BMO Celebrating Women program

BMO is a strong supporter of the advancement of women. Since 2012, BMO has recognized the achievements and contributions of over 265 women through the BMO Celebrating Women Program. In 2020, we had to cancel our in-person celebrations. However, to continue to support women during the pandemic, we created the BMO Celebrating Women Grant Program. In collaboration with Deloitte, the BMO Celebrating Women Grant Program aims to provide an additional source of financial support to women-owned businesses.

This year our goal is to recognize 10 women-owned businesses and support their sustainability focused initiatives with grant funding. As part of our purpose to Boldly Grow the Good in Business and Life, we will be inviting women owned businesses to submit an application demonstrating how their businesses addresses 2-3 of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs).

Ten (10) Canadian women-owned businesses will be selected to receive a Grant of $10,000 (CAD) with an invitation to join an in-person summit to celebrate their achievement and expose them to a greater network.

No, neither the applicant nor the business needs to have a banking relationship with BMO to apply.

Applicants must meet all eligibility criteria to apply for a grant:

The Applicant:

• 

  has the authority to participate in this program on behalf of the business,

• 

  is a resident of Canada, and

• 

  has reached the legal age of majority in their province or territory of residence.

The Business:

Column 1

Column 2

must be fifty-one percent (51%) or more owned and controlled by an individual or individuals who self-identify as women or non-binary individual(s), must be a for-profit business that has been in operation selling a product or service for a minimum of two (2) years as of August 5, 2025, must be an active and operational business that lawfully operates in Canada in accordance with all applicable laws, licenses and regulations,

must have annual revenue of fifty thousand Canadian dollars ($50,000) or more, must have fifty percent (50%) or more of its annual revenue tied to business sales with Canadian businesses and/or Canadian consumers, and must have its head office or principal place of business located in any province or territory of Canada.

Important note: Applicants who received a previous BMO Celebrating Women Grant are not eligible to participate in the 2025 program.

Access to applications will be available on www.bmoforwomen.com beginning at 8:00 am Eastern Time on August, 5, 2025. Simply, follow the on-screen instructions to complete the application online.

The application form closes at 8:00 pm Eastern Time on August 19, 2025.

For full details on the BMO Celebrating Women Grant Program including eligibility, judging criteria and key dates, refer to the Official Terms and Conditions.

The application itself requires basic information about the business owner(s) and the business. Each applicant must also answer a series of short questions detailing the sustainability impacts that have been incorporated into their business, as well as the quantifiable impact(s) their business is having.

No, once you leave the screen, prior to clicking the submit button the responses will not be saved.

Important note: Once an application is submitted (by pressing the “Submit” button) it will be considered final and no further edits can be made.

Applications can be submitted starting at 8:00 am Eastern Time on August 5, 2025, up to the deadline at 8:00 pm Eastern Time on August 19, 2025.

Once the application is completed, the Applicant must click “Submit”. They will be directed to a screen that confirms the application has been successfully received. They will also be sent an email from BMOforWomen@bmo.com confirming receipt of the application.

No. Once an application is submitted (by pressing the ‘Submit’ button) it will be considered final and no further edits can be made.

There is a 3-stage, evaluation process whereby a Panel of Judges will review each application submitted based on weighted criteria. For more information, please refer to the official Terms and Conditions .

Applicants will be notified of their status by email after each round of the judging process.

The final ten (10) grant recipients will be contacted by email and by phone in October 2025.

Eligible businesses must be operating for a minimum of two years as of August 5, 2025. Your business would be eligible, if the nature of the business is the same and only the legal status changed.

Each Grant will consist of:

Column 1

Column 2

$10,000 CAD (payable to the Eligible Small Business); One (1) BMO Celebrating Women personalized trophy; One (1) hour of coaching with a BMO for Women Advocate (currently available to select clients of BMO only); Invitation to a BMO webinar series (which will be attended by the Recipients and other individuals as invited by BMO); the opportunity to have BMO facilitate membership in certain organizations and/or advisory boards;

A profile on BMOforWomen.com and certain BMO social channels (as determined by BMO in its sole and absolute discretion); The opportunity to use a 2025 BMO Celebrating Women Grant Recipient badge that can be posted on social media; and Invitation for one (1) designated representative of the Recipient to attend the 2025 BMO Celebrating Women Grant Summit in Toronto along with the following (for the purposes of attending the 2025 BMO Celebrating Women Grant Summit only): (i) two (2) nights single occupancy hotel accommodation for a designated representative of the Recipient at a hotel in Toronto to be selected by BMO, and (ii) return transportation for one (1) designated representative of the Recipient between their Canadian residence and Toronto (arrangements, including mode of transportation will be determined by BMO in its sole and absolute discretion).

The total approximate value of each Grant is up to $11,700 CAD.

Unfortunately, due to the volume of applications we receive, we cannot discuss or provide feedback.

Applicants can get in touch by reaching out to bmoforwomen@bmo.com with the subject line “Grant Application – Questions”.