Government Grants for Canadian Cleantech Companies
Find funding programs for Canadian clean technology companies. SR&ED, IRAP, and specialized cleantech incentives to support your green innovation.
Major clean technology programs
The three to six programs we recommend most for clean technology businesses. Keep reading for the complete clean technology funding landscape, including every other program covered in the guide below.
Clean Technology Investment Tax Credit
Taxable Canadian corporations investing in solar, wind, storage, heat pumps, zero-emission vehicles and other listed clean-tech equipment. Property acquired and available for use to 31 December 2033 at 30%, then 15% for 2034.
Clean Technology Manufacturing Investment Tax Credit
Property used all or substantially all (≥90%) in qualified zero-emission technology manufacturing or in qualifying mineral activities. Product list is closed. Labour requirements do not apply.
Industrial Research Assistance Program, Clean Technology (IRAP)
SMEs with a validated proof of concept, paid technical and business employees beyond the founders, and measurable environmental impact. Received Sustainable Development Technology Canada's cleantech mandate in June 2024.
Scientific Research and Experimental Development (SR&ED)
Any Canadian business performing qualifying R&D activities
Energy Innovation Program (NRCan)
For-profit organizations and consortia advancing clean-energy R&D, demonstration and deployment. Multiple streams, including carbon capture front-end engineering and design and Innovation Ecosystem Enablers, on rolling intake.
Strategic Energy Management for Industry (ERA SEMI)
Industrial and manufacturing facilities located in Alberta that have been in operation for at least one year with fixed equipment and energy consumption information, that the applicant owns or leases with landlord permission, and that fall within NAICS sectors 11, 21, 22, 23, 31 to 33, 48, or 56, where ERA lists only the waste collection, waste treatment and disposal, and remediation and other waste management sub-sectors. The applicant must operate a business and must not be insolvent. Every participant must complete a Facility Readiness Assessment before entering any activity stream.
Jump to section6 sections
Cleantech: funding at a glance
- Top federal programs: NRC IRAP support for clean technology, Net Zero Accelerator, SR&ED, CanExport SMEs, the Strategic Response Fund
- Top provincial: Emissions Reduction Alberta, CleanBC, Quebec Greentech
- Typical stacked funding: $1M to $10M+ for demonstration and scale-up projects
- Largest single program: Net Zero Accelerator (up to $50M for industrial decarbonization)
The Canadian cleantech funding landscape
Cleantech is one of Canada's most heavily-funded sectors as of 2026, with multiple program streams targeting different stages of the cleantech commercialization pipeline. The pattern: early-stage R&D funded via SR&ED + IRAP, pre-commercial demonstration through NRC IRAP's clean technology support (which absorbed the former Sustainable Development Technology Canada mandate), large-scale industrial decarbonization via Net Zero Accelerator, and provincial complements layering on top.
Canadian cleantech companies are also unusually well-positioned for international expansion funding: programs like CanExport SMEs prioritize clean tech in their evaluation criteria, and Export Development Canada offers specialized cleantech export financing.
The top 5 programs for Canadian cleantech
1. NRC IRAP, including support for clean technology
The cornerstone cleantech program in Canada, and the one that changed most recently. Sustainable Development Technology Canada stopped accepting new applications in June 2024 following an Auditor General review, and its cleantech mandate was transferred into NRC IRAP as support for clean technology. Existing SDTC agreements continue to be honoured, but new cleantech funding is now an IRAP file accessed through an Industrial Technology Advisor rather than an open SDTC call. IRAP's technical labour funding (up to 80%) is the workhorse for cleantech R&D: clean energy systems, energy efficiency products, emissions reduction tools, and circular economy platforms. IRAP page.
2. Net Zero Accelerator
For large industrial decarbonization projects. Up to $50M per project for heavy industry (steel, cement, chemicals, oil and gas) and supply chain decarbonization (auto, aerospace, EV batteries). Less applicable to early-stage cleantech SMEs; highly relevant for cleantech companies whose customers are heavy industry.
3. SR&ED tax credits
Refundable tax credit on R&D expenditures. Cleantech work is one of the most commonly approved SR&ED categories: novel battery chemistry, energy management algorithms, low-emissions process design all routinely qualify. SR&ED page.
4. Provincial cleantech programs
Emissions Reduction Alberta (multiple streams), CleanBC, Quebec's Technoclimat, Ontario's Industrial Energy Efficiency Program. Each province has cleantech-specific programs that stack with federal funding.
5. CanExport SMEs
Cost-shared funding for entering new international markets, with clean technology prioritized in the evaluation criteria. Funds market research, trade shows, certification, and protecting intellectual property abroad once the technology is ready to sell. CanExport page.
The canonical cleantech stack
For Canadian cleantech SMEs at the pre-commercial-to-early-commercial stage:
- NRC IRAP: covers ongoing R&D labour and, through its clean technology support, anchors demonstration and scale-up funding
- SR&ED: recovers tax credits on remaining eligible R&D
- Provincial cleantech program: ERA, CleanBC, etc. for region-specific capital
- CanExport: funds international market entry once technology is ready
For cleantech-adjacent manufacturers undertaking decarbonization, the Grant Metal Products case study shows how RTRI + Emissions Reduction Alberta + CanExport stacked into $2M+ for a tariff-driven modernization with embedded clean-tech upgrades.
Cleantech use cases that fund well
- Clean energy generation: novel solar, wind, geothermal, hydrogen technologies
- Energy storage: battery chemistries, grid-scale storage, thermal storage
- Emissions reduction: industrial process upgrades, carbon capture, fugitive emissions control
- Electric vehicles and battery tech: EV components, charging infrastructure, battery recycling
- Energy efficiency products: building automation, HVAC innovations, industrial efficiency
- Circular economy: recycling technologies, waste-to-value processes, material recovery
- Green building: sustainable materials, low-embodied-carbon construction
- Carbon capture and storage: direct air capture, point-source capture, mineralization
Special considerations for cleantech
Cleantech projects often require multi-year, multi-stage funding: the path from lab prototype to commercial deployment can span 5 to 10 years. The funding strategy needs to anticipate this: SR&ED + IRAP through R&D and demonstration, provincial programs for capital, then commercialization funding (the Strategic Response Fund, Export Development Canada) for scale-up. Coordinating this across 5+ years requires deliberate planning.
Where to start
Cleantech companies typically benefit from a multi-year funding strategy from the outset given the long commercialization horizons. Our Full-Service Grant Management engagement builds the multi-year funding roadmap across NRC IRAP, SR&ED, and provincial programs, starting with a free eligibility assessment.
Want us to map this stack for your clean technology business?
Free eligibility assessment. We identify every federal and provincial program you qualify for, ranked by fit and funding value, with the stacking interactions modelled properly.
Federal and provincial funding
The programs above are federal, available to clean technology businesses anywhere in Canada. Most provinces and territories also run their own clean technology funding, and the two stack. Which provincial programs apply depends on where you operate.
Tell us your province and your project and we will map the full federal and provincial stack you qualify for. Book a free call and we will do it on the spot.
Find Clean Technology Grants for Your Business
We match your clean technology business with every federal and provincial program you qualify for, then write, submit, and manage the applications. Free assessment, no obligation.