AFO · Debt
CSBFP — Canada Small Business Financing Program
Government-backed term loan for equipment, leasehold, and real property. Up to $1.15M.
Program status and primary actions
Live — self-serve apply availableStart applicationTry the screenerQuick facts.
- Size range
- No floor — $1,150,000
- Cost / pricing
- Prime + 3% (variable) or Residential mortgage rate + 3% (fixed). 2% one-time registration fee.
- Typical speed to close
- Weeks to a few months
- Capital type
- Government-backed debt
Eligibility
Who this program is for.
For-profit Canadian business with revenue under $10M. Excludes farming, charities, and a short list of restricted industries.
Use of proceeds
What this capital can fund.
Outside these categories the program either isn’t a fit or requires a non-standard structuring conversation. The screener cross-references your specific use of proceeds against the full catalog before recommending an instrument.
What Capital Toolkit does
CPA-led engagement, not lead generation.
Whether the answer is CSBFP — Canada Small Business Financing Programor something else in the catalog, the engagement starts the same way: a CPA reviews the use of proceeds, the balance sheet, and the projections to confirm the right structure. Only then do we build the package and approach providers. The catalog page's screener exists to triage cleanly; this page exists so you can read the program in detail before that conversation.
If CSBFP — Canada Small Business Financing Programis the right fit, you’ll get a normalized financial package, a coverage or eligibility analysis appropriate to the program category, and provider / program outreach handled by a CPA with the engagement still under one roof.
Sources & verification.
- Program details (external)
- Open program page (opens in a new tab)
- Catalog entry last verified
Program criteria, rates, and ceilings change. Capital Toolkit verifies the catalog entry against the provider periodically, but the linked program page is always the authoritative source at the point of application.
Where this program shows up
The hubs that feature CSBFP.
This program is curated into the hubs below — industry verticals where it’s a typical fit, business stages where it’s the right answer, and funding stacks where it combines with others.
Head-to-head
Compare CSBFP — Canada Small Business Financing Program against another option.
The comparisons below answer the “should I do this or that?” question with a side-by-side matrix plus the scenarios where each option wins.
vs.
Conventional Senior Term Loan or Revolver
Cash-flow-underwritten facility from a chartered bank, credit union, or Schedule II lender.
Open the comparison
vs.
Equipment Finance / Leasing
Equipment-specific term loan or lease at 75–90% LTV on the equipment.
Open the comparison
vs.
ABL Revolver (Asset-Based Lending)
Revolving line tied to eligible receivables and inventory. Scales with the business.
Open the comparison
vs.
SR&ED — Scientific Research & Experimental Development
Federal refundable tax credit on eligible R&D salary, materials, and contractor expenditures.
Open the comparison
vs.
NRC IRAP — Industrial Research Assistance Program
Federal funding plus advisory for technical innovation projects in Canadian SMEs.
Open the comparison
Related programs in the same family
Also in Debt.
Conventional Senior Term Loan or Revolver
Cash-flow-underwritten facility from a chartered bank, credit union, or Schedule II lender.
Status: Live
ABL Revolver (Asset-Based Lending)
Revolving line tied to eligible receivables and inventory. Scales with the business.
Status: Coming soon
Equipment Finance / Leasing
Equipment-specific term loan or lease at 75–90% LTV on the equipment.
Status: Live
Mezzanine Debt
Second-lien or subordinated debt when senior capacity is exhausted.
Status: Coming soon
See every option side by side.
The full catalog groups debt, grants, equity, and alternative structures by family so you can compare like with like before booking a conversation.