Funding for social enterprises is provided as a conditional contribution of up to 50% of eligible costs or $1,000,000 of total eligible costs, whichever is less.
A conditional contribution is a grant of funds. These funds could be partially or fully repayable if a recipient does not meet the terms and conditions imposed by NOHFC in a legally binding contract.

A social enterprise is a corporation that uses commercial strategies to achieve a primary social, environmental, or cultural mission, reinvesting most profits back into that mission rather than maximizing shareholder wealth, blending business with purpose to create sustainable change. They operate like regular businesses, selling goods or services, but their core goal is community well-being, addressing issues like poverty, unemployment, or environmental protection.

Social enterprises such as cooperatives and Indigenous community-owned for-profit entities are considered potentially eligible under the Community Enhancement Program where the following is demonstrated:

• The cooperative is established without the ability to flow dividends to individual members of the cooperative limiting the benefit of NOHFC support to the benefit of the non-profit.
• The Indigenous for-profit entity is 100% owned by the Indigenous community or by a number of Indigenous communities with 100% of the profits being reinvested back into the community(ies), excluding revenues reinvested back into the business.

No, operating expenses are not eligible for funding.

Yes. The Enhance Your Community propgram is open to all eligible applicants regardless of municipal, community, or catchment area population.

NOHFC will accept multiple project applications from an applicant.

No. Depending on the project and the percentage of ineligible space, NOHFC may consider part of the project to be eligible while the administration and/or residential space would be ineligible.

You must show that you have investigated and / or applied to other relevant federal or provincial funding sources.