*Article by Amelie Janin, Aiden McRae, and Clement Richard*

*February 21st, 2025*

Ever wondered how Yukon business owners land grants to support their growth?

On February 13, YukonU Innovation & Entrepreneurship, hosted a panel discussion facilitated by Amélie Janin, founder of North 60 Strategy, a company helping Yukon entrepreneurs to write and secure grants. The conversation featured three people who successfully leveraged grants to grow their businesses. Ziggy Reimer, Manager at Icycle Sports, Wendy Morrison, owner of YZED Projects, and Matthew Ooms, owner of Earthrise Building Services shared their strategies and tips below!

**From small grants to big wins**

Often, local business owners start small and scale up with increasingly larger grants. The three panelists prove that securing funding is possible with a clear vision, persistence, and a strategic approach.
As part of her work Wendy Morrison helps non-profits and community businesses navigate funding opportunities. With her guidance, one Yukon association secured a small training fund grant; which led to broader initiative planning and securing an additional $500,000 in funding supporting capacity building initiatives for organizations across Canada.
Matthew Ooms started Earthrise Building Services with a $5,000 grant from Yukon U- Innovation & Entrepreneurship. That small investment set Earthrise on a path to becoming a recognized retrofit accelerator, helping homeowners improve energy efficiency. Today, they employ six people thanks to increasingly large grants they received from the Government of Canada to support green initiatives.
Ziggy Reimer, Experience Manager at Icycle Sports, reopened a store in Carcross when tourism rebounded post-pandemic. Thanks to a significant grant from Tourism Yukon, Icycle Sports was able to staff the store seven days a week, ensuring riders had access to equipment and services for the world-famous Carcross mountain bike trails.

Key insights on grant writing from Yukon entrepreneurs

These grant-winning entrepreneurs shared a few key traits that helped them succeed. They all have a clear vision of where they want their business to go, paired with strong financial planning that allows them to pursue funding opportunities. They also understand the power of collaboration and partnerships to strengthen their projects and increase their impact, and can demonstrate how their projects benefit the broader community, Yukoners, and Canadians, as well as the associated economies.

Here are a few insights shared by these successful entrepreneurs:

#1 - Understand the grant’s purpose: do your homework. Know the funding criteria and the goals of the granting agency. Funders are happy to discuss their programs—reach out and ask questions! Then align your project with the grant criteria and keep in mind that there isn't a grant that will cover all your needs so you may have to split the project or phase your approach.

#3 - Demonstrate value: Your project might look great to you, but you need to convince funders. Clearly articulate how the grant will create a positive impact in the Yukon and for Canada.

#2 - Plan for the timeline: grants take time. Your sense of urgency won’t speed up the process, so plan ahead and be realistic. You may not see the grant money in your bank account for a while after you applied, and in some cases after you have spent it.

#4 -Leverage professional development grants: there are grants available for training and skill development—don’t overlook opportunities to invest in yourself and your team.

#5 - Use AI, but wisely: AI can help make your application look polished, but the substance needs to come from you. Funders want to see real value, not just well-written text.

#6 - Know that grants aren’t “free” money: every grant comes with conditions and reporting requirements. You will have to commit time to apply for the grant, work on your project, and manage the grant. Most grants will also require you to demonstrate skin in the game and commit money toward your project.

How to Write Grants: Yukon Entrepreneurs Share Strategies

Ever wondered how Yukon business owners land grants to support their growth?

From small grants to big wins

Key insights on grant writing from Yukon entrepreneurs

Save time & take advantage of the local support ecosystem