Fonds Écoleader: Specific support for implementation

The Fonds Écoleader is designed to encourage Quebec companies to adopt eco-responsible business practices and clean technologies through an integrated and developmental approach. The program helps to improve companies’ environmental performance, thereby increasing their competitiveness.

Fonds Écoleader: Specific support for implementation specifically targets implementation initiatives, providing companies with assistance specifically at the action taking stage of their transition toward eco-responsibility. To that end, the Fonds Écoleader supports projects that relate to one or more of the following areas of application:

  • Sustainable sourcing
  • Sustainable development approach
  • Eco-design
  • Water management
  • Energy management
  • Greenhouse gas management
  • Waste management
  • Sustainable mobility
  • Air quality

Download the Applicant’s Guide

The funding program is a two-pronged initiative with the following aims:

Funding Stream 1 – Businesses: enable individual businesses to achieve their project by responding to their specific environmental challenges

Funding Stream 2 – Business cohorts: help implement projects that bring together a cohort of businesses seeking to adopt eco-responsible business practices and deploy clean technologies, while sharing experience and resources. Accordingly, Funding Stream 2 projects should favour greater cost efficiencies for all businesses taking part in a cohort. Economies of scale resulting from shared measures and lower transportation costs must be demonstrated in this type of funding application

 

To be eligible, the applicant (for a Funding Stream 1 project) or each of the members of a business cohort (for a Funding Stream 2 project) must:

  • Be a legally constituted for-profit business or social-economy company registered with Registraire des entreprises du Québec (the province’s registry of businesses) and incorporated under the laws of the Quebec government or the Government of Canada
  • Operate a business establishment in Quebec

Some examples of eligible projects

Support in implementing eco-responsible business practices

  • Support from one or more experts in implementing eco-responsible business practices may include, for example:
  • Consulting and technical services to enable the company to implement action-plan items in the short and medium term
  • Required training to ensure staff are able to implement and sustain new eco-responsible business practices
  • Support in conducting trials or pilot projects to validate new tools and practices within the company
  • Developing operational, strategic, and decision-making tools

 

Support in implementing clean technologies

For all clean technology projects, even if technical details and suppliers need not be known when submitting the application, the technology or technologies to be implemented must be clearly identified and named in the funding application.

  • Support services required for the implementation of one or more clean technologies may include, for example:
  • Assistance in finding suppliers of clean technologies, funding mechanisms, and supply sources and help making contact with such suppliers
  • Needs-assessment leading to the drafting of a call for tenders by the participating company
  • Technical support to answer specific questions and support decision-making, especially after conducting a study
  • Engineering work, including the preparation of decision-support tools, plans, specifications, reports, user guides, and other documents required for the successful implementation of the clean technology or technologies
  • Supervision of a practical pilot project within the company to test the clean technology before it is implemented on a broader scale
  • Training staff to use and maintain the new project-related clean technology or technologies effectively
  • Installation, commissioning, and calibration of the clean technology or technologies
  • Coordination of the implementation project, including steps such as site supervision and verification of facilities and actual post-implementation benefits

For support in implementing eco-responsible business practices

Funding Stream 1 – Businesses:                            $30,000

Funding Stream 2 – Business cohorts:              $200,000

 

For support in implementing clean technologies

Funding Stream 1 – Businesses:                            $50,000

Funding Stream 2 – Business cohorts:              $300,000

 

Only external services billed by experts listed in the Fonds Écoleader directory may be recognized as eligible expenses.

Companies may undertake more than one project concurrently under the Fonds Écoleader’s specific support for implementation funding program, with maximum financial assistance set at $80,000 per company.

The financial aid granted by the Fonds Ecoleader in the last few years is independent and will not be considered for the new project requests.

 

September 30, 2026

End of the project submission period.

 

18 months

Maximum period between the signature of the contract and the submission of the final report.

 

 

January 31, 2027

Submission deadline for the final report. No delay will be authorized.

Contact us

If you encounter any problems with the submission process or have any questions that are not answered by the available tools, please contact us

info@fondsecoleader.ca

418 692-5888 ext. 246

TO SCHEDULE AN APPOINTMENT WITH ONE OF OUR ANALYSTS