FundScout is an AI-powered eligibility platform that tells Canadian tech startups which government grants and funding programs they actually qualify for — in under three minutes. No consultants, no grant-writing fees, no wading through government PDFs.

The problem FundScout solves

Canada has over 300 federal and provincial grant programs available to tech startups. The problem isn't access to the money — it's that founders have no fast, reliable way to know which programs they actually qualify for before investing weeks in applications.

The status quo: spend hours on government websites, pay a consultant $300/hr to assess your eligibility, or apply blindly and get rejected. Most founders either miss programs they're a perfect fit for, or waste weeks chasing ones that were never going to say yes.

How FundScout works

You answer a 3-minute questionnaire about your company — incorporation, headcount, R&D activity, revenue stage, sector, and what you're building. FundScout's AI matches your profile against the eligibility rules of 300+ Canadian programs and returns a clear, prioritized list of grants with go/no-go verdicts and a confidence score for each.

The output isn't a list of programs that might apply. It's a ranked shortlist of the programs where you have the highest probability of success — ranked by funding value and fit — so you know exactly where to invest your time.

What programs does FundScout cover?

FundScout covers the major federal programs Canadian tech startups rely on, including:

NRC-IRAP — up to $500K in non-repayable R&D salary support
SR&ED — 35% refundable tax credit on qualifying R&D spend
CDAP — $15,000 for digital transformation planning
CanExport SMEs — up to $75K to enter new export markets
Mitacs Accelerate — subsidized researchers from Canadian universities
NSERC Engage — $25K for a 6-month university collaboration
BDC and EDC financing programs
Plus provincial programs in Ontario, BC, Alberta, Quebec, and others

The database is updated continuously as programs open, close, and change eligibility requirements.

Who is FundScout for?

FundScout is built for Canadian tech startups and the consultants and advisors who work with them.

For founders: You get a fast eligibility read without needing to hire anyone or know anything about grants in advance. Whether you're pre-revenue or scaling, seed-stage or Series A, the quiz adapts to your situation.

For grant consultants and SR&ED advisors: FundScout offers a white-label eligibility assessment you can put in front of clients on day one — so you spend your time on programs where you can win, not on education and triage.

Is FundScout free?

Yes — the eligibility quiz is free to run. You get a go/no-go verdict on your top matches at no cost. FundScout's paid plans unlock the full ranked report, priority scoring, detailed next steps for each program, and the ability to track applications and deadlines over time. See FundScout Pricing for details.

Why not just hire a grant consultant?

Grant consultants are valuable — especially for writing and submitting applications for large programs like IRAP or SR&ED. But they're expensive and slow to engage. Most founders don't know which programs to pursue before they get to that conversation. FundScout gives you the eligibility map first, so you can have a smarter, faster conversation with any consultant you bring in.

FundScout also partners with grant consultants who use the platform to screen and qualify new clients, making the engagement process faster for everyone.

How accurate is FundScout?

FundScout's eligibility logic is built on the actual eligibility rules published by each program — not summaries or generalizations. The AI translates your quiz answers into a structured profile and tests it against those rules. Where programs have subjective criteria (like IRAP's "innovation merit" assessment), FundScout flags those as requiring human review rather than giving false confidence.

The goal is never to tell you "you might qualify." It's to give you the most accurate signal possible in 3 minutes so you don't waste 3 weeks.

Get started

The quiz takes 3 minutes and is free. You'll get an immediate read on which Canadian grants your startup is likely to qualify for — no signup required to start.

Check your eligibility at FundScout →

What is FundScout?