Indigenous Innovation Initiative

Indigenous entrepreneurs and organizations working on bold, community-driven solutions often face challenges accessing early-stage capital to test and scale their ideas. The Indigenous Innovation Initiative, delivered by Grand Challenges Canada, is designed to help close that gap by supporting Indigenous-led innovation across Canada. The program focuses on helping Indigenous innovators move promising ideas from concept to real-world impact, with non-repayable funding that supports development, testing, and early growth.

This initiative is open to Indigenous-led startups, small and medium-sized businesses, nonprofits, social enterprises, and community groups working across a wide range of sectors. Recent funding calls have placed particular emphasis on areas such as environmental sustainability and climate solutions, food sovereignty, digital access and data sovereignty, and wellness initiatives rooted in Indigenous approaches, including youth mental health. Through seed and scale-focused funding streams, successful applicants have been able to access support ranging from early validation to transition-to-scale projects, with funding reaching up to a few hundred thousand dollars depending on the stage and scope of the work.

While applications are not always open year-round, new challenges and funding calls are launched periodically as priorities evolve. For Indigenous innovators exploring whether this program aligns with their vision, learning more about upcoming calls, funding focus areas, and application expectations can help determine the right time to apply.