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Statement Of Intent

Aboriginal Business Canada (ABC) provides financial support for young entrepreneurs, new businesses, existing business, and aboriginal organizations.

The Statement Of Intent is a key component when applying to ABC for assistance. You download a copy of it here above, or complete it online here.

After taking a moment to review eligibility guidelines below, and please visit the ABC site for more specific information on applying.

Applying to ABC

The following eligibility guidelines are from Aboriginal Business Canada's website:

To be eligible for support, an applicant must be a Canadian Aboriginal individual or a Canadian corporation, partnership, association or other legal entity that is majority-owned or -controlled by Canadian Aboriginal people.

A Canadian Aboriginal individual is a person who is one of the following:

• a Status Indian;
• a Non-Status Indian
• an Inuk; or
• a Métis;

To be considered a Canadian Aboriginal individual, the applicant must be of Canadian Aboriginal ancestry and be an acknowledged member of a national, provincial/territorial or local/regional Canadian First Nation, Métis, Inuit, Status or Non-Status Indian organization.

Aboriginal Business Canada development officers must include in each applicant’s file evidence of the applicant’s Aboriginal ancestry. This evidence would include one of the following:

• a copy of the applicant’s Indian Status Card (or confirmation from Indian and Northern Affairs Canada (INAC) or the membership clerk of the First Nation that the applicant is eligible for reinstatement) ;
• a copy of the applicant’s membership card from a recognized provincial or territorial Aboriginal organization (or a letter from a recognized provincial or territorial Aboriginal organization that the applicant is eligible for membership).

Note: Aboriginal Business Canada will not accept any other evidence concerning the applicant’s Aboriginal ancestry

For corporations, partnerships, associations and other legal entities, development officers must include in each applicant’s file evidence that the entity is majority-owned or -controlled by Canadian Aboriginal people.

Organizations that are not majority-owned-or-controlled by Canadian Aboriginal people are not normally eligible for support. In exceptional circumstances, Aboriginal Business Canada can make contributions to non-Aboriginal recipients (organizations) for projects having a significant impact on Aboriginal business development. Please refer to Aboriginal Business Canada’s "Contributions to Non-Aboriginal Recipients" policy for additional information.

In the case of Métis, Inuit and some Non-Status Indians, membership (or membership eligibility) in an organization that is affiliated with a recognized national Aboriginal organization, or an organization that is recognized through the Department of Canadian Heritage Aboriginal Representative Organizations Program, is required to confirm an applicant’s Aboriginal ancestry. Development officers may, at their discretion, contact the appropriate Aboriginal organization to confirm an applicant’s membership. If an applicant does not want to seek membership in such an organization, evidence should be provided that the applicant would be eligible for membership. This should take the form of a letter to the applicant from the organization.

In the case of Status Indians, Development officers should place a copy of their Status Card in the file to confirm that the applicant is eligible for support. When an applicant is waiting for a status card, the development officer may obtain verbal confirmation of this from the Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development or from the membership clerk of the First Nation. Again, the officer should prepare a note to file outlining the actions taken.

Evidence of Aboriginal ancestry (as defined above) already on file with Aboriginal Business Canada as a result of previous dealings does not need to be reconfirmed.