Our Impact
Making a Real Difference
These aren’t just metrics. These numbers represent real women and real businesses changing the landscape of communities and economies across Canada.
*Based on voluntary self-identification by funded entrepreneurs.
Why DELIA
Access to capital can change what's possible
We’re removing barriers and creating pathways for women entrepreneurs to build the businesses they envision.
Competitive Rates
Access affordable financing designed specifically for women-owned businesses, with rates that make growth possible.
No Prepayment Penalty
Pay off your loan early without any extra fees. We believe in your success, not holding you back.
Ongoing Support
Beyond funding — receive mentorship, networking and resources to help your business thrive at every stage.
Flexible Funding
From startup capital to scaling operations, our flexible loan terms adapt to your unique business needs.
Success Stories
What Women Are Saying
Real stories from real entrepreneurs whose businesses were transformed with DELIA support.
They believed in our why, our mission. As a women’s health startup tackling fertility care, that kind of early belief meant everything. The DELIA investment gave us the breathing room to move from concept to credibility.
Latchmi Raghunanan
Maman Biomedical
Programs like DELIA are rare and unique and so valuable because the funding gave Oat & Mill more opportunity to grow.
Candace Tierney
Oat & Mill
DELIA offered me the possibility to start my own business very quickly. It was a quick answer and something that reassured me that what I did was valuable.
Vanessa Requesens
IMRAMA
Who We Serve
Who Does DELIA Support?
Our funding ecosystem is designed to support women at every stage of their entrepreneurial journey.
Start-ups
High-potential ventures with ambitious founders at the pre-commercial or early-commercialization stage.
Scaling Businesses
Growing enterprises looking for funding to expand operations and reach new markets.
Accelerators
DELIA's Access to Innovation Capital for Accelerators (ATICA) initiative invests in women-owned start-ups through some of Canada's leading entrepreneurship organizations.
Financial Institutions
We work to ensure commercial lenders can refer projects that don't meet their criteria to DELIA for consideration.
Featured Story
Spotlight on Success
A Woman-Led Health Tech Business Growing with DELIA Support
After losing her mother to hospital-acquired delirium, Catherine Winckler founded MindfulGarden to bring calmer, more compassionate care into hospitals. With support from DELIA, her women-led health tech business is growing from research to real-world impact.
AutoCate: Empowering Drivers One Workshop at a Time
Stefanie Bruinsma started working in a garage at 15 and became a fully licensed mechanic in 2007 — one of the few women in a field that often left her customers feeling dismissed and powerless. She founded AutoCate to change that, offering hands-on car care and home maintenance workshops that put drivers firmly back in control. With support from the DELIA loan fund, she is building more than a business — she is building a movement.
Apply for Funding Today
Our team is ready to support you every step of the way.
All You Need To Know
Basic Applicant Eligibility
DELIA Loan applicants must be a Canadian citizen or a legal entity owned and controlled by a Canadian citizen, including:
- a sole proprietorship, an unincorporated business that is owned by one individual;
- a for-profit small Canadian business federally/provincially/territorially incorporated in Canada that is controlled directly or indirectly by one or more resident persons;
- a for-profit co-operative corporation incorporated under a federal, provincial or territorial co-operative Act, or;
- a social enterprise that earns revenue from the regular supply of personal property/goods and services and meets the profitability and equity criteria above;
- not-for-profit organizations are not eligible for loans.
Individuals submitting loan applications must be:
- At least 19 years of age
- A Canadian citizen or Permanent Resident
- Residing in Canada
Eligible businesses are those which are over 50% Women-owned. In the case of a Sole Proprietorship, the Sole Proprietor is a woman.
Further, the business is managed and controlled by one or more Women, where a Woman is a signatory of the business’s legal documents and financial accounts, and which is operated independently from businesses that are not owned by Women.
Applicants must have and maintain:
- a valid and separate business bank account and satisfy basic liquidity requirements,
- a Business Number registered with the Canada Revenue Agency
DELIA is restricted from making loans to companies primarily engaged in certain activities, such as:
- holding or managing real estate
- extracting resources
- selling, marketing or providing gambling, pornography, alcohol, tobacco, weapons or illegal goods.
Information to Have on Hand for your Application
Please have the following documents ready to upload.
Start-ups (in business <12 months):
- Business Plan
- 12-month cashflow forecast
- Personal resumé(s)
Established Businesses (in business >12 months):
Financial Statements for last two years (in-house or accountant prepared).
In addition, applicants will be asked to provide:
- Scanned image file of documents confirming your personal identity and that of any major shareholders/owners/principals
- Articles of Incorporation/Business Registration
- CRA account information (HST, Source Deductions)
- Electronic copy of business insurance policy
- Business performance metrics (e.g. income, expenses, gross margin calculation, etc.)
Eligible Use of Funds
Eligible expenses that can be financed by a DELIA Loan include:
- Capital assets (including machinery/equipment, leasehold/property improvements)
- Office and equipment rental
- Salaries and benefits (excluding owner’s salary)
- IT/Software license purchase
- Professional services
- Inventory/Supplies
- Intellectual Property
- Working Capital (e.g. payroll, lease payments, accounts management, rent, overhead costs)
- Digital (including website/E-commerce development)
- Marketing/advertising/business promotion
- Employee training
- Short term receivable financing (i.e. financing to service a contract)
- Business start up costs (legal fees, business incorporation fees, business plan preparation, etc.).
Ineligible expenses include:
- Capital expenditures on real property (e.g. land/building purchases)
- Goodwill
- Amortization Costs
- Purchase of assets for more than fair market value
- Owner’s salary
- Payment of bonuses
- Refinancing existing debt
- Purchase of stocks/shares
- Franchise fees
- Research and development
- Management fees
- Dividend payout
- Increase to shareholder or management committee compensation.
Application Process
Begin by clicking Apply Now.
Applicants will be taken to Nventure’s application platform.
The application normally takes no longer than 30 minutes and sometimes as little as 15 minutes if you have all of your information ready.
Application submissions will be confirmed by email. A DELIA representative will contact you regarding the final decision (APPROVE or DECLINE). If APPROVED, Nventure will issue a Letter of Offer and Loan Agreement and ultimately disburse funds via EFT directly to your business bank account.
Normally, successful applicants can expect to receive funds net of two weeks from the date of submission of a full and complete application.
Nventure reserves the right to carry out extended due diligence in review of any application and does not guarantee any amount of funding to any applicant. Lending decisions are made in the sole and unfettered discretion of Nventure.
FAQs
Who administers the loan?
Nventure Business Development Corporation (o/a “Nventure”, formerly Northumberland Business Development Assistance Corp. o/a “Northumberland CFDC” abbreviated “NCFDC”) administers the DELIA Loan, with the support of ISED Canada.
Nventure is a non-profit innovation and entrepreneurship NGO governed by a volunteer Board of Directors comprised of entrepreneurs, experts and professionals. Nventure has provided financing and strategy to entrepreneurs since 1985 in Northumberland, since 2002 through the Community Futures Program, and since 2019 across Canada via the DELIA initiative and StrikeUP. Nventure is located at Venture13 in Cobourg, Ontario, just over an hour East of Toronto.
What about the confidentiality of my application?
Please review our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use. Information is collected for the limited purpose of assessing your application to DELIA, and for ongoing loan monitoring and reporting to the Government of Canada. DELIA Loan recipients are not disclosed publicly except with the recipient’s prior written consent.
Will a DELIA application affect my credit score?
Completing the full DELIA application will result in a credit enquiry. For more information about how loan applications affect your credit, read this helpful article from Equifax (click here).
How much can I ask for?
Applicants can request up to $50,000 for a DELIA Loan. The amount approved will be based on our analysis of your request. Approved amounts average around $25,000.
How do you calculate the interest rate and is it the same rate for all clients?
DELIA Loans are risk-rated and confirmed by Nventure. The interest rate varies between Prime +2 and Prime +4% based on the personal and business information provided. As a result, the interest rate will vary with each loan recipient.
Can I accept financing from DELIA if I’ve received loan(s) from other Loan Administrator(s) delivering the Government of Canada’s Women Entrepreneurship Loan Fund?
Eligible borrowers cannot receive more than a total of $50,000 from all Loan Administrators of the Government of Canada’s Women Entrepreneurship Loan Fund. You are eligible to receive funds from multiple program administrators, as long as it is not in excess of $50,000 total.
Are Permanent Residents of Canada eligible to apply to DELIA?
Business owners who are Permanent Residents of Canada (PR) are eligible to apply for DELIA. Should the loan application be approved, their PR status must be valid for the full duration of the DELIA loan amortization.
National reach. Local impact.
DELIA funding has been distributed to women entrepreneurs across Canada, contributing to communities of all sizes from large cities to rural regions. This reach reflects our commitment to making capital more accessible for women in business, wherever they are building their future.
Learn More About Companies Supported by DELIA
A Woman-Led Health Tech Business Growing with DELIA Support
After losing her mother to hospital-acquired delirium, Catherine Winckler founded MindfulGarden to bring calmer, more compassionate care into hospitals. With support from DELIA, her women-led health tech business is growing from research to real-world impact.
Built by Women, for Women: The Story Behind IMRAMA
From a winter escape to Mexico to launching a purpose-driven fashion brand in Canada, IMRAMA is built on connection, ethical sourcing and a commitment to women supporting women at every stage of the journey.
Oat & Mill’s Growth Story: Women-Owned Business Support Through DELIA
Founded by Candace Tierney, Oat & Mill grew from a local farmers’ market favourite into a nationally distributed vegan ice cream brand with support from DELIA.
A Woman-Led Health Tech Business Growing with DELIA Support
After losing her mother to hospital-acquired delirium, Catherine Winckler founded MindfulGarden to bring calmer, more compassionate care into hospitals. With support from DELIA, her women-led health tech business is growing from research to real-world impact.
Built by Women, for Women: The Story Behind IMRAMA
From a winter escape to Mexico to launching a purpose-driven fashion brand in Canada, IMRAMA is built on connection, ethical sourcing and a commitment to women supporting women at every stage of the journey.
Oat & Mill’s Growth Story: Women-Owned Business Support Through DELIA
Founded by Candace Tierney, Oat & Mill grew from a local farmers’ market favourite into a nationally distributed vegan ice cream brand with support from DELIA.
Are you an
innovation-driven
enterprise?
DELIA ATICA — Access To Innovation Capital for Accelerators
The DELIA fund includes a specialized stream for innovation-driven and technology-focused ventures. If your company holds intellectual property (IP), is on a venture capital track, or is working toward commercialization and scale-up of a novel product, service or process innovation, you may qualify for dedicated financing with special term sheets available by accelerator selection and pre-qualification through DELIA ATICA — Access To Innovation Capital for Accelerators.
DELIA ATICA is designed for founders building something that does not fit the traditional mold. We have partnered with a national network of accelerator centres across Canada who work directly with women-owned innovation-driven enterprise. They select and pre-qualify top companies emerging from their programming for the ATICA stream, providing clients with timely and fast-tracked access of up to $50,000 in innovation capital. This investment is normally used for bridge financing (to an Angel or Pre-Seed round or to commercialization stage) or as working capital for key milestones in their forward development.
How it works
Determine you need financing
Identify that funding is the next step to move your venture forward.
Already working with one of our partners?
Reach out to your advisor directly — they can submit a pre-qualification on your behalf for priority, fast-tracked processing through DELIA ATICA.
Not yet connected with an accelerator?
We encourage you to explore our partner programs below. Accessing their mentorship and programming strengthens your business and opens the door to strategic investment through ATICA.
Our accelerator partners
Click any partner logo to learn more about their programs and how to get involved.
Looking for standard DELIA financing?
Not all businesses will be the right fit for ATICA. If you are a business owner looking for financing, explore our standard DELIA fund application for the financing you need to start, stabilize or grow.
Questions?
This program is funded by the Government of Canada through the Women Entrepreneurship Loan Fund, delivered by Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada.
