Administered by Global Affairs Canada · Funded by Government of Canada · Global Affairs
Up to $50K covering 50% of international market-entry costs — trade shows, IP, localization, market research, travel. Closes Aug 31, 2026.
CanExport SMEs helps Canadian small businesses enter new international markets with a matching grant of up to $50,000 (50% cost share). Eligible costs include international trade shows, market research, IP protection abroad, business travel, and localization.
The total program pool, per-organization max, and what your contribution has to be.
Aggregate annual funding across all recipients. Includes federal and provincial allocations where applicable.
Up to $50K per fiscal year on a 50/50 matching basis. Company contributes $50K to unlock the maximum $50K CanExport contribution — total project value up to $100K.
Run your business through the Grant Finder for a live eligibility check against every requirement in this program.
Tell us a few things about your business and we'll run a live eligibility check against this program — and surface every other Canadian program you qualify for.
Find your matches →What our team has learned from filing this program hundreds of times.
Most accessible export grant in the federal system. Written well, an application takes 15-20 hours and returns $25K-$50K. The most common failure mode is choosing target markets you can't credibly justify — pick 1-2 markets with a real business case, not 5 aspirational ones.
The practical sequence, from a firm that files these claims every week.
Create your account at the Trade Commissioner Service portal. Verify your business (BN registration, revenue proof).
Choose the international markets you want to enter. The application requires a credible business case per market — cherry-picking 5 markets weakens rather than strengthens the application.
Map eligible activities to your target markets — trade shows, market research, IP protection abroad, business travel, localization. Budget must reflect 50% CanExport / 50% company cost-share.
Full application through the portal. Include target market rationale, activity plan, budget, and supporting quotes for major line items.
Decisions typically in 6–8 weeks. On approval, execute the activities and submit expense claims quarterly for reimbursement.
What you need ready before you apply.
The failure patterns we see most often in the review-desk piles.
Applications, approvals, and dollars funded across recent cycles.
Live estimator using this program's rate and cap. Drag the slider to see the impact on your project.
Enter the total cost of the project you want to fund with CanExport SMEs. We'll estimate the grant amount, your matching contribution, and your net cost.
Estimates are illustrative — actual funding depends on eligibility, cost classification, and review outcomes. For a firm quote, book a call with our team.
Anonymized case studies from GovMoney's practice.
Targeting the UK and Germany. Combined trade-show attendance (Web Summit, SaaStr Europe) + product localization to German + UK legal review. Landed 3 enterprise pilots within 12 months.
Targeting US market for FDA-cleared cardiac device. Funded market research, US IP counsel, and RSNA trade show. First US distributor deal signed 9 months post-approval.
Japan market entry. Funded translation of packaging + regulatory documentation, plus attendance at FOODEX Japan. Distribution agreement signed with mid-tier importer.
GovMoney's team can prepare, submit, and defend your CanExport SMEs application end-to-end.
PhDs, CPAs, and ex-CRA auditors prepare, submit, and defend your application — audit-ready, on a success-fee basis. You stay focused on the business; we handle the forms, the narrative, and the back-and-forth with the agency.
Book a free consult →Questions we get from applicants every week.
The strongest applications target 1–2 markets with a defensible business case per market. You CAN target more, but reviewers prefer focused applications with clear rationale. A '5 markets to see what sticks' approach is a recognized weak-application pattern.
Booth rental, booth build, show pass, and shipping to the show floor are all eligible at 50% cost share. Marketing collateral produced specifically for the show is eligible. Ongoing marketing spend (advertising campaigns, general PR) is not.
Yes — localization of marketing materials, product interface, and legal documents for the target market is eligible. This is one of the most under-utilized eligible costs for SaaS companies expanding to non-English markets.
Yes — international patent filings, trademark registration, and IP protection strategy in the target market are eligible. This is especially valuable for hardware and biotech companies.
The FY26–27 intake window closes August 31, 2026. All applications must be submitted by 11:59 PM Eastern on that date. Late applications are not considered — Global Affairs Canada does not extend the window.
Changes to the program tracked by our team.
FY26–27 intake window confirmed — August 31, 2026 deadline for current cycle applications.
Global Affairs clarified that AI-model training compute for demoing product in target market is eligible under localization budget line.
Combinations our team files together for meaningful uplift, with live deadlines.
Three concrete moves. Do them yourself or hand off to GovMoney.
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