Program directory · Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada

Support for Underrepresented Entrepreneurs

Department

Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada

Program code

BNN02 (ISC)

Core responsibility

People, Skills and Communities

In Departmental Plans

2018-19 – 2026-27 · New since an earlier plan

What it does

The Support for Underrepresented Entrepreneurs Program promotes the growth and competitiveness of entrepreneurs, including under-represented groups in business and entrepreneurship to build a more inclusive economy. The program provides support to Canadian entrepreneurs who would not typically be well supported by traditional lending institutions, and other business support services, as well as, promotes co-operatives as an important business model that advances sustainable and inclusive growth. The program engages with diverse groups, including women, youth, Indigenous people, members of the 2SLGBTQI+ community and Black Canadians, and works to ensure that Canada’s economic development and innovation policies and programs reflect their needs so entrepreneurs from diverse backgrounds start up and grow their businesses. This program includes the Women Entrepreneurship Strategy, the Black Entrepreneurship Program, the Futurpreneur Canada transfer payment and the Small Business and Entrepreneurship Development Program, which includes the 2SLGBTQI+ Entrepreneurship Program and the Trade Accelerator Program. Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada works with the Regional Development Agencies to implement the Ecosystem Fund component of the Black Entrepreneurship Program. The program also supports and strengthens Canada’s social enterprise community by collaborating with federal and provincial partners, the academic community, and Canadian social enterprise practitioners. Parallel to these programs is the 50–30 Challenge, a voluntary initiative that encourages Canadian organizations to increase the representation and inclusion of diverse groups in their workplace, in particular within their leadership cadres. These programs ultimately support the departmental result “People and communities from all segments of Canadian society participate in the economy” under the People, Skills and Communities Core Responsibility.

Source: the department's Program Inventory, via GC InfoBase.

History and lineage

First appears in GC InfoBase's actual spending by program in 2018-19. The data does not record when a program was created; it may be older than its first appearance here, which is limited by the sources (program spending starts in 2010-11, Departmental Plans in 2018-19).

No earlier or later program in the same department has a similar name.

Significant changes in scope and budget

Success criteria

The program's indicators from its department's Departmental Results Framework: the target set in each year's plan, and the result reported the following year. Source: GC InfoBase.

Spending and employees: planned against actual

Spending

Employees (FTEs)

Planned spending, plan by plan

Each row is one year's Departmental Plan and its forecast for the next three fiscal years; read a column down to see how the forecast for one year changed. The last row is what was actually spent. Click an amount for its source. Biggest changes in federal spending plans

Actual spending is from Departmental Results Reports and the Public Accounts, as published in GC InfoBase. FTEs are full-time equivalents.