BDC Partners with the Community Futures network to help founders in remote areas of Canada
The Business Development Bank of Canada (BDC) has created an initiative worth $100 million in cooperation with the Community Futures network for the purpose of building entrepreneurship in rural and remote areas of Canada. The program is intended to assist an anticipated 520,000 small business owners who encounter particular barriers to accessing capital and other growth supports.
Expanding access to capital in remote areas
As part of this initiative, BDC will share lending risk with Community Futures in Canada’s Western provinces, the Réseau de SADC et CAE in Québec and Community Business Development Corporations (CBDC) in Atlantic Canada. As a result of this initiative, maximum loan limits for qualified entrepreneurs in rural settings will be raised from $250,000 to $500,000 under this collaborative lending structure. It is estimated that this funding envelope will contribute to the growth of GDP of up to $250 million over 5 years.
As of 2024, Canada’s rural entrepreneurship rate is estimated at 17%, considerably higher than 12% for urban areas and indicative of the growing economic importance of business activity in smaller towns in Canada.
BDC’s mission and broader strategy
This program builds on the BDC’s Community Banking initiative, launched in November 2024, which aims to support entrepreneurs who often fall outside traditional banking eligibility criteria. Through this framework, BDC partners with local credit unions and national financial institutions such as RBC, TD, Desjardins, and Meridian to provide guaranteed loans and advisory resources tailored to smaller firms and underrepresented groups.
In a press statement, Isabelle Hudon, BDC President and CEO, emphasized that “rural and remote communities are full of bold, resilient business owners who often face more barriers and fewer resources.” The initiative, she said, allows the bank to “go where others don’t and build bridges where gaps exist.”
Federal government’s economic vision
The partnership was praised by Industry Minister Mélanie Joly and Minister of Small Business Rechie Valdez, who underscored that the plan leverages “the complementary strengths of BDC’s financial expertise and the grassroots reach of Community Futures.” It coincides with Ottawa’s broader strategy to enhance rural economic resilience amid rising U.S. trade tensions, including a $5 billion Strategic Response Fund and a $1 billion Regional Tariff Response Initiative for Canadian exporters.
The timing of this announcement, just before Small Business Week (October 19–25, 2025), reflects the government’s continuing focus on scaling up Canada’s entrepreneurship ecosystem to counteract the declining national startup rate, which has dropped nearly 20% since 2019 according to BDC’s 2025 Annual Report.
Long-term impact
In addition to increasing financing capacity, BDC will provide advisory support and educational materials to Community Futures offices covering areas such as artificial intelligence adoption, cybersecurity, and digital transformation strategies. These tools are designed to help small enterprises modernize operations and remain competitive.
Troy Dungate, President of Community Futures, described the collaboration as “a powerful combination of national capacity and local expertise” that will “create meaningful change for entrepreneurs and communities coast-to-coast.”
