CBDC New Brunswick: Complete Guide to the Community Business Development Corporation for NB Entrepreneurs

New Brunswick boasts a vibrant entrepreneurial landscape, bolstered by the Community Business Development Corporation (CBDC), which is dedicated to empowering local entrepreneurs through a variety of targeted programs. 

This guide covers CBCD programs specifically designed for New Brunswick businesses, highlighting the resources available to help entrepreneurs thrive in this unique economic environment.

What is the Community Business Development Corporation (CBDC)?

The Community Business Development Corporation (CBDC) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing financial assistance, resources, and support to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in rural areas of New Brunswick. With a mandate to enhance the province’s economy, CBDC works with entrepreneurs at all stages of business development, from startups to established companies looking to expand.

CBDC Offices in New Brunswick

There are 10 CBDC offices in New Brunswick. Below we list all of the offices (click the office name to be taken their website):

Chaleur	Charlotte/Kings – St. Stephen Office	Kent
Madawaska Inc.	Northumberland	Péninsule acadienne
Restigouche	Southwest	Victoria Madawaska-South
Westmorland Albert Inc.

CBDC Programs Overview for NB Entrepreneurs

1. Financial Assistance Programs

Access to capital is vital for any entrepreneur. CBDC offers various funding options to support New Brunswick businesses, including:

• Business Loans: Customized loan options designed to meet the specific needs of businesses, covering startup costs, equipment purchases, and operational expenses.
• Microloans: Smaller loans for startups and micro-enterprises, catering to entrepreneurs with limited access to traditional financing.
• Grants and Subsidies: Non-repayable funding opportunities for specific projects, training, and initiatives that drive economic development in the province.

2. Business Advisory Services

CBDC provides comprehensive advisory services tailored to the unique challenges faced by New Brunswick entrepreneurs:

• Business Planning Support: Assistance in developing robust business plans that include market research, financial projections, and strategic planning tailored to the New Brunswick market.
• Mentorship Programs: Connecting entrepreneurs with seasoned mentors who can share invaluable insights and local knowledge.
• Workshops and Training: A variety of workshops focusing on critical areas such as marketing, financial management, and regulatory compliance, specifically designed for the New Brunswick business context.

3. Networking Opportunities

Building a strong network is crucial for business success. CBDC offers numerous networking opportunities for New Brunswick entrepreneurs to:

• Connect with Peers: Engage with other business owners to share experiences and explore potential collaborations that can enhance local economic growth.
• Engage with Industry Leaders: Participate in panel discussions and events featuring industry experts who can provide guidance and insights relevant to New Brunswick’s economy.
• Showcase Local Businesses: Opportunities to present products and services at community events, helping entrepreneurs increase their visibility within the province.

4. Sector-Specific Support

Understanding that different industries in New Brunswick have unique needs, CBDC offers targeted support tailored to various sectors:

• Fisheries and Aquaculture: Offices support this vital sector through targeted technology adoption programs that help modernize seafood processing, aquaculture operations, and sustainable practices.  The Seafood Technology Adoption Program (S-TAP) aims to enhance the productivity and sustainability of the seafood sector. It supports projects involving the adoption of new technologies in seafood processing, aquaculture, and sustainable harvesting practices
• Tourism and Hospitality: Many CBDC offices provide support to tourism operators, including access to working capital and digital skills training to help businesses adapt, expand their seasons, and modernize operations.
• Retail and Food Services: Retailers, food businesses, and service providers are frequent beneficiaries of business financing and entrepreneurship training programs.

Getting Started with CBDC New Brunswick

Entrepreneurs interested in leveraging CBDC programs can follow these steps:

1. Contact Your Local CBDC Office: Reach out to your nearest CBDC office in New Brunswick to discuss your specific business needs and explore available resources.
2. Complete the Application Process: If applying for financial assistance, fill out the necessary application forms and provide the required documentation to facilitate the review process.
3. Participate in Workshops and Networking Events: Engage in the various programs and events offered by CBDC to build your skills and connect with other entrepreneurs in New Brunswick.

List of CBDC Programs for NB Entrepreneurs

Entrepreneurial Training Fund (ETF)

The Entrepreneurial Training Fund (ETF) offers entrepreneurs funding to cover up to 90% of the costs associated with business management skills training, with the exact percentage varying by the CBDC office. Clients are typically required to contribute at least 10% of the training cost under normal conditions. This fund is designed to help entrepreneurs enhance their overall business management capabilities through targeted training and counseling. 

Consultant Advisory Services (CAS) Program

The Consultant Advisory Services program is offered by ACOA with CBDCs handling the administration and counselling involved. The program gives CBDCs the ability to offer Consultant Advisory Services to small and medium-sized businesses and not-for-profit organizations in Atlantic Canada. New and existing clients of CBDCs and ACOA will be able to access technical and financial assistance by engaging consultants to assist them with various issues, opportunities, and challenges.

Self-Employment Benefit (SEB) Program

The Self-Employment Benefit (SEB) is a program that provides various types of support to eligible unemployed Atlantic Canadians during the initial phase of their business, including financial assistance, counselling and technical advice. 

First-Time Entrepreneur Loan

The CBDC First-Time Entrepreneur Loan provides up to $150,000 to qualified borrowers in Atlantic Canada, catering to sole proprietors, limited companies, and partnerships where the majority control is held by the new entrepreneur. These loans are repayable and feature competitive interest rates and repayment terms, with financing options that may include term loans, demand loans, loan guarantees, or equity investments.

Youth Loan

The CBDC Youth Loan provides qualified applicants with financial assistance in the form of repayable loans, featuring competitive interest rates and repayment terms. Funding options include demand and term loans, equity investments, or loan guarantees. Additionally, the program offers support for young entrepreneurs to cover the costs of business management training and other related programs, ensuring their ventures start off successfully. 

Innovation Loan

The CBDC Innovation Loan provides qualified borrowers with funding of up to $150,000. These loans are repayable and feature competitive interest rates and repayment terms. 

The financing options include term loans, demand loans, loan guarantees, and equity investments. Innovation Loans can be utilized for acquiring new equipment, software, processes, licenses, and other technologies that enhance business operations. 

Eligible expenses also encompass infrastructure changes, installation costs, and maintenance related to the new technology’s implementation. Furthermore, the program offers support for training employees in the application and use of this new technology. 

Social Enterprise Loan

The CBDC offers Social Enterprise Loan that provides applicants with loans of up to $150,000. These loans are repayable and come with competitive interest rates and repayment terms. They can be utilized for purchasing essential machinery, equipment, or other items necessary for the ongoing operations of a social enterprise. Loan amortizations can extend up to ten years, reflecting the expected lifespan of the assets financed. This flexibility allows social enterprises to manage their finances effectively while investing in vital operational resources.

General Business Loan

The CBDC General Business Loan is the most flexible commercial business loan offered. Eligible applicants can secure loans of up to $150,000, with all loans being repayable and accompanied by competitive repayment terms and interest rates. Financing options may include demand or term loans, loan guarantees, or equity investments. These loans are secured and can have a repayment period ranging from one to ten years, allowing businesses to grow without immediate financial pressure. This flexibility enables entrepreneurs to focus on developing their business sustainably.

Business Counselling

The CBDC offers business counselling, advice and other assistance to both new and established business owners and entrepreneurs. Counselling and advice is a major part of CBDC’s mandate and we work hard to help businesses to succeed. 

Business Management Skills Training

The CBDC offices across Atlantic Canada offer many different types of training programs all intended to help business people and entrepreneurs improve their business management skills so they can improve their businesses or build new ones. We provide business skills training on lots of different and business topics, such as market development, feasibility studies, bookkeeping, finance, business analysis and more. For more information, don’t hesitate to contact us through the website or pay us a visit at one of 41 CBDC offices across Atlantic Canada.

Cybersecure New Brunswick

The CBDC “Cybersecure NB” program aims to enhance the understanding and importance of cybersecurity and artificial intelligence (AI) through dedicated training and informational sessions. This provisional initiative is designed to fully reimburse small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs) for their expenses, up to a limit of $3,000, to bolster their cybersecurity and AI capabilities within their business operations, utilizing local expertise and services.

Seafood Technology Adoption Program (S-TAP)

The purpose of the Seafood Technology Adoption Program (S-TAP) is to help Seafood Companies in New Brunswick adopt new technologies or processes into their operations in order to increase productivity, product quality, and/or sustainability.

S-TAP is a temporary initiative that provides successful applicants a reimbursement of up to 75% of eligible costs upon project completion. Each eligible project has a funding limit of $99,900 and a reimbursement rate dependent on company size.

Self-Employment Benefit Program for Persons with a Disability

The  CBDC Self-Employment Benefit (SEB) Program often provides a much needed catalyst for new entrepreneurs, helping them to realize their goal of becoming a business owner by providing them with financial and coaching support during the planning and start-up phases of their business. Self-Employment Benefit (SEB) is a program which provides various types of support to eligible applicants during the initial phase of their business, including financial assistance, counselling and technical advice.

Women in Business New Brunswick

The CBDC Women in Business New Brunswick (WBNB) helps current and aspiring women entrepreneurs reach their full potential as business owners by delivering quality counseling and services.

WBNB’s great added value lies in an experienced team of development officers who provide bilingual support (personalized consultations) to all women entrepreneurs, in both rural and urban areas. Three main, well-targeted focus areas address the current needs of women entrepreneurs: (1) start-up, (2) growth and expansion, and (3) export. In addition, an officer on our team is dedicated to Indigenous women entrepreneurs.

Youth Initiative

The Youth Initiative program offered by the Community Business Development Corporation (CBDC) is designed to support young entrepreneurs aged 18 to 34 in Atlantic Canada. This program encourages youth to explore self-employment as a viable career option by providing resources, mentorship, and financial assistance.

This service is available through CBDC Madawaska Inc.

Future Entrepreneur Loan

The CBDC Victoria Madawaska-South believes that it is important to develop the entrepreneurial spirit of young people in our region. They are our next generation and the CBDC Victoria Madawaska-South wants to support them from a young age. It is for this reason that we created the Future Entrepreneur Loan. The objective of this program is to allow young people to create their micro-enterprise, thereby enabling them to acquire unforgettable work experience and to develop as an entrepreneur. That being said, the CBDC Victoria Madawaska-South offers to these young people the possibility of borrowing up to $ 1,500.

This service is available through CBDC Victoria Madawaska-South and CBDC Chaleur.

Social Economy Pilot Project

The CBDC Social Economy Pilot Project offers a maximum contribution of  $25,000, and the reimbursement percentage is 75%.  The client/organization’s contribution must be at least 25% and must be financial.  In-kind or volunteer contributions may be considered. However, this will have to be clearly demonstrated.  The client/organization’s portion of the contribution must be clearly explained in the application for funding.

Proposed projects must demonstrate their ability to build a stronger, healthier community by reducing poverty, promoting social and economic inclusion, and building on the strengths and assets of the community.

This service is available through CBDC Chaleur.

Chaleur ma région, mon futur! Chaleur my home, my future!

The CBDC Chaleur… my home, my future! reaches out to young adults who are originally from the Chaleur region, have finished or are finishing their post-secondary education and want to return to the Chaleur region to pursue their career or start a business.

This service is available through CBDC Chaleur.

The Retiree Employment Agency

The CBDC Retiree Employment Agency is in partnership with WorkingNB, to bring retirees and employers together. Their mission is to support retirees over 50 who wish to re-enter the labour market and to address employers with short-term labour needs (less than 52 consecutive weeks) by recruiting from a pool of talent through a pairing process.

This service is available through CBDC Southwest.

Youth Entrepreneurship Development Initiative

The CBDC Youth Entrepreneurship Development Initiative (YEDI) targets youth aged 18 to 34 years of age within the CBDC Southwest service area, including the city of Fredericton. The purpose of this project is to encourage and support new and existing youth entrepreneurs, as well as provide resources and information to youth so that they can examine the option of self employment as a viable career path.

This service is available through CBDC Southwest.

Impact Loan Program

The CBDC Impact loan helps foster small and medium-sized businesses in Greater Moncton. Low-interest loans of up to $50,000 are available, with flexible repayment terms and no penalty for early repayment of the principal. The application process is fast and straightforward so entrepreneurs can reach their goals more quickly and take their business to the next level. This program is funded by the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA).

This service is available through CBDC Westmorland Albert Inc.

Business Development Seminar

The primary purpose of the BDS is to assist entrepreneurs by providing them with the necessary information to form a solid foundation for their business and increase their awareness of the personal, financial, and social risks of becoming self-employed.

This service is available through CBDC Westmorland Albert Inc.

Additional services available through CBDC Restigouche:

Hire for Talent: Banking on Inclusion

The Banking on Inclusion project is dedicated to helping empower the Canadian financial sector to create inclusive and representative workplaces for people with disabilities (PWDs). Expanding on the foundation laid by the Hire for Talent initiative, this bilingual, national project is dedicated to working with federally regulated financial institutions and service providers to drive meaningful change.

Bridging the Gaps

The Bridging the Gaps was created to help advance the economic recovery of women and gender minorities in the communities of Restigouche, NB and Avignon, Qc, including the First Nations of Listuguj, Gesgapegiag and Ugpi’Ganjig as we rebuild from the social and economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. The main objective of the project was to develop inclusive tools and resources for employers of these regions. During the pandemic, Border restrictions were imposed on the J.C. Van Horne and Matapedia Interprovincial bridges (which connects both regions) between March 25, 2020, and June 16, 2021. The effects of the border restrictions impacted our region and added many challenges for both residents and businesses.

Hire For Talent

The Hire For Talent is a three-year project (2023-2026) that will continue to build on the existing campaign, by developing and launching new online tools, videos and workshops to help employers make their workplaces more inclusive, equitable and accessible.  As part of this project, we will also conduct a national research study in partnership with the Social Research and Demonstration Corporation (SRDC).

Pre-Employability

The Pre-Employability is an innovative action-oriented program that supports individuals at a pre-employability stage of their careers. This strengths-based program is all about providing experiences and opportunities for those that may have experienced repeated setbacks with respect to traditional learning and/or work.  It helps them reconnect with their potential, take charge and live the life they want to live.

Skills in Action

The Skills in Action is an online training portal developed by the CBDC Restigouche. This portal focuses on Skills for Success to enhance the skill sets of Canadian workers. This online platform includes workplace training and management tools. Skills in Action is host to eight Skills for Success training programs. They total more than 60 hours of online training. These training programs help prepare the Canadian workforce to learn new skills. The training consists of pre-assessments and post-assessments, as well as different learning modules. The learner will earn badges for completing modules and a certificate at the end of each training program. Skills for Success provide Canadians with everyday skills. These skills are helpful for work, learning and life. Improving them helps you to succeed in the modern workplace.

Improving Women’s Access to Business Financing

The Restigouche CBDC developed Improving Women’s Access to Business Financing for people who work as BUSINESS LOAN AGENTS within financial lending institutions.

These tools and resources were developed to provide Business Loan Agents with opportunities to increase their understanding and awareness regarding access to business financing for women entrepreneurs, and to provide practical tips and strategies to address identified challenges.

Workplace Digital Skills training

The Workplace Digital Skills Training developed by the Restigouche CBDC is a bilingual online training platform offering five (5) digital essential (basic) skills training workshops to learn the use of basic digital tools and information to perform work related tasks.

This training platform is particularly suited to the reality of rural small businesses. It is accessible directly in the workplace, anytime and anywhere, either with a desktop or a mobile device.

Impact Aîné.e.s

The Impact Aîné.e.s is a Collective Impact Project aimed at enhancing the social inclusion of Francophone seniors living in rural areas of Atlantic Canada.

A Feminist Response to Pandemic Recovery

The Feminist Response to Pandemic Recovery focuses on the concept of building resilience through cross-community and cross-border networking and relationship building among local businesses, especially those owned or run by women.

The project aims to ignite systemic change within the private sector and weave resilience into the economic fabric of the region — ensuring women’s equal participation in economic life, particularly underrepresented women (low-income, Indigenous, rural, and official language minority communities).

Women Entrepreneurs’ Access to Business Financing

The Restigouche CBDC’s Women Entrepreneurs’ Access to Business Financing is a 3.75-year national, bilingual project (2019-2023) that provides business loan agents with an interactive online toolkit containing simple tips and strategies to address challenges that women may face in relation to accessing business financing.

Your Next Steps

CBDC offices in New Brunswick are a valuable resource to aspiring and existing business owners in New Brunswick, but many entrepreneurs aren’t aware of the funding and in-kind services that they provide.

Use this guide to do two things:

1. Shortlist the funding programs that you may be eligible for; and
2. Find the CBDC New Brunswick office that’s nearest you and contact them to get started.