2SLGBTQI+ entrepreneurs are a core part of Canada’s economy, with over 100,000 2SLGBTQI+-owned and -operated businesses in Canada employing over 435,000 Canadians and generating over $22 billion in economic activity. Yet, these entrepreneurs continue to face systemic barriers in starting and growing their businesses. To address these challenges and build a more inclusive economy, the federal government created Canada’s first-ever 2SLGBTQI+ Entrepreneurship Program.

Today, the Honourable Rechie Valdez, Minister of Small Business, the Honourable Randy Boissonnault, Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Official Languages, and Darrell Schuurman, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Canada’s 2SLGBTQI+ Chamber of Commerce (CGLCC), announced the organizations selected to operate the 2SLGBTQI+ Entrepreneurship Program’s Knowledge Hub and to deliver the program’s Ecosystem Fund.

The $8 million Ecosystem Fund supports non-profit ecosystem organizations serving 2SLGBTQI+ entrepreneurs. The fund will help recipient organizations offer programs and resources to support these entrepreneurs, raise awareness of the challenges they face to improve support and services, and cultivate a more cohesive network of 2SLGBTQI+ entrepreneurs and ecosystem organizations.

The CGLCC has selected the first 17 organizations to deliver the Ecosystem Fund across Canada:

  • 2 Spirits in Motion Society (national)
  • Access Alliance Multicultural Health and Community Services, in partnership with UPlift Black (Ontario)
  • Alberta LGBTQ+ Chamber of Commerce (Alberta)
  • Banff Pride Society, in partnership with Bow Valley Chamber of Commerce (Alberta)
  • Chroma NB, in partnership with Envision Saint John and Fusion Saint John (New Brunswick)
  • Comité FrancoQueer de l’Ouest, in partnership with Société de développement économique de la Colombie-Britannique, Parallèle Alberta, Chambre de commerce LGBT du Québec, and Les Chevronné.e.s. (Western Canada)
  • Community Futures British Columbia, in partnership with myCEO (British Columbia)
  • Evol, in partnership with Fondation Émergence (Quebec)
  • FrancoQueer, in partnership with Impact ON, and Fédération des aînés et des retraités francophones de l’Ontario (Ontario)
  • Les Chevronné.e.s (Quebec)
  • Pictou County Partnership, in partnership with Pictou County Pride (Nova Scotia)
  • QueerTech (national)
  • SASKQUEER Entrepreneurs + Professionals (Saskatchewan)
  • Social Entrepreneurship Enclave (Manitoba)
  • Sovereign Seeds (national)
  • Spindle Films Foundation (national)
  • The Old School House Arts Centre, in partnership with Creative Coast BC, 4VI, and the Aunty Collective (British Columbia)

The organization selected to operate the Knowledge Hub is the Fyrefly Institute for Gender and Sexual Diversity, in partnership with the eHUB Entrepreneurship Centre, at the University of Alberta in Edmonton. The Fyrefly Institute will receive $3 million to build a national research network focused on collecting data to create a clearer picture of the entrepreneurship landscape for the 2SLGBTQI+ community, and on developing best practices and tools to benefit 2SLGBTQI+ entrepreneurs.

Building a more inclusive economy means building a stronger economy. The 2SLGBTQI+ Entrepreneurship Program builds on the federal government’s inclusive entrepreneurship investments that already include targeted entrepreneurship programs for women, Black, youth and Indigenous business owners. Making sure that people from all backgrounds have the opportunity to pursue entrepreneurship is essential to building a competitive economy that will create good, middle-class jobs for Canadians across the country.

Quick facts

  • There are more than 100,000 2SLGBTQI+-owned and -operated businesses in Canada. They generate over $22 billion in economic activity and employ over 435,000 Canadians.
  • The Knowledge Hub and Ecosystem Fund are two key components of the $25 million 2SLGBTQI+ Entrepreneurship Program, which is funded by the federal government and administered by Canada’s 2SLGBTQI+ Chamber of Commerce (CGLCC).
  • Recipient organizations of the Ecosystem Fund will deliver workshops, one-on-one coaching, and webinars to help 2SLGBTQI+ entrepreneurs build their skills; networking and market events to better connect entrepreneurship communities; trade missions to help businesses export and expand into new markets; and educational workshops to help businesses prioritize inclusion and diversity and become Rainbow Registered. One project will also help aspiring Indigenous 2SLGBTQI+ entrepreneurs enter the food and agriculture sectors.
  • The 17 organizations announced today will receive $5,189,174 of the $8 million available through the Ecosystem Fund. The remaining funding will be delivered to organizations in regions where service gaps still remain to ensure there is equitable support across Canada; these organizations will be announced in the future.
  • The CGLCC is a national non-profit organization with a vision to drive 2SLGBTQI+ social change through economic empowerment. Its core mission is to contribute to a thriving and inclusive Canadian economy by promoting economic growth and prosperity for 2SLGBTQI+ businesses, in particular through supplier diversity certification, capacity building and development opportunities, mentorship, and global trade opportunities.
  • Launched on August 28, 2022, the Federal 2SLGBTQI+ Action Plan aims to advance rights and equality for Two-Spirit, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and intersex people, as well as other sexually and gender diverse people, in Canada.
  • The 2SLGBTQI+ Entrepreneurship Program is a $25 million investment that includes the following:
    • The Business Scale-Up program will build the CGLCC’s capacity to help 2SLGBTQI+ entrepreneurs across Canada start or grow their businesses through a national mentorship program, improving access to corporate procurement opportunities and helping entrepreneurs and businesses become export ready.
    • The Ecosystem Fund will provide funding to not-for-profit business-support organizations to deliver projects to help entrepreneurs develop their business-planning skills and access entrepreneurial tools and learning resources.
    • The Knowledge Hub will conduct research and collect data to create a clearer picture of the entrepreneurship landscape for the 2SLGBTQI+ community and of the challenges its members face.
  • The Women Entrepreneurship Strategy (WES) is a nearly $7 billion investment that includes the following:
    • The Women Entrepreneurship Loan Fund is enabling existing women-focused loan programs to provide additional affordable microloans to women entrepreneurs.
    • The WES Inclusive Women Venture Capital Initiative seeks to broaden access to funding and build a more inclusive venture capital environment for Canadian women.
    • The WES Ecosystem Fund is helping remove barriers to the support networks and deliver the resources that women entrepreneurs need to start up, scale up and access new markets.
    • The Women Entrepreneurship Knowledge Hub has brought together 10 regional hubs, over 300 organizations and thousands of women entrepreneurs to create a more inclusive and supportive environment to grow women’s entrepreneurship in Canada.
  • The Black Entrepreneurship Program (BEP) is a partnership between the Government of Canada, Black-led business organizations, post-secondary or other accredited educational institutions, and financial institutions. It has three components:
    • The $100 million BEP Ecosystem Fund provides funding to not-for-profit Black-led organizations across the country to deliver mentorship, business training and financial planning services to businesses. To date, it has funded 43 organizations.
    • The $165 million Black Entrepreneurship Loan Fund, delivered by the Federation of African Canadian Economics (FACE), provides loans of up to $250,000 to Black business owners and entrepreneurs.
    • The $5 million Black Entrepreneurship Knowledge Hub conducts qualitative and quantitative research and collects data on the state of Black entrepreneurship in Canada to help identify Black entrepreneurs’ barriers to success as well as opportunities for growth. Carleton University and the Dream Legacy Foundation have partnered to establish the Knowledge Hub.

About the Author

Bryen Dunn is a freelance journalist based in Toronto with a focus on tourism, lifestyle, entertainment and community issues. He has written several travel articles and has an extensive portfolio of celebrity interviews with musicians, actors and other public personalities. He’s willing to take on any assignments of interest, attend parties with free booze, listen to rants, and travel the world in search of the great unknown. He’s eager to discover the new, remember the past, and look into the future.