Top summer funding opportunities

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.

Yes, we know there's still snow on the ground, but if you snooze on these funding opportunities, you may miss out on $5000+ for hiring a full-time student this summer.

Information last updated: June 1, 2020

Canada Summer Jobs program during the COVID-19 pandemic:

Temporary changes to the Canada Summer Jobs program will help business hire and keep the workers they need so they can continue to deliver essential services.

IMPORTANT: these changes apply to employers who have already been approved for Canada Summer Jobs funding. Currently, funding has not been re-opened for 2020.

These changes include:

- an increase to the wage subsidy, so that private and public sector employers can also receive up to 100% of the provincial or territorial minimum hourly wage for each employee (previously, they were only eligible for up to 50%).

- an extension to the end date for employment to February 28, 2021 (previously, all funded positions had to be completed no later than August 28, 2020).

- allowing employers to adapt their projects and job activities to support essential services (for example: jobs in community programming may need to shift from in person to digital).

- allowing employers to hire staff on a part-time basis (previously, all funded positions had to be full time for a minimum of 30 hours per week for at least 6 weeks).

Canada Summer Jobs (CSJ)
50 - 100% wage coverage

Canada Summer Jobs 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) 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)
Student eligibility:	To be eligible to receive subsidies to hire, your organization must hire a: full time student returning to full-time studies after summer work term student between the ages of 15 – 30 student 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
How to apply:	For more information on eligibility and to complete an application, please visit the Government of Canada website.
Application deadline:	CLOSED for summer 2020

Provincial Summer Funding Opportunities
Funding available for your summer hires

Check out various summer funding opportunities specific to provinces across Canada.

Province/Territory	Funding Opportunity	Application Deadline	Link for more information
Ontario	Summer Experience Program	CLOSED for summer 2020	Visit the Government of Ontario website
New Brunswick	Student Employment Experience Development (SEED)	CLOSED for summer 2020	Visit the New Brunswick Jobs website
Newfoundland/Labrador	Student Summer Employment Program (Newfoundland/Labrador)	CLOSED for summer 2020	Visit the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador website
Nova Scotia	Energy Training Program	CLOSED for summer 2020	Visit the Government of Nova Scotia website
Nova Scotia	Student Summer Skills Incentive	CLOSED for summer 2020	Visit the Government of Nova Scotia website
Manitoba	Summer Student Recovery Jobs Program *NOTE: this program is specifically COVID-19 related	OPEN to employers hiring students May 1, 2020 or later	Visit the Government of Manitoba website
Manitoba	STEP Services	CLOSED for summer 2020	Visit the Government of Manitoba website
Yukon	Yukon STEP Program	CLOSED for summer 2020	Visit the Government of Yukon website

Young Canada Works in Heritage Organizations
Up to $8,000 per student

Young Canada Works (YCW) 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 this website.
Application deadline:	Annually in mid-January

Young Canada Works in Both Official Languages
Up to $8,000 per student

Young Canada Works (YCW) 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: 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 this website.
Application deadline:	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.)

United Nations Association in Canada: Green Spaces
50% cost and wage subsidy

Green Spaces is a wage matching funding opportunity. They provide employers with wage subsidies to enable them to hire youth interested in the Green Economy.

Employer eligibility and funding:

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

not-for-profit organizations
private-sector companies
municipal governments, provincial and territorial governments, institutions, agencies, and Crown Corporations
indigenous organizations (including band councils, tribal councils, and self-government entities);
post-secondary institutions or research labs

UNA-Canada offers a wage subsidy (approximately 50%) for the duration of your Green Spaces participant’s employment at your organization.

Student eligibility:

All students interested must apply by completing an application on the Green Spaces webpage. To be eligible to receive subsidies to hire, your organization must hire a student that is:

registered as a full-time student in the previous academic year and intend to return to school full-time in the upcoming academic year
between the ages of 15 and 30 (inclusive) at the time of intake/selection
Canadian citizens, permanent residents, or persons who have been granted refugee status in Canada;
be legally entitled to work according to the relevant provincial/territorial legislation and regulations

How to apply:

For more information on eligibility, please visit the Green Spaces website.

If you are interested in hiring a Green Spaces participant, please contact a Regional Co-ordinator closest to you.

Maggie Hall	Maggie.Hall@unac.org	Vancouver
Kylie Campbell	Kylie.Campbell@unac.org	Whitehorse & Territories
Lisa Robenberg	Lisa.Rosenberg@unac.org	Calgary
Pamela Bryan	Pamela.Bryan@unac.org	Edmonton
Liesl Mulholland	Liesl.Mulholland@unac.org	Halifax & Atlantic Provinces
Estela Ulloa	Estela.Ulloa@unac.org	Toronto
Megan Elliott	greencorps@unac.org	Ottawa
Oula Hajjar	Oula.Hajjar@unac.org	Montreal
Tamara-Jeanne Dubé	Tamara-Jeanne.Dube@unac.org	Quebec City
Abdal Qeshta	Abdal.Qeshta@unac.org	Winnipeg
Tzigane Ludwig	Tzigane.Ludwig@unac.org	Saskatoon