CanExport SMEs

About CanExport SMEs

CanExport SMEs is administered by Global Affairs Canada through the Trade Commissioner Service (TCS). The program provides direct financial assistance to Canadian small and medium businesses seeking to develop new export markets, particularly markets where the business has not previously sold. CanExport is part of a broader CanExport program family that also includes CanExport Innovation, CanExport Community Investments, and CanExport Associations.

The program is highly accessible relative to most federal funding: structured eligibility criteria, defined cost basket, and 70%+ approval rates for well-structured applications. It is one of the easiest first programs for a Canadian SME to pursue, and a natural companion to stacked manufacturing, tech, or agri-food strategies.

Who qualifies for CanExport SMEs

• Incorporated in Canada, for-profit
• Annual revenue between $100,000 and $100 million in the most recent fiscal year
• 1 to 500 full-time-equivalent employees
• Have a Canada Revenue Agency Business Number
• Pursuing entry into a new international market, typically a market where you've had less than $100,000 in sales in the prior two years

The "new market" test is enforced strictly. Existing US exporters cannot use CanExport SMEs to deepen US presence; they must pursue genuinely new geography (EU, UK, Mexico, Asia-Pacific, Africa, South America, etc.). For tariff-affected manufacturers shifting away from US dependence, CanExport SMEs is purpose-built.

Eligible activities and costs

CanExport covers a defined basket of market development activities:

• International trade shows: booth fees, registration, shipping, on-site costs
• Business travel: flights, accommodation, ground transport, per diem (capped per trip)
• Market research and competitive analysis: third-party studies, market reports
• Marketing material adaptation: website translation, localized brochures, video content
• Product certification: testing and compliance for target market regulations (CE mark, FDA, others)
• Legal and IP work: distributor agreements, trademark registrations in target markets
• Search engine marketing in target-market languages

Costs NOT covered include: domestic activities (Canadian trade shows, Canadian customer travel), ongoing salaries, capital equipment, and entertainment expenses.

The CanExport application process

1. Build a target-market business case. Identify 1 to 3 target markets, document why your product fits, project ROI from market entry.
2. Itemize the budget with quotes for trade shows, travel estimates, research costs, certification fees.
3. Submit through the CanExport portal during an open intake. Intakes typically run 2 to 3 times per year with hard deadlines.
4. Wait for evaluation: 60 to 90 days. Successful applications receive a contribution agreement.
5. Execute the project over the approved timeline (typically 12 to 18 months).
6. Submit claims for reimbursement at project milestones or end. Funding flows on a reimbursement basis only.

How to maximize CanExport approval probability

• Pick markets you can credibly enter. Don't apply to enter 5 markets simultaneously without infrastructure.
• Quantify the market opportunity: addressable market size, projected sales, expected ROI from the funded activities.
• Build in concrete deliverables: signed distributor agreement, registered IP, first product certification, 10 qualified leads.
• Include letters of intent from prospective in-market partners when possible.
• Avoid common-trip / common-cost claims: each trip and cost should serve a specific market-entry purpose.

Stacking CanExport with other programs

CanExport is one of the cleanest stacking partners in the Canadian funding landscape. Common combinations:

• CanExport + RTRI: RTRI funds tariff-response capital and operational changes; CanExport funds the resulting market diversification. Used heavily by Grant Metal Products and other tariff-affected manufacturers.
• CanExport + IRAP: IRAP funds product adaptation for new markets (technical work); CanExport funds the market entry itself.
• CanExport + Alberta Export Expansion Package (AEEP): AEEP adds another ~$15K of provincial subsidy on top of CanExport for Alberta businesses. The combination subsidizes up to 75% of total trip and market development costs per market.

The VantEdge Logistics case study stacked CanExport + AEEP for international expansion as part of a 9-program portfolio.

How Impact Applications helps with CanExport

CanExport is accessible enough that some businesses succeed solo, particularly for first-time, single-market applications. For multi-market applications, businesses pursuing more than $30K in CanExport funding, or businesses pairing CanExport with other programs, professional support typically pays for itself. See our grant management service for full-stack support.