Description
The Aboriginal Business Investment Fund (ABIF) was established to provide funding to capitalize community-owned business development opportunities. The program offers direct investment into eligible Indigenous community-owned businesses. ABIF is intended for capital projects that are close to starting operations or breaking ground for building projects within the funding year. The projects must demonstrate long-term impacts as follows: increase the number of Indigenous community-owned businesses; increase the number of employment opportunities for Indigenous people; create local revenue streams for Indigenous communities; and strengthen the economies of Indigenous communities. An Indigenous community can only submit one application and business plan for consideration in any given funding year. Funding allocation is based on project evaluation against the scoring criteria and awarded on a competitive ranking.