Investment Readiness Program

About this program

The Investment Readiness Program (IRP) is part of a national initiative led by Community Foundations of Canada and funded by the Government of Canada to provide non-repayable capital to social purpose organizations to seed and grow social enterprise across the country.

This program is designed to prepare social purpose organizations to accept future investment by facilitating organizational growth through business planning, capacity enhancement, or development of new enterprise. Upon completion of a project or initiative funded by the IRP, applicants will see their social purpose organization primed and ready to access investment.

Information about the Investment Readiness Program nationally can be found at https://irp-ppi.ca/.

What you need to know to apply

This program is open to social purpose agencies located and working in Southern Alberta. Eligible organizations include charities, non-profits, co-operatives, and for-profit social enterprises. Unlike the Community Foundation’s granting programs, applicants to the Investment Readiness Program are not required to be a registered charity with the Canada Revenue Agency.

Eligible organizations can apply for non-repayable capital to research, launch, design, measure, and scale up their social enterprises in order to get ready for future opportunities to accept investment. This program can assist organizations at any stage, from refining a new idea to scaling up and preparing for new investments.

Non-repayable capital awarded through the IRP is intended to be used to access and support expert advice or services, including but not limited to:

•  Exploring a new business idea or developing a business plan to test your idea
•  Creating a marketing plan to reach new audiences
•  Planning new products or services to grow revenue
•  Preparing documentation to approach potential investors

Unlike the first round of IRP funding, applicants can request up to 20% for operational costs such as staffing, administration, rent and other overhead. Interested parties should contact the Community Foundation office directly for more information.

Successful applications will demonstrate how the organization’s capacity will be enhanced or expanded as a result of participation in the Investment Readiness Program.