Government programs

Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency: federal regional development support for businesses in New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland and Labrador.

Federal regional development support for businesses in New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland and Labrador

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What does ACOA offer Atlantic Canadian businesses?

Short answer: The Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency is the federal regional development agency for New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland and Labrador. It supports productivity, exports, innovation and tourism projects, often with repayable contributions paid on claims, so businesses need to fund costs before reimbursement.

Key facts

Covers the four Atlantic provinces
Focus on productivity, exports, innovation and tourism
Support is often a repayable contribution
Start with a call to your provincial office

What it is

Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency is one of Canada's regional development agencies, delivering federal support for businesses and communities in New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland and Labrador.

Atlantic businesses deal with smaller local markets, seasonal tourism and fisheries, and longer distances to major customers. ACOA programs often focus on productivity, exports, innovation and tourism.

Who it is for

Small and medium-sized firms in the four Atlantic provinces planning to grow, export or innovate.
Seafood, ocean technology, tourism and manufacturing businesses, which are prominent in the region.
Rural businesses and communities, often through partners such as Community Business Development Corporations.

How it works in practice

ACOA staff work regionally, so a first call to the office in your province is the usual starting point.
Projects are assessed on their economic benefit to Atlantic Canada, such as jobs, exports or productivity.
Business support is commonly repayable and paid against eligible costs as they are claimed.
Tourism and community projects may follow different program rules from commercial projects.

Cash-flow timing to plan for

Seasonal Atlantic businesses, especially in tourism and fisheries, can find that claims and reimbursements fall in their quiet months while project spending happens before the season. Map both calendars together.

Long distances to major markets also mean higher freight costs that should be in the project budget.

Tips before you apply

Talk to the ACOA office in your province before committing to a project.
Align project spending with your season so you are not carrying costs in the off-season.
Ask whether a local Community Business Development Corporation can help with a smaller piece.
Keep freight and travel costs realistic in the budget.

Questions to ask before you commit

Which ACOA office handles my province?
Does my project fit a commercial or a community stream?
Can a CBDC loan cover a smaller part of the project?

Common mistakes with program funding

Starting eligible spending before an agreement is signed, which can make those costs ineligible.
Assuming a payment date that the program never promised.
Losing receipts and timesheets needed for claims.
Forgetting that repayable contributions must be repaid on a schedule.
Using program support and private financing without checking stacking rules.

Using programs and private funding together

Government programs are usually the lowest-cost money available to a Canadian business, and they are worth pursuing first when you qualify. They are also slower, have intake windows and often pay after you spend. Many owners use a short, revenue-based advance only to cover a timing gap, such as paying a share of a project before a contribution arrives, and repay it when the program pays out. Size any advance to the gap, not to the whole project, and confirm that the program's terms allow other financing.

Source and date

Official program information: www.canada.ca. Program details change; check current eligibility, intake dates and terms with the program directly. Summary as of October 2026. Merchant Fund Express is not affiliated with this program and does not administer it.

Common questions

Does ACOA fund tourism operators?

Tourism is an important sector in Atlantic Canada and has been supported through ACOA programs; check what is currently open.

Is ACOA support repayable?

Commercial projects are often supported with repayable contributions.

What is a CBDC?

A Community Business Development Corporation, the Atlantic name for the Community Futures network, offering local loans and advice.