Executive Summary
The Growing Strong Roots: Seed Grants for Indigenous Youth Entrepreneurs was offered in partnership with Moneris, and focused on empowering Indigenous youth entrepreneurs to build, scale and enhance their businesses. The Growing Strong Roots stream 2025 distributed $18,000 in funding to 10 Indigenous youthled businesses.
Indigenous youth entrepreneurs funded through the Growing Strong Roots stream focused on growing their businesses while strengthening connections to culture and building a sense of community. Grantees used their funding to access supplies and equipment, and to enhance their outreach. Many grantees said they felt it was their responsibility to share their knowledge and skills with other youth in their community. As such, youth entrepreneurs hosted cultural and creative workshops, capacity-building sessions, and participated in local markets. Facilitating workshops and participating in local markets also supported grantees in feeling more confident, both as leaders in their community and as youth entrepreneurs. Although grantees faced challenges with logistics and time management, these opportunities to share their knowledge and engage directly with community members helped them feel like their projects were a success. In the end, while the Growing Strong Roots: Seed Grants for Indigenous Youth Entrepreneurs stream did support Indigenous youth in creating and enhancing their businesses, the impacts go beyond economic success. Grantees also reported that the growth of their businesses also helped create a sense of community, deepened connections to culture, and contributed to cultural revitalization in their communities.
N'Ginaajiw
Quantitative Results
Regional
Representation of Groups
10 Indigenous youth-led businesses received funding
60% of grantees were based in On-Reserve communities
40% of funding went to businesses in Western Canada
Quantitative Results
19% of funding was used to provide youth and community members with Honouraria
Almost 1/2 of all funding went towards purchasing Project Supplies
5% of funding was used for Communications
Quantitative Results
Activity Session Themes*
63% of grantees hosted Community Workshops
1/3 of all grantee activities were focused on Traditional Crafts
*Percentages based on the 8 grantees that completed their final reports 2 grantees did not complete this section
My advice would be to just go for it! No matter what you decide to do, it's all about trying and the learning process. Even though starting something new was difficult at times; it was also very rewarding. In this project there was times I was unsure or unclear about the path forward, but with help from my family and friends I was able to create something positive.
Advice from Growing Strong Roots 2025 grantee
Wild Rose Beauty