The Seed Funding program supports affordable housing through interest-free loans and/or non-repayable contributions. There are two funding streams: one for new construction/conversions, and one to preserve existing community housing projects.
For details relating to Seed (New Construction Stream) please refer to the information below.
Interest-free loans
The interest-free loan offers a 3-year period to complete and submit a payment request. The loan can be combined with non-repayable contributions.
Non-repayable contributions
The Non-repayable contribution offers a 2-year period to complete and submit a payment request.
Maximum funding amounts are determined during the scoring and prioritization process. For more information, see “Application and Approval Process” below and the Product Highlight Sheet (PDF).
Considerations for Indigenous and Northern Housing Solutions Clients
In addition to a Ministerial Loan Guarantee (MLG), Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) is now accepting four additional alternative types of security for projects on First Nation lands.
New construction stream
The New Construction Stream provides interest-free loans and/or non-repayable contributions to help with costs related to pre-development activities. This can include business plans, preliminary designs, development permits and more.
Who can apply?
community housing providers
municipalities, provinces and territories
Indigenous governments and organizations
private sector groups
Eligible project types
Indigenous community housing
community and affordable housing
mixed-used market / affordable rental
shelters, transitional housing and supportive housing
conversion of non-residential buildings to affordable multi-residential
renovation of existing affordable units at risk of being abandoned or demolished
Minimum requirements Your project must:
be primarily residential
have a minimum of 5 affordable units/beds
be considered affordable, as determined by the Municipality, Province or Territory, or as accepted under other CMHC programs
Preservation Stream
The Seed (Preservation Stream) provides non-repayable contributions to support costs related to preservation activities. To learn more about the Seed (Preservation Stream) please visit Preservation Funding for Community Housing.
Application and approval process
CMHC will accept and review applications on a continuous basis.
Prioritization of applications
All applications for funding will be assessed based on program fit, outcomes, and on the achievement of National Housing Strategy outcomes including:
housing for those in greatest need (vulnerable Canadians)
housing for those in the North (Yukon, Northwest Territories and Nunavut)
partnerships and collaborations
social sustainability
economic sustainability
environmental sustainability
During assessment, CMHC will determine the amount of funding your project is eligible to receive.
Resources
The following resources are available to help you prepare your application:
The application form will consist of a number of questions over several pages. You can see your progress through the steps of the application at the top of each page.
As you move forward through the application, the completed pages will be saved automatically. Partially completed pages – those that are missing required fields – will not be saved.
You may leave the application portal and return at a later time; your application progress will be saved.
For your application to be considered the following information must be completed and uploaded inside the portal:
Signed Integrity Declaration (PDF): To ensure the integrity of persons or entities applying for funding under Seed Funding.
Notice: There are currently issues affecting users of Safari. For optimal performance, CMHC recommends using Chrome, Edge or Internet Explorer to submit your application.
Contact
For help in completing your application, contact your
Affordable Housing Specialist. They can help you understand and assess your needs, identify possible
solutions, provide information on how CMHC can support your goals and help you
navigate our application process.
General inquiries or technical support
Phone: 1-800-668-2642 - Business hours : 8:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. (ET)
Before starting your application, please take a moment to download, save, and review our portal guide. The guide includes information required to create your profile and start the application process successfully.