Listed below are the funding and training programs, tools, resources, and services made available in support of the tourism industry. Click on the links provided to learn more about the eligibility criteria, conditions, deadlines, and application forms for each opportunity listed.
Funding Programs
SEED Program - GNWT
Looking to start a business or run a project which could make a splash in your local economy? Striving for a new opportunity to build capacity and skills to help you get there? The Support for Entrepreneurs and Economic Development Policy (SEED) is here to help as part of the Government of the Northwest Territories' commitment to investing in a diverse, sustainable economy.
- Entrepreneur Support- Part of SEED (GNWT)
This program provides funding to entrepreneurs and small businesses to help with start-up, business expansion, market and product development, capacity building, operational support, and film support.
- Sector Support- Part of SEED (GNWT)
This program provides sector specific funding in two distinct categories: NWT businesses can look to defray the cost of investing in new, or expanded, facilities and equipment (Capital Expansion Incentive); and NWT business associations and communities can defray the cost of investing in the research or expansion needed to improve their understanding or presence in a sector (Sector Research Support).
- Micro Business - Part of SEED (GNWT)
This program provides funding to licensed artists, crafters, filmmakers, commercial renewable resource harvesters, and small businesses who need a little bit of funding to get their projects to sustainability.
- Business Intelligence and Networking - Part of SEED (GNWT)
Financial assistance may be available to assist with costs associated with attendance at seminars and trade shows to access information regarding new technologies or business opportunities. Funding is available from April 1 to March 31st annually.
- Community Economic Development - Part of SEED (GNWT)
This program provides funding to local communities and organizations looking to further develop their economies, advance regional economic development initiatives, and/or invest in events promoting economic opportunities. Funding is available from April 1 to March 31st annually.
- Strategic Investments - Part of SEED (GNWT)
This program provides funding to NWT businesses looking to making large investments in their company in order to expand and grow their business. Funding is available from April 1 to March 31st annually.
- Support for Film - Part of SEED (GNWT)
Professional film, television and media producers who reside in the NWT, or film, television and media businesses based in the NWT are eligible to apply for funding as entrepreneurs under the Film and Media Sector Funding Schedule of the Support for Entrepreneurs and Economic Development (SEED) Program. Producers who meet the eligibility requirements can apply for funding to support the growth and success of their projects and businesses.
- Prospecting Support Program - Part of SEED (GNWT)
This program provides funding to local prospectors looking to identify the NWT’s next big mineral find by investing in the tools, equipment, and activities necessary to prospect.
Tourism Product Diversification and Marketing Program - GNWT
This program provides funding to re-invent, improve or expand your tourism product and operation to meet future market demands by providing funding for business planning, product development and packaging as well as marketing. Call for applications normally issued in November with a deadline in January.
Community Tourism Infrastructure Contribution Program - GNWT
Successful applicants may receive up to $200,000 or 50% of project costs (whichever is less). Call for applications normally issued in November with a deadline in January.
Community Tourism Coordinator Program - GNWT
Provides funding to qualified organizations to hire and maintain Community Tourism Coordinators, a critical component for enabling the development of market and export-ready tourism products and packages for Northwest Territories (NWT) communities. Issued every two years, next time will be January 2025.
Northern Food Development Program - GNWT
This program provides funding for commercial producers, harvesters and processors of food in the NWT, with the goal of building the commercial food production and processing sectors and increasing the availability of local food to northern consumers.
Youth Mentorship for Tourism Program - GNWT
This program provides students and/or young professionals (mentees) interested in working in the tourism industry the opportunity to work with experienced industry professionals (mentors) who are willing to share their expertise and knowledge. The Program will match Northwest Territories (NWT) students and/or young professionals with an appropriate experienced professional in a specific area (based on the mentee’s interest), which may lead to employment at the mentor’s place of business.
The Propel Program - Tourism HR Canada
This program offers a wage subsidy available for employers who hire students enrolled at a recognized post-secondary institution for a paid position to fulfil the co-op or internship component of their program.
Jobs and Growth Fund - CanNor
Provides funding to businesses and organizations to help create jobs and position local economies for long-term growth.
Black Entrepreneurship Program - CanNor
A partnership between the Government of Canada, Black-led business organizations, and financial institutions, this program will help Black Canadian business owners and entrepreneurs grow their businesses and succeed now and into the future.
Economic Development Initiative - CanNor
Provides financial support to projects that encourage economic diversification, business development, innovation, partnerships and increased support for small- and medium-sized enterprises in official language minority communities (OLMCs)
Northern Indigenous Economic Opportunities Program (NIEOP) - CanNor
Through this program, CanNor supports greater participation by northern Inuit, First Nations and Métis communities and businesses and enables them to pursue opportunities for employment, income, and wealth creation.
Inclusive Diversification and Economic Advancement in the North (IDEANorth) - CanNor
This program makes foundational investments in economic infrastructure, sector development and capacity building to help position Northerners in the territories to take advantage of Canada's innovation economy.
Northern Isolated Community Initiatives (NICI) Fund - CanNor
This program supports community-led projects for local and Indigenous food production systems with an emphasis on innovative and practical solutions to increase food security across the North.
Indigenous Tourism Destination Fund- Indigenous Tourism Association of Canada (ITAC)
ITAC has established the Indigenous Tourism Destination Fund (ITDF) to accelerate the growth of Indigenous tourism in Canada. The ITDF offers an innovative way for Indigenous and non-Indigenous businesses to partner with ITAC to grow the Indigenous tourism industry from coast to coast to coast.
Indigenous Tourism Fund: Micro and Small Business Stream - Government of Canada & Indigenous Tourism Association of Canada (ITAC)
The $10 million Micro and Small Business Stream (MSBS) is part of the $20 million Indigenous Tourism Fund announced in Budget 2022 to help the Indigenous tourism industry recover from the pandemic and position itself for long-term, sustainable growth. The MSBS will help Indigenous tourism businesses address barriers to business, visitor and export readiness so they can take advantage of a growing demand for leisure travel, particularly cultural tourism, better positioning Canada as a global tourism destination of choice.
Accelerate Digital Adoption Projects for Tomorrow (ADAPT) Fund - BDIC
The Accelerate Digital Adoption Projects for Tomorrow (ADAPT) Fund is a contribution program of the BDIC that provides funding to help NWT businesses with their digital adoption projects. A maximum of $2,600 is available to eligible NWT businesses each year.
Entrepreneurship and Business Development Fund (EBD) - Metis/Dene Development Fund (MDDF)
EBD funding can be paired with other financing to help Indigenous businesses with expansion, capital acquisition and marketing and planning.
Indigenous Women’s Entrepreneur Program (IWE) - Metis/Dene Development Fund (MDDF)
The IWE Program, in partnership with Indigenous Services Canada (ISC), seeks to reduce barriers that Indigenous women face when starting or growing their business, and ensure that they have access to training, resources and capital they need to prosper.
Financing, mentorship, and resources - Futurpreneur
Are you, or someone you know, between the ages of 18-39 and have a great idea for a tourism business? Futurpreneur is the only national non-profit organization supporting entrepreneurs aged 18 - 39 through financing, mentorship, and resources.
Training of Workforce and Education Programs
Northern Adult Basic Education Program (NABEP) - CanNor
This is an education support program to help Northerners get targeted training so they can participate more fully in the labour market. The program is delivered through the three territorial colleges in Canada's North: Aurora College, Yukon College, and Nunavut Arctic College.
Emerit Skills Training and Certification - Tourism HR Canada
Training is available for dozens of occupations, in easy to manage online modules, so your busy employees can focus on the areas where they need to improve.
Tourism Business Mentorship Program - GNWT
Mentorships are delivered through the Catalyste+ Organization and its network of executive-level volunteers with decades of specialized business knowledge and expertise in a wide range of business-related disciplines.
Tourism Training Fund - GNWT
Some of the goals of the fund are to increase the number of skilled and certified people working across various tourism sectors and retain tourism workers by supporting their access to training opportunities critical for job satisfaction and labour market competitiveness. Calls in April with a deadline in May.
NorthernMost Host - GNWT
NorthernMost Host is a two-day customer service workshop designed to prepare participants to welcome guests and visitors to the Northwest Territories (NWT). Participants learn about tourism in the NWT and hospitality while building skills for quality customer service.
Welcome NWT- GNWT
The Welcome NWT Program emphasizes important aspects of quality customer service training: Tourism Awareness, Quality Service, Northwest Territories Community Awareness. The Program is an informative, three-hour training seminar that emphasizes the importance of treating each customer as a very important individual - the key to business success.
Business, Market and Trade Ready (BMT) - GNWT
The BMT- Ready program and tools help tourism suppliers better understand how applying standards can enable their business to access new marketing and distribution sales channels when they develop their policies, and administer their sales to meet expected service standards.
Tourism Business Planning- GNWT
A hands-on, 1-2 day workshop designed for NWT tourism businesses. You will work through the Tourism Business Planning workbook, (building off work completed at the Tourism Product Development Workshop), to:
- Clearly describe your business goals and objectives
- Develop product/tour/package descriptions
- Develop a marketing plan (which can be further developed through the Tourism Marketing Workshop)
- Develop a financial plan
The Entrepreneur Growth Program - EntrepreNorth
EntrepreNorth’s flagship Cohort-Based Entrepreneur Growth Program offers 8-10 Indigenous and community-based entrepreneurs in Nunavut, Northwest Territories and Yukon the opportunity to gain the knowledge, skills and support to help take their businesses to the next level and create a positive community impact at the same time.
Resources, Handbooks, and Development Tools
Tourism Training Workbooks - GNWT
These workbooks are self-guided and easy to follow, but most of all, they're completely free. Inside them are years of tourism industry experience distilled into concise tools and strategies you can use to launch or grow your business.
SMART Accreditation Program - Tourism HR Canada
This program is a flexible mechanism that translates best practices in program development, delivery and improvement, and outcomes measurement into a defined set of criteria which can be used as a benchmark for tourism-related programs.
Now Hiring: A Free Post-Pandemic HR Guide for Employers - Tourism HR Canada
The tools in this guide are intended to help tourism businesses get started on the path to recovery, with both short-term and long-term strategies to attract, retain, and grow a skilled workforce.
READI Program - Tourism Industry Association of Canada (TIAC)
A fully developed platform designed to guide the industry to maximum profitability in the post-pandemic period.
Winter/ Shoulder & Culinary National Program - Tourism Industry Association of Canada (TIAC)
Explore content ranging from strategy development to practical tools and tips - all designed to help grow and adapt your tourism business as an operator and build tourism capacity in your region as a destination partner.
Marketing Tips & Tricks - Destination Canada (DC)
These resources are designed to help Canadian tourism businesses get the most out of their marketing efforts, reach travellers and remain competitive.
Destination Canada Research - Destination Canada (DC)
Destination Canada produces regular data, market intelligence, and industry analysis to help businesses market to international travellers and grow Canada’s tourism industry.
Tourism Entrepreneur Accelerator Program - Indigenous Tourism Association of Canada (ITAC)
Firecircle is proud to collaborate and partner with the Indigenous Tourism Association of Canada (ITAC) and with the Government of Canada to deliver this exciting tourism entrepreneur accelerator program to Indigenous, rural, and Northern communities and entrepreneurs.
The Original Original Accreditation Program - Indigenous Tourism Association of Canada (ITAC)
ITAC and Jelly Academy have joined together to present ITAC members the opportunity to gain all the skills needed to market their business online.
*Some of ITAC’s Programs are only made available to ITAC members.
Tourism Research Publications - GNWT ITI
GNWT-ITI is responsible for all tourism research conducted in the territory. You can get to the latest research publications by following this link: www.iti.gov.nt.ca
Northwest Territories Tourism 2024 AGM & Conference
Join us at our Annual AGM & Conference, an opportunity to learn, network, and celebrate the Northwest Territories tourism industry and its members.
Our Conference is open to members, industry professionals, and anyone wanting to learn more about tourism in the Northwest Territories.
We look forward to seeing you there!
For registration and more information you can click here