Grants for Nonprofits in Quebec: 2026 Funding Guide
Quebec funds its community sector differently — and more heavily — than any other province. If you are looking for grants for nonprofits in Quebec, you will quickly meet a distinct vocabulary: organismes communautaires (community organizations), mission globale (core operating funding), and a network of ministries and regional health authorities that each run their own envelopes. The upside is real: Quebec is one of the few places in Canada where a community organization can receive recurring, multi-year operating money rather than one-off project grants.
The main funders are the Ministère de la Santé et des Services sociaux (MSSS) through the Programme de soutien aux organismes communautaires (PSOC), the Secrétariat à l'action communautaire autonome et aux initiatives sociales (SACAIS) for autonomous community action, sectoral ministries such as the Ministère de la Famille, and the Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec (CALQ) for arts and letters. Municipal and regional agreements — often co-funded by CALQ and cities — add a further layer. This guide covers each in English, with official French program names so you can find the right forms.
Major Quebec grant programs for not-for-profits
| Program | Funder | What it funds | Typical amount | Intake window / deadline | Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Programme de soutien aux organismes communautaires (PSOC) | MSSS; delivered regionally by CISSS/CIUSSS | Health and social services community organizations, via three modes: mission globale (operating), activités spécifiques (targeted activities) and projets ponctuels (one-time projects) | Varies with the organization's mission, region and available envelopes | Annual regional intakes through your CISSS/CIUSSS; national organizations apply to the MSSS (a 2026 national admissibility round closes September 18, 2026) | Québec.ca |
| Fonds d'aide à l'action communautaire autonome (FAACA) — soutien en appui à la mission globale | SACAIS (Ministère de l'Emploi et de la Solidarité sociale) | Operating support for autonomous community action organizations, particularly rights-advocacy groups | Varies; recurring mission funding | Contact SACAIS or your sectoral federation (regroupement) | MTESS |
| Programme de soutien financier aux orientations gouvernementales en action communautaire et bénévole — Volet Soutien à la gouvernance | SACAIS | Non-recurring projects to strengthen governance, management and accountability: training, mentoring and coaching for boards and staff | Salary and internship subsidies; amounts set in the program's normative framework | Consult SACAIS ([email protected]) for the current window | Québec.ca |
| Programme de soutien financier à l'action communautaire auprès des familles | Ministère de la Famille | Operating support (mission globale) for community family organizations (OCF), their regional/national groupings, and innovative family projects | Varies by stream | 2026 financial support requests were due April 30, 2026; new Volet 1 organizations declared intent April 1–30, 2026 | Québec.ca |
| Soutien à la mission | CALQ | Four-year operating funding for established professional arts and literary organizations (5+ years of activity) | $119.8 million shared by 448 organizations in the current 2024-2028 cycle | Current cycle closed; next registration planned for 2028 — newer organizations can apply to Programmation spécifique meanwhile | CALQ |
| CALQ project programs for organizations | CALQ | Dozens of project streams — creation, production, touring, hosting works, Indigenous arts capacity, school cultural outings and more | Varies by program | Rolling and fixed deadlines (e.g., school outings support closes November 10, 2026) | CALQ programs for organizations |
| Programme de partenariat territorial | CALQ with municipalities and regional partners | Regional agreements funding local artists and arts organizations (e.g., the 2025-2028 agreement with the Ville de Québec) | Project grants; $685,000 shared by 30 recipients in the March 2026 Quebec City round | Per-region calls for proposals | Example: Quebec City round |
PSOC deserves special attention because it is the largest and most misunderstood. It is not one grant but a framework: mission globale funding provides stable operating support, ententes pour activités spécifiques fund targeted activities in two sub-streams, and projets ponctuels cover one-time or urgent needs. Regional organizations apply through the CISSS or CIUSSS for their territory, while organizations with a national reach deal with the MSSS directly. The 2025 edition of the MSSS program brochure sets out the framework in detail (La brochure du PSOC, 2025 (PDF)).
Federal grants Quebec not-for-profits can also access
Quebec organizations are equally eligible for federal programs, which operate alongside (and sometimes stack with) provincial funding. Canada Summer Jobs subsidizes summer wages for youth aged 15 to 30; the New Horizons for Seniors Program funds community projects for seniors, with its latest community-based round announced in April 2026 (Canada.ca). Employment and Social Development Canada's funding directory lists the full slate of jobs, skills and community programs. See our federal grants guide for how these intakes work.
Recently awarded grants in Quebec
- June 2025 — CALQ published its 2025-2026 budget orientations: roughly $200 million per year for three years, including a 14 per cent increase to Soutien à la mission, bringing it to $119.8 million for 448 organizations, plus about $29 million for artist programs and over $5 million for regional partnerships (CALQ, June 18, 2025).
- March 2026 — Under the Programme de partenariat territorial with the Ville de Québec, CALQ and its partners announced $685,000 for 30 recipients — 16 arts organizations ($434,000) and 14 artists ($251,000) — in the first round of the 2025-2028 agreement (CALQ, March 26, 2026).
- October 2025 — The MSSS published its updated list of national community organizations funded through PSOC mission globale for 2025-2026, including indexation and top-ups by organization (MSSS funding table, 2025-2026 (PDF)).
Who qualifies for grants for nonprofits in Quebec — and why incorporation matters
Quebec's programs are unusually explicit about legal status. The PSOC framework requires each applicant to be une personne morale constituée en vertu d'une loi du Québec à des fins non lucratives — a legal person incorporated under a Quebec statute for non-profit purposes — governed by a board drawn mainly from the community it serves. In practice, that means incorporation as a non-profit legal person (most commonly under Part III of Quebec's Companies Act) before you can even be admitted to the program, let alone funded. SACAIS and Ministère de la Famille programs apply similar tests, and CALQ's organizational programs fund established non-profit arts organizations with real governance and financial reporting.
Admissibility also typically looks at whether the organization is rooted in its community, democratically governed, and able to produce annual financial statements and hold an annual general meeting. None of that is possible for an informal collective. If your group is still unincorporated, start with our guide to incorporating a not-for-profit in Quebec — the corporate records you create at incorporation (letters patent, bylaws, board resolutions) are precisely the documents PSOC and SACAIS reviewers ask to see.
How to strengthen your grant application
Quebec funders weigh community roots and governance as heavily as project design. Demonstrate a living democratic life: a board elected at a genuine AGM, membership drawn from the people you serve, and minutes that show the board actually deliberates. For PSOC mission globale, articulate your mission in the language of the program — prevention, support, community action in health and social services — and show continuity of activity, since mission funding rewards stability.
Budgets should be honest and complete, with financial statements from prior years where you have them. If you are applying to CALQ, note that peer committees assess artistic merit, so the quality of your artistic dossier matters as much as your paperwork; newer organizations should target project programs and territorial agreements before attempting mission support, whose next registration is not planned until 2028. Finally, connect with your regroupement — the sectoral federation for your field — since SACAIS and PSOC processes often flow through these networks, and a federation's endorsement is a credibility signal money cannot buy.
Frequently asked questions
What grants are available for nonprofits in Quebec?
The largest is the PSOC (Programme de soutien aux organismes communautaires), which provides operating and project funding to health and social services community organizations through regional CISSS/CIUSSS offices. SACAIS funds autonomous community action, the Ministère de la Famille supports family organizations, CALQ funds arts organizations, and federal programs such as Canada Summer Jobs are also open to Quebec non-profits.
What is the PSOC in Quebec?
The Programme de soutien aux organismes communautaires is Quebec's flagship community funding program, overseen by the Ministère de la Santé et des Services sociaux. It funds community organizations in three ways: mission globale (recurring operating support), agreements for specific activities, and one-time projects. Regional organizations apply through the CISSS or CIUSSS responsible for their territory.
Do you need to be incorporated to get PSOC funding?
Yes. PSOC requires applicants to be legal persons incorporated under a Quebec statute for non-profit purposes — most commonly under Part III of the Companies Act — with a board composed mainly of members from the community served. Unincorporated groups are not admissible, so incorporation is the first step toward any PSOC application.
What does the CALQ fund?
The Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec funds professional artists and non-profit arts and literary organizations. Its Soutien à la mission program provides four-year operating funding — $119.8 million across 448 organizations in the 2024-2028 cycle — while dozens of project programs and regional territorial partnerships fund creation, production, touring and local arts projects on shorter cycles.
Do you need to be a registered charity to get grants in Quebec?
Generally no. PSOC, SACAIS, Ministère de la Famille and CALQ programs require non-profit incorporation and sound governance, not federal charitable registration. Charitable status becomes relevant when you seek foundation funding or want to issue donation receipts, and it is easier to obtain once your organization is properly incorporated with clear purposes.
Grant-ready starts with incorporated — free consultation
Funders fund organizations, not ideas. Before the next intake deadline, get your not-for-profit incorporated and grant-ready: a CRS specialist will review your proposed names, board, and mission in a free consultation and set up the corporate records funders ask for — certificate of incorporation, registered office, minute book, and annual filings.
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
What grants are available for nonprofits in Quebec?
The largest is the PSOC (Programme de soutien aux organismes communautaires), which provides operating and project funding to health and social services community organizations through regional CISSS/CIUSSS offices. SACAIS funds autonomous community action, the Ministère de la Famille supports family organizations, CALQ funds arts organizations, and federal programs such as Canada Summer Jobs are also open to Quebec non-profits.
What is the PSOC in Quebec?
The Programme de soutien aux organismes communautaires is Quebec's flagship community funding program, overseen by the Ministère de la Santé et des Services sociaux. It funds community organizations in three ways: mission globale (recurring operating support), agreements for specific activities, and one-time projects. Regional organizations apply through the CISSS or CIUSSS responsible for their territory.
Do you need to be incorporated to get PSOC funding?
Yes. PSOC requires applicants to be legal persons incorporated under a Quebec statute for non-profit purposes — most commonly under Part III of the Companies Act — with a board composed mainly of members from the community served. Unincorporated groups are not admissible, so incorporation is the first step toward any PSOC application.
What does the CALQ fund?
The Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec funds professional artists and non-profit arts and literary organizations. Its Soutien à la mission program provides four-year operating funding — $119.8 million across 448 organizations in the 2024-2028 cycle — while dozens of project programs and regional territorial partnerships fund creation, production, touring and local arts projects on shorter cycles.
Do you need to be a registered charity to get grants in Quebec?
Generally no. PSOC, SACAIS, Ministère de la Famille and CALQ programs require non-profit incorporation and sound governance, not federal charitable registration. Charitable status becomes relevant when you seek foundation funding or want to issue donation receipts, and it is easier to obtain once your organization is properly incorporated with clear purposes.
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