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Economic development resources

Find programs, services and information that supports economic development.

Overview

Alberta's government, agencies and Crown corporations provide a wide variety of resources to support grassroots economic development across the entire province.

We are committed to working towards enhancing Alberta’s competitive advantage and our province’s economic prosperity.

View a snapshot showing some of the economic programs and services available.

Resources from Alberta’s government

  • General resources and information portals

    • Alberta Purchasing Connection (APC) – Provides an easy-to-use tool that lets public and private sector users manage, advertise, distribute and download public purchasing opportunities for goods, services and construction in Alberta.
    • Business and economic development – Provides links and supports for business, trade, economic development and government contracting, including Alberta Purchasing Connection (APC), an easy-to-use tool for vendors interested in conducting business with Alberta's government.
    • Economy and investment – Provides links to the Alberta Activity Index, business supports, community and economic development, updates and analysis, and trade and investment.
    • Supports for employers – Features funding, supports, workforce contacts and resources for Alberta employers, industry associations, community and Indigenous organizations.
    • Export Alberta – Features tools and resources for those looking to start or grow exports.
    • General inquiries portal – Direct inquiries automatically to ministry inboxes.
    • Alberta government strategies, initiatives and plans – Lists Alberta government initiatives, strategies and plans to support the achievement of key priorities.
    • Public engagements – Features information and resources on how to get involved. Help shape the future of Alberta government policies, programs and services.

  • Agriculture and Irrigation

  • Arts, Culture and Status of Women

  • Energy and Minerals

    • Alberta Carbon Capture Incentive Program – Provides grants to accelerate the development of carbon capture, utilization and storage in Alberta.
    • Alberta Petrochemicals Incentive Program – Provides grants to companies to attract investment in new or expanded market-driven petrochemical facilities.
    • Emerging Resources Program – Provides benefits in the form of a fixed royalty rate to qualified applicants of this program. Companies that develop new oil and gas resources in high risk and high-cost areas are provided with high drilling and completion cost allowances, thereby providing them the benefit of paying a lower royalty rate until they recoup these costs.
    • Enhanced Hydrocarbon Recovery Program – Provides benefits in the form of a fixed royalty rate to qualified applicants that use enhanced recovery techniques for oil and gas resources remaining in the legacy fields. Depending on the recovery method used and the estimated amount of oil and gas resource that can be recovered, the program can provide benefit to the recipient up to a maximum of 90 months.

  • Immigration and Multiculturalism

    • Alberta Advantage Immigration Program (AAIP) – Supports entrepreneurs and workers seeking permanent residence in Alberta.
    • Alberta Settlement and Integration Program – Settlement, integration and language projects grants – Provides funding for projects that strengthen the settlement, language and integration system; and contributes to Alberta’s economy. This includes providing grants for building community capacity and supporting labour market integration.
    • Anti-Racism Grant Program – Supports community organizations in Alberta to implement initiatives that combat discrimination and address systemic racism by providing funding for projects that increase public education and enable Albertans to recognize and value cultural differences and heritage.
    • Ethnocultural grant – Supports community organizations to implement initiatives that build diverse, inclusive and welcoming multicultural communities. Additionally, the program will support Indigenous communities to celebrate and build on their rich historical heritage.
    • International Qualifications Assessment Service (IQAS) – Supports individuals, hiring employers, educational institutions and professional regulatory organizations by providing assessments of education credentials from other countries to Canadian education standards.
    • Multicultural event calendar – Provides information on a wide variety of celebrations and events observed by Albertans throughout the province.

  • Indigenous Relations

  • Jobs, Economy and Trade

    • Jobs, Economy and Trade – Features links to economic development information, including information about the minister, mandate letters, publications and other general resources.
    • Alberta Economic Dashboard – Features links to information about Alberta’s economic data and insights.
    • Alberta Economics and Statistics Subscription Service – Provides access to publications to receive information on topics like economic indicators, trends, labour market, demographics and weekly economic briefings.
    • Alberta Export Expansion Program (AEEP) – Provides funding to help export-ready companies and non-profit organizations enhance access to international markets and attract global buyers.
    • Alberta Film and Television Tax Credit – Provides refundable tax credit for corporations producing films, tv series and other eligible screen-based productions in the province.
    • Alberta Major Projects – Features an inventory of private and public sector projects in Alberta valued at $5 million or greater.
    • Alberta Regional Dashboard – Answers your questions about living, working, investing and doing business in Alberta’s diverse regions.
    • Alberta Site Selector Tool – Empowers site selection decisions through local data insights.
    • Alberta Trade Updates – Provides access to newsletter subscriptions for trade and export information and events by government and partners.
    • Alberta’s international offices – Promotes the province’s economic and policy interests worldwide.
    • Canada-Alberta Job Grant – Provides funding for government and employers share the costs of training new and existing employees.
    • Economic development funding and grants – Features links and information about tax credits, grants and other funding programs to stimulate regional economic development.
    • Export, trade and international relations – Features links to trade and investment services in Alberta, including international relations, trade agreements, market access, international offices and Invest Alberta.
    • Industry Workforce Partnership Specialists – Works with stakeholders at the provincial and national level to focus on priority sectors of our province’s economy (for example, energy, hospitality and tourism, forestry, manufacturing, aviation, technology, transportation and construction).
    • Innovation Employment Grant – Supports small and medium-sized businesses that invest in research and development with a grant worth up to 20% of qualifying expenditures.
    • Investment and Growth Fund (IGF) – Increases Alberta’s competitiveness among comparable jurisdictions. Alberta’s government supports high value, private sector, job-creating investments and drives economic growth and diversification through a $15-million annual commitment to the IGF. 
    • Jobs and employment – Features information on Alberta jobs, employment standards, occupational health and safety (OHS), and other services and supports for workers and employers.
    • Labour market information – Features wage and salary information and job market forecasts, trends, statistics and profiles).
    • Northern Alberta Development Bursary Program – Assists Alberta post-secondary students who agree to live and work in northern Alberta after they complete their studies.
    • Northern and Regional Economic Development Program – Provides funding for projects that support economic development and diversification.
    • Regional Economic Development Specialists (REDS) – Offer advisory services and outcome-based planning, economic information and best practices, pathfinding supports, tools and resources.
    • Small business resources – Features an extensive list of program and service providers in Alberta, including Biz Connect, that can help small businesses access advice, coaching, financing, training and information about market expansion and grant funding.
    • Workforce Consultants – Help connect employers with tools and resources to help with recruiting, retaining and adapting their workforce.
    • Workforce Partnerships grants – Provides eligible organizations with common labour market needs funding to support workforce initiatives.
    • Workforce Strategies grant – Provides funding for projects that address labour and skills shortages and support Alberta’s economic recovery.
    • Business Link – A government funded non-profit that provides one-stop personalized support, including business strategy and planning, and the Digital Economy Program, to help businesses start and grow.

  • Municipal Affairs

  • Seniors, Community and Social Services

  • Service Alberta and Red Tape Reduction

    • Business Licence (Alberta) – Provides the option to search for a business, charitable organization or fundraiser provincially licensed or registered in Alberta.

  • Technology and Innovation

    • Alberta Broadband Fund – Provides funding to help ensure every rural, remote, and Indigenous household in the province can access high-speed internet.
    • Open Government portal (Alberta) – Features a collection of datasets and publications by Alberta government departments and agencies.

  • Tourism and Sport

    • Active Communities Initiative – Provides funding to eligible community groups, non-profit organizations and societies, and First Nations and Metis Settlements, that wish to build or enhance active spaces that support sport and recreation in their communities. The grant is intended for small- and mid-sized projects, including indoor and outdoor skating rinks, community pools, indoor turf centres, pickleball courts, sports fields and courts, and other sport and recreational facilities.
    • Major Sport Event Grant Program – Provides community organizations an opportunity to build upon Alberta’s strengths for hosting national and international events.

Agencies and Crown corporations

Agencies and Crown corporations are established by Alberta's government to provide a public function or service for Albertans and are accountable to government but operate with a degree of autonomy.

The agencies and Crown corporations listed below may provide additional resources to support economic development across the province.

  • Agriculture Financial Services Corporation (AFSC) – A Crown corporation that provides Alberta farmers with crop insurance, livestock price insurance, farm loans, commercial loans and farm income disaster assistance.
  • Alberta Enterprise Corporation (AEC) – A provincial agency mandated to ensure that venture capital is available to support the development of knowledge-based industries in Alberta.
  • Alberta Indigenous Opportunities Corporation – A Crown corporation created by Alberta's government to serve as a catalyst for Indigenous communities to access capital for mid to large scale projects and to grow independent prosperity.
  • Alberta Innovates – The primary research and innovation agency of Alberta’s government. It provides funding programs, community based Regional Innovation Networks (RINs), and through its 2 subsidiaries (InnoTech Alberta and C-FER Technologies) applied research and technology development services to support research, advance and build new technology and drive innovation.
  • ATB Financial (ATB) – A Crown corporation that provides financial services for Alberta businesses, including corporate credit, crowd-funding, commercial mortgages, loans and other industry specific financing.
  • Invest Alberta Corporation – A Crown corporation established in 2020, IAC engages the world and provides high-end tailored support to companies, investors and major new projects.
  • Northern Alberta Development Council (NADC) – Provides advice to government on the region’s 150 communities and 350,000 people to help realize their rich potential and strengthen their diverse economies.
  • Travel Alberta – A Crown corporation that is the destination management organization of Alberta's government, responsible for the development and promotion of Alberta’s tourism sector in alignment with the priorities of Alberta's government.
    • Travel Alberta Industry Hub – Industry stakeholders can learn more about tourism investment opportunities, destination development, promotion and insights
    • Tourism investment programs fund product development and co-operative investment opportunities for businesses, not-for-profits and communities.