An Exclusive Chat with Dieter Eisbrenner, the President of GrantMatch.
We had the chance to speak to Dieter Eisbrenner, the President of GrantMatch. He gave us some helpful information about how important grant strategy is for small businesses, the top trends in government grant funding for small businesses in Canada, the Canada Digital Adoption Program (CDAP), GrantMatch’s services for small businesses, and his advice for small business owners.
Dieter Eisbrenner is the President of GrantMatch, a software-enabled services firm that specializes in securing government grants and incentives for diverse North American businesses across many sectors.
Why do you think it’s important for small businesses to have a grant strategy?
There are numerous competitive grant programs, representing billions of dollars in funding, which support capital investments, job creation, innovation, and other key investments. These programs offer an incredible opportunity for businesses to expand and grow, but with unclear guidelines and unpredictable intake intervals, the funding landscape in Canada can be complex. This means that many businesses miss out on grant funding opportunities due to lack of awareness, understanding, or confidence. One way to improve your chances of securing government funding is to create a grant strategy that aligns with the most prominent funding program themes for the year ahead. This way, you can plan investments that are most likely to receive grant funding support.
What are the top government grant funding trends for small businesses in Canada?
Right now, there are four major priorities in government funding that may be relevant to your business goals:
- Environmental and green investments
- Infrastructure, equipment, and facilities upgrades
- Hiring and training
- Technological innovation
When making investments in the areas listed above, business owners would be wise to consider which government grant programs might be available to help their investments go further. Keep in mind that grants are designed and administered by governments at all levels in Canada in an effort to positively influence and reward business practices that have positive impacts on society, the economy, and the environment.
The Government of Canada has made $4 Billion available through the Canada Digital Adoption Program to help businesses get online and adopt digital technologies to increase their competitiveness. What do small business owners need to know about this opportunity?
Giving Canadian small businesses and entrepreneurs access to programs and services that can enable them to digitize their business is a crucial strategy, especially given current market conditions that reward businesses that are agile, adaptable, and innovative. The Canada Digital Adoption Program (CDAP) is an excellent opportunity, offering grant funding through two program streams. For small businesses who have at least one employee (other than the owner) or can report at least $30,000 in annual revenue in the most recent tax year, up to $2,400 is available to help cover costs related to getting your e-commerce business online or improving your digital presence. For businesses with at least $500,000 in annual revenue, CDAP offers a $15,000 grant to pay for the services of a digital advisor who will provide strategies to help achieve business goals and increase competitiveness in the digital economy. Visit the CDAP page on the Government of Canada website and identify which grant you may be eligible for.
What do you think makes GrantMatch a one-stop shop for grant support solutions? Can you tell us a bit about the small business grant support services that GrantMatch offers?
GrantMatch is the industry leader in securing government funding for a wide variety of forward-thinking organizations. Operating in Canada for more than 25 years, our proven approach to grants and incentives provides our clients with the greatest probability of funding success. We tailor our services based on the unique needs of our clients. Whether you are a small business or a fixture on the Fortune 500 list, we offer a range of professional grant writing services and software solutions to businesses at all stages of growth. Our team of over 40 grant professionals is enabled by our industry-leading grant program database, containing intelligence on over 7,000 government funding programs across North America. As an RBC Beyond Banking Partner, GrantMatch also offers exclusive service and software discounts to businesses who bank with RBC. We are proud to have served over 5,000 Canadian businesses with over 50,000 grant program recommendations through our proprietary grant program matching algorithm.
Are there any other comments or advice that you would like to share with Canadian small business owners who are looking to pursue grant funding programs?
Understanding the different priorities that are driving government grants and incentives is a helpful first step. But with so many funding programs opening and closing constantly, with differing eligibility requirements and complex guidelines, it can be difficult to know which programs to apply for, and when.
To simplify the complex world of government funding, the GrantMatch team developed the GrantMatch Hub, our brand new, all-in-one platform that makes it easy to identify and apply for grants that fit your business. For as little as $25 per month (when you sign up for an annual subscription), you can access customized, continually updated program matches, clear program summaries, and more.
Signing up takes less than 5 minutes.
The sign-up process is simple:
- Click here to create your account.
- Start by filling out some basic information about your business (sector, number of employees, revenue range, etc.).
- Choose between a monthly or annual subscription and complete checkout.
- Explore what the platform has to offer and begin reviewing curated grant program matches for your business.
- Receive new grant matches in your inbox as programs are introduced.
The GrantMatch Hub gives you the tools you need to succeed in securing funding.
