Funding InstrumentBeta
Could funding help move your next business project forward?
Describe the investment you are considering and receive a preliminary assessment of the funding categories that may be worth investigating.
Free preliminary assessment. No funding guarantee.
About three minutes. It assesses one planned project, not your entire business.
Why funding research goes nowhere
Support for Canadian businesses genuinely exists. What stops most owners is not scarcity — it is the search itself.
- It is not obvious which category even applies — a grant, a loan, a wage subsidy and a tax credit are four different things.
- The information sits across federal, provincial, regional and municipal sources that do not talk to each other.
- Opportunities surface after the intake closed, which is the same as not finding them.
- The search starts with a grant rather than with a defined project, so nothing fits.
- The expected business outcome cannot be stated clearly, which is exactly what any reviewer asks for first.
- Loans, grants, contributions and tax credits get treated as interchangeable when their obligations are not.
How it works
Describe your business and project
A short questionnaire about where your business stands and the one investment you are considering.
Receive a preliminary category assessment
A project readiness read, the broad funding categories worth investigating, and what information is still missing.
Decide whether a verified scan is worthwhile
If the project is defined enough, you can request a manually verified opportunity scan. If it is not, the result tells you that plainly.
Projects this assessment covers
Any planned investment in one of these areas can be assessed.
Digital transformation
Hiring and training
Equipment and productivity
Innovation and R&D
Export and market expansion
Energy efficiency
Business startup or acquisition
Other growth investment
What you receive
- A project readiness status, in plain language
- The funding categories that may be worth investigating
- The project information still missing
- Observations on where the project is strong and where it is thin
- A recommended next step
- The option to request a manually verified scan
The manually verified scan is a separate paid service, starting at $297.
The Government of Canada operates its own Business Benefits Finder, which generates tailored program results. This assessment does not replace it — it helps you decide whether a deeper search is worth your time, and what to have ready before you start one.
What this is, and what it is not
- This is general preliminary information only.
- It is not legal, accounting, tax or financial advice.
- It is not an eligibility determination, and it does not assess your chances of receiving anything.
- Programs, deadlines, budgets and requirements change without notice.
- All funding decisions are made by the organizations that administer each program.
- You must verify everything through official sources before acting on it.
- Alliance Optima does not guarantee funding of any kind.
Alliance Optima is an independent business. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or acting on behalf of the Government of Canada or any provincial or territorial government.
Questions people ask
Is this a government service?
No. Alliance Optima is an independent business, not affiliated with the Government of Canada or any provincial or territorial government. The federal government runs its own Business Benefits Finder, and we encourage you to use it alongside this.
Does this guarantee that I qualify for anything?
No. Nothing here is an eligibility determination. This assessment describes how well-defined your project is and which broad categories of support may be worth researching. Only a program administrator can decide whether you qualify.
Is the assessment free?
Yes. The questionnaire and your results cost nothing. A manually verified opportunity scan, performed by a person, is a separate paid service you can request afterwards.
What happens after I submit?
Your results appear immediately and a copy is emailed to you. If you asked for a manual review, someone reads your submission and contacts you. If you did not, nobody calls you.
What types of projects can be assessed?
Any planned business investment: digital transformation, hiring and training, equipment and productivity, innovation and R&D, export and market expansion, energy efficiency, a startup or acquisition, or other growth investments.
Will Alliance Optima apply for funding for me?
No. This service does not include writing or submitting applications, and we do not represent businesses before any government body. What a paid scan gives you is a researched, verified picture of what to look at and what you would need.
How is my information used?
It is used to produce your assessment, to contact you if you asked us to, and for nothing else. It is never sold. Marketing email is a separate, optional consent you can decline without affecting your results.
Do I need a completed business plan?
No. Many projects are assessed at an early stage — the result simply tells you so, and points at what to define first. A business plan is not required to complete this questionnaire.
Free preliminary assessment. No funding guarantee. · Privacy