The Indigenous Women Entrepreneurs program provides support and resources to Indigenous women opening or expanding a business on one of our nine member First Nations. The program includes business support services, skills development workshops and the microloan fund.
IWE is delivered by Southeast Community Futures Development Corporation (SCFDC) through an agreement with the National Aboriginal Capital Corporations Association (NACCA). NACCA launched the program in 2022 to 32 Indigenous financial institutions across Canada, including SCFDC.
The IWE Program provides business support to Indigenous women as they create a business plan, set and maintain short- and long-term strategic business goals, and manage business budgets.
The IWE program hosts free skills development and training workshops for IWEs in the region, discussing subjects like pricing, budgeting, funding, marketing, taxation, and other aspects of owning a business in a First Nations community.
If you’re an Indigenous woman in one of our Southeast communities and are interested in attending a workshop, click here for dates and other details.
SCFDC offers microloans to Indigenous women entrepreneurs through the IWE program’s microloan fund. The fund is designed to be accessible for all types of business, including small home-based operations. Payment schedules are flexible and up to 25% of each microloan is forgivable — meaning that you would only need to repay 75% of the loan. For example, if you were approved for a $10,000 loan package, you would only need to repay $7,500 and would keep the other $2,500.
Maximum loan per business: $20,000
Eligibility:
Click here to see our other loan guidelines.
Applicants needing additional funding can apply for a loan from a separate loan fund up to an additional $40,000. The microloan fund’s forgivable portion will not apply to this amount.
Southeast Community Futures Development Corporation
200 - 208 Edmonton Street
Winnipeg, MB
Phone: (204) 943-1656
Providing financing and support to rural entrepreneurs to develop their potential. Southeast Community Futures strengthens communities in the region through innovative business and community economic development support service
