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Part of Alberta Export Expansion Program

Alberta Export Expansion Program – About

Funding and eligibility details for the Alberta Export Expansion Program (AEEP).

Funding

Funding will be provided as a grant on a first-come, first-served basis, based on per diem or event registration:

Per diem

  • CAD$400 per day for the first traveler
  • CAD$200 per day for the second traveler

Per diems are provided for the duration of the formal event(s) the applicant organization attends, plus 2 days per application to accommodate air travel (proof of travel required).

Per diems are only calculated for dates of formal international trade event participation.

Event registration

  • 50% reimbursement of formal event base entry registration fees up to a maximum of CAD$1,000 per organization for each formal trade event.

AEEP annual requested funding tracker

For 2024-25, there is $1 million in Alberta Export Expansion Program (AEEP) funding. As of December 4, 2024, $692,275 has been requested through applications submitted to the AEEP portal. When the budget is fully requested, the AEEP application intake will close.

Disclaimer

The funding tracker is meant to give an approximation of the amount of funding still available but does not guarantee funding will be available after an application is submitted. See the program guidelines for more information about the tracker.
 

Eligibility

The following organizations are eligible to apply for AEEP:

  • Alberta small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs)
  • industry associations
  • Indigenous organizations
  • economic development organizations
  • other non-profit organizations that promote Alberta exports through international travel to formal outbound trade events.

All organizations

To be eligible for funding, all applicant organizations must:

  • be an incorporated legal entity in Alberta
  • be in good standing with the province – and meet or has met all obligations to the province under other grant agreements
  • be operating in and have a permanent physical presence in Alberta for at least one year
  • have a minimum of one full-time equivalent employee working in Alberta
  • have sent Alberta-based travellers from Canada to an international formal trade or export-related event in another country after April 1, 2024 (and can provide proof of registration)
  • expect to cover less than 75% of total trip expenses with government funding
  • apply no later than 2 months after the first day of participation in a formal event

For-profit organizations

In addition to the above criteria for all organizations, for-profit applicants must:

  • have annual gross sales between CAD $250,000 and CAD $25 million
  • employ fewer than 500 full-time equivalent staff in the last fiscal year
  • be seeking to enter a new market for their organization (a country or US state representing CAD$150,000 annual sales or less – if sales are higher than CAD$150,000 in the last complete tax reporting year (or last 12 months for monthly and quarterly filers) – less than 15% of the company’s total annual sales)
  • be export ready

Non-profit organizations

In addition to the above criteria for all organizations, non-profit applicants must:

  • provide specific services to Alberta SMEs for trade and export activities
  • have a plan for trade promotion and export development (documented in the organization's latest business plan, annual report and/or written strategy)
  • demonstrate how their participation at the formal trade event(s) provided benefit to Alberta companies

More information about eligibility can be found in the program guidelines.

Interested applicants are encouraged to complete the pre-screening questionnaire to gauge their eligibility before travel.

Disclaimer: The pre-screening questionnaire is for self-assessment only and does not need to be submitted to the Government of Alberta. Pre-screening results are not a guarantee of eligibility. See the program guidelines for details about the pre-screening questionnaire.

Resources

Guidelines and fact sheet

Contact

Connect with one of our program advisors to discuss your AEEP application:

Hours: 8:15 am to 4:30 pm (open Monday to Friday, closed statutory holidays)
Email: [email protected]