must use the Previsio template for financial projections: select and download the FULL REPORT OR download the BDC - Sommaire du plan financier.xlsx.) Use of ONE of these 2 templates is MANDATORY;

  • Proof of citizenship or permanent residence (copy of Canadian passport, copy of citizenship card or copy of permanent residence card);

Important information regarding the application forms

N.B: All sections of the form must be completed.

It is important to note that the executive summary, financial statements and financial projections will only be available to jury members during the 50 finalists pitch process. Therefore, it is imperative that all sections of the form contain complete and precise information without any reference to the above mentioned documents which will not be examined by the evaluators during the first phase of evaluation.

Help to prepare your application

A detailed guide to the nomination process and the required criteria is available. We invite you to read it carefully and to refer to it when preparing your application.

Evaluation criteria

  • Company Description (500 words)
  • Originality and innovation (200 words)
  • Market research - demonstration of business opportunities (900 words)
  • Marketing plan - marketing strategy (500 words)
  • Plan of operations (700 words)
  • Financial plan (500 words)
  • The path of the entrepreneur and his associates (300 words)
  • The quality of the presentation of the application file
  • Overall assessment of the project

Frequently asked questions (FAQ)

In order to facilitate the process of submitting applications for Entreprendre ici's honorific grants, we have put together the questions that we are most often asked.

Do not hesitate to consult them for clear answers.

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