Top summer funding opportunities

View of Tatham Centre on University of Waterloo campus in the summer

Hiring a co-op student or intern for the summer can be affordable!

Here are job grants, incentives, wage subsidies and other funding opportunities specific to it.

Canada Summer Jobs (CSJ)

75 - 100% wage coverage

Canada Summer Jobs (CSJ) has been administered by the federal government for many years now to help young people find meaningful work by providing wage subsidies to employers.

Employer eligibility and funding:

To be eligible to receive subsidies to hire, your organization must be a:

  • not-for-profit organization (eligible for wage subsidies up to 100% of the provincial or territorial minimum hourly wage and up to 100% of Mandatory Employment Related Costs (MERCs)
  • public-sector organization (eligible for wage subsidies up to 50% of the provincial or territorial minimum hourly wage)
  • small businesses with less than 50 full-time employees (eligible for wage subsidies up to 50% of the provincial or territorial minimum hourly wage)

Ineligible employers: federal and provincial government departments and agencies, organizations that engage in partisan political activities.

Student eligibility:

To be eligible to receive subsidies to hire, your organization must hire a youth:

  • between the ages of 15 - 30
  • that is a Canadian citizen, permanent resident, or person to who refugee protection has been conferred under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act for the duration of employment
  • with a valid Social Insurance Number at the start of employment and be legally entitled to work in Canada
How to apply: For more information please visit CSJ eligibility and application details.
Application due date: See the Canada Summer Jobs website for full details on when applications open and close.

Provincial Summer Funding Opportunities

Young Canada Works in Heritage Organizations

Young Canada Works (YCW) in Heritage Organizations is another program that's available to all organizations across Canada.

Employer eligibility and funding:

An employer may be eligible for funding if it is:

  • an incorporated, non-profit organization in Canada with a heritage mandate such as a museum, archives, a library, or an organization managing a heritage site/built heritage;
  • an educational or cultural institution that has distinct objectives, programs and a budget related to heritage;
  • a non-profit organization under a provincial, territorial, regional or municipal government, that has distinct objectives, programs and a budget related to heritage;
  • a professional heritage service organization;
  • an Indigenous regional government or governing body (band or tribal council) and/or Indigenous organization with a mandate to preserve and support Indigenous heritage (First Nations, Inuit and Métis); and
  • stable and financially healthy.

An employer is not eligible if it is:

  • a federal department, federal agency or Crown corporation;
  • a provincial or territorial government department;
  • for-profit; or
  • a non-profit organization with a heritage mandate in support of a federal entity, that is also operationally dependent on the federal entity by virtue of its administrative and/or contractual relationship.

Maximum funding per position (for all employers) is between 25 - 75% of employment costs up to a maximum of $8,000 per job.

Student eligibility:

A student is eligible if they:

  • are a Canadian citizen or a permanent resident, or have refugee status in Canada (non-Canadians holding temporary work visas or awaiting permanent status are not eligible);
  • are legally entitled to work in Canada;
  • will be between 16 and 30 years of age at the start of employment;
  • are willing to commit to the full duration of the work assignment;
  • will not have another full-time job (over 30 hours a week) while employed with the program;
  • have been a full-time student (as defined by their educational institution) in the semester preceding the YCW assignment; and
  • intend to return to full-time studies in the semester following the YCW assignment.
How to apply: For more information on eligibility and to complete an application, please visit the Young Canada Works in Heritage Organizations website.
Application due date: Annually in mid-January

Young Canada Works in Both Official Languages

Young Canada Works (YCW) in Both Official Languagesis another program that's available to all organizations across Canada.

Employer eligibility and funding:

An employer may be eligible for funding if it is:

  • a private, public, non-profit organization, or a municipality;
  • incorporated;
  • involved in national, provincial, territorial, municipal or community activities;
  • willing to hire young people from other regions of Canada;
  • conducting activities in both official languages; and
  • stable and financially healthy.

An employer is not eligible if it is:

  • a federal department, federal agency or Crown Corporation; or
  • a provincial or territorial government department.

Maximum funding per position (for all employers) is between 25 - 75% of employment costs up to a maximum of $8,000 per job.

Student eligibility:

A student is eligible if they:

  • are a Canadian citizen or a permanent resident, or have refugee status in Canada (non-Canadians holding temporary work visas or awaiting permanent status are not eligible);
  • are legally entitled to work in Canada;
  • will be between 16 and 30 years of age at the start of employment;
  • are willing to commit to the full duration of the work assignment;
  • will not have another full-time job (over 30 hours a week) while employed with the program;
  • have been a full-time student (as defined by their educational institution) in the semester preceding the YCW assignment; and
  • intend to return to full-time studies in the semester following the YCW assignment.
How to apply: For more information on eligibility and to complete an application, please visit the Young Canada Works in Both Official Languages website.
Application due date:

Annually in early February                                                                                       

(Applications submitted after this date will be dealt with on a first come first serve basis and based on the availability of funds.)