Summer Company

Overview

Are you an Ontario student with a business idea? The Summer Company program supports eligible young student entrepreneurs, aged 15 to 29, looking to launch and operate a small business during the summer.

The Summer Company program provides:

• Business fundamentals training
• Group and one-to-one mentorship sessions with a trained business professional
• An opportunity for a grant of up to $3,000 to help launch your small business

For more information, review the program overview and detailed guidelines.

Funding available

The program offers grants of up to $3,000:

• A first payment of up to $1,500 for start-up costs
• A second payment of up to $1,500 once the student successfully completes the program

Eligibility requirements

The Summer Company grant and training program is available to students that have a desire to be entrepreneurs during the summer. To apply, applicants must meet the following criteria:

• Be a Canadian citizen or permanent resident
• Be 15 to 29 years old
• Returning to school, university, college, trade school or an eligible academic institution in the fall
• Starting a new business (i.e. not growing an existing business)
• Planning to operate this new business in Ontario
• Available to work full-time on developing and launching this new business (i.e. no part-time work or school exceeding 12 hours per week during the summer)
• Not been a recipient of the Summer Company program in the past

How to apply

Applications are currently closed and will open in January 2027.

For questions, please contact Holly Mortimer at holly@stratfordperthbusiness.ca

Evaluation process

Applications for the Summer Company grant will be evaluated by staff based on the following selection criteria:

• Meet all eligibility requirements stated above.
• Submitted application contains all required information (including contact information, upload of business plan template, startup budget and revenue forecasting).
• Business plan must propose a business idea that is feasible to fulfill within the allotted Summer Company timeframe of eight to 12 continuous weeks (June to August).
• Post-secondary students are expected to fulfill the 12-week requirement.
• Secondary students are expected to fulfill the eight-week requirement.
• Applicant must demonstrate the capacity to meet time and reporting requirements for program (e.g. operating the business minimum 35 hours per week, attending mentoring and training sessions, providing proof of grant expenditures, revenue statements and student status, etc.).

Select applicants will continue to the interview stage of the application process. Applicants who are not selected to proceed will not be contacted.

Please note that all decisions concerning eligibility and funding amounts are final.