Looking for funding? Try our Funding Search Tool.

• Public Grants can also be referred to as government subsidies or non-refundable contributions. They are non-refundable initiatives that result from policies to either encourage specific types of projects (energy efficiency for example), or to keep specific industries afloat.
  
  
• Tax Credits are another purely public way to provide financial incentives by refunding part of an investment. Tax credits must be filed following the fiscal year end, although work may also be required prior to the fiscal year end. Special care should be taken when planning a new project to see which costs are eligible. Tax credit specialists are often available to help towards this exact purpose.
  
  
• Public Loans are very similar to private loans. They are refundable financial incentives and can have either fixed or variable (“floating”) interest rates. Floating interest rates will follow market trends whereas fixed interest rates stay constant throughout the term. The main advantage of public loans is that they can be at lower interest rates, require less in terms of guarantees, and be more forgiving. Sometimes they may even be interest-free.
  
  
• Loan Guarantees are a generally provided by public institutions. By guaranteeing that a loan or a good part of it will be refunded, the guarantor can reduce the risk for lending institutions. Loan guarantees must generally be obtained before signing a loan contract.

• Senior Debt is the kind of debt a company must pay of first if it goes out of business. It is secured by collateral which can be sold in order to repay the creditors and is thus considered lower risk. As a result, lower interest rates can be expected.
  
  
• Subordinated Debt is the type of loan which ranks the lowest with regard to claims on assets or earnings. It is generally the last form of debt to be paid off when a company goes out of business. Interest rates can are higher than for senior debt because of the increased risk.
  
  
• Commercial Term Loans are a type of loan usually provided to companies when looking to purchase long-term assets, to buyout another company or to increase working capital. These normally have fixed term lengths and predetermined repayment schedules.
  
  
• Lines of Credit or Operating Loans act as extensions to your main chequing account and are useful for periods with unpredictable income or slowed revenue since they allow you to continue operating normally in cash constrained periods. 
  
  
• Credit Cards are one of the most common forms of debt. They can provide you with a quick access to money, at a cost. Interest rates on credit cards are among the highest: reaching two to three times the interest rates of commercial loans or lines of credit. 
  
  
• Micro-Credit  as the name implies, are very small loans. These loans are normally only a few hundred or thousand dollars and are generally used in developing countries or to help individuals who would not qualify for traditional bank loans. 
  
  
• Leasing is a process by which an individual or company can use a fixed asset in an exchange for a series of periodic payments. It can be preferred to an asset purchase because of the lower cash requirement up front and greater flexibility in the long term.
  
  
• Syndicated Loans are multiple creditors loans destined for a single debtor and generally administered by a single commercial arranger bank

• Love Money is a term used to describe seed money or capital that is provided by family members or friends. Often, investment decisions are a sign of confidence in the entrepreneur rather than the result of a formal risk assessment.
  
  
• Angel Investors are wealthy individuals who invest in small businesses or start-ups with the expectation of obtaining a return on their investment. They can act as silent partners but will often take an active role in the business.
  
  
• Venture Capital consists of generally larger investments by organized investing organizations for companies with high growth potential. 
  
  
• Strategic or Financial Investors consists of companies or organizations that invest in a company for very specific strategic reasons (i.e. investments in a competitor, client or supplier) or financial (i.e. company turnaround, certain tax situation or other specific situation). 
• 
  
• Public Offering is the process of raising money through the public markets. The first time a company undertakes this process is called the Initial Public Offering or IPO.
  
  
• Factoring is a way for a company to sell its accounts receivable to a financial institution. In return, the financial institution can advance a percentage of the receivables, while it keeps the remainder on reserve. The main advantage of factoring is quick access to cash although the fees can be quite high depending on the quality of the receivables.
  
  
• There are also a number of other non-debt investment mechanisms available including royalty payments, options, and other derivative products. Look for them in the “equity” section of your search results.