What government loan programs help small businesses in Nunavut?

If you own or plan to buy a small business in Nunavut, the first question is who lends there. The Government of Nunavut’s funding page says that businesses in Nunavut can request a loan from Atuqtuarvik Corporation, request credit from the Nunavut Business Credit Corporation (NBCC), or explore equity investment from the Nunavut Development Corporation. The page names a different kind of financing for each. This page covers Nunavut only, and describes each body as its own published pages describe it. It does not tell you which one to approach, and nothing here is a view on whether any business should borrow.

What the Government of Nunavut points you to

The territorial government’s business funding page, captured from the Internet Archive on 24 March 2026, groups its listing under “Loans, credit and equity investments”. It names the three bodies above and links to each. Treat that page as a starting directory rather than an application route. For eligibility, read each body’s own pages and then contact it. Programs and contact details change, so check the current pages before relying on anything here.

Nunavut Business Credit Corporation

NBCC’s home page, read on 25 October 2026, says it provides financing solutions to small and medium business enterprises in Nunavut who require loans or guarantees within the range of amounts that page states. The same site has sections headed Mandatory requirements, Lending Parameters and Documents Required, which are the pages to read before you apply. The NBCC page we read does not mention buying an existing business. If an acquisition is your plan, ask NBCC directly whether it considers one, and what it would want to see.

Atuqtuarvik Corporation

Atuqtuarvik describes itself as a private, Inuit-owned business, and its home page is titled “Helping Inuit businesses succeed”. Its eligibility questions ask whether the project is Nunavut based, whether the company is Inuit owned, and whether the amount you are seeking falls within the range it states. Of the three bodies, it is the one whose own page names buying: it says that whether you are an existing business interested in expanding, considering the acquisition of a company or an entrepreneur ready to start, it is the financial partner you have been looking for. That is a statement of its aim, not a commitment to lend, so ask what it would require for an acquisition. Its site lists an application form, an online financing application and a personal information and net worth statement, so check which of these it wants from you before you apply.

Nunavut Development Corporation

The Government of Nunavut’s funding page points businesses to the Nunavut Development Corporation for equity investment, and the same site lists it among the territory’s agencies. Atuqtuarvik’s own Sources of Financing page also lists both NBCC and the Nunavut Development Corporation under its territorial government heading. We did not read the Nunavut Development Corporation’s own pages for this guide, so we do not describe its sectors or terms here. Ask it directly which kinds of business it considers, whether it invests in a business being bought, and what it would want to see.

Federal context for the territories

The federal Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency (CanNor) says it works with Northerners and Indigenous Peoples, communities, businesses and organizations across Nunavut, the Northwest Territories and Yukon. Its home page lists tools supporting the growth and expansion of territorial businesses, including training, advisory services and contribution programs. That is a federal agency, not a Nunavut lender, and a contribution program is not the same thing as a loan. Separately, the federal Canada Small Business Financing Program is a national program delivered by financial institutions: its page tells you to discuss your needs with a financial officer at any bank, caisse populaire or credit union in Canada. For how loan uses are defined nationally, see what a small business loan can be used for.

Questions to put to each lender

• Does your program consider the purchase of an existing business, or only expansion and start-up projects?
• Which eligibility tests apply to me, including any ownership test, and how are they documented?
• What are the current minimum and maximum amounts, and have they changed since the published page?
• What security, guarantees or contract security would you want, and what happens to them if the business is sold?
• Can your financing sit alongside a bank loan or a seller’s financing, and who needs to approve that?