My Main Street
My Main Street is a Government of Canada investment program administered by the Canadian Urban Institute that delivers non-repayable grants, market research, and ambassador advisory support to small businesses, BIAs, and community organizations on main streets across southern Ontario.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2021
- HeadquartersLong Sault, Canada
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What My Main Street does
My Main Street is a Government of Canada investment program administered by the Canadian Urban Institute (CUI) and delivered in partnership with the Economic Developers Council of Ontario (EDCO). Launched in 2021 in response to COVID-19 economic impacts on commercial corridors, the program operates exclusively in southern Ontario and serves small independently owned brick-and-mortar businesses, Business Improvement Areas (BIAs), municipal governments, and non-profit community organizations located on identified main streets. Over four years, the program states it has supported hundreds of communities across the region, with an active Local Business Accelerator component serving 65 communities.
The program runs two core funding streams: the Business Sustainability Initiative, which provides non-repayable contributions of up to $20,000 to eligible small businesses, and the Community Activator Initiative, which provides up to $250,000 for placemaking projects such as events, festivals, streetscape improvements, and cultural activations. Its core technology asset is the Measuring Main Streets mapping tool, developed by CUI with Infrastructure Canada funding, which uses disaggregated business and road-network data layered with Statistics Canada census data, infrastructure analyses, business independence data, housing data, and commuting patterns to identify approximately 5,300 main streets across southern Ontario. The program also produces custom market research reports combining Statistics Canada data with proprietary licensed data from Environics Analytics covering household spend, behavioral, psychographic, and mobile data.
My Main Street's economic model is grant administration rather than commercial revenue: total committed funding of $23.25 million CAD from FedDev Ontario has been split across two program rounds (2020–2023 and 2023–2024). The Local Business Accelerator deploys Main Street Ambassadors into 65+ communities with $50,000 of salary support per community, each supplemented by up to ten $10,000 business grants. Go-to-market is application-based via an online portal, supported by grassroots outreach through ambassadors, partner BIAs, EDCO member economic developers, and the CUI network. The website currently states the program is not open for new intake.
My Main Street firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- My Main Street
- Legal name
- My Main Street
- Website
- https://mymainstreet.ca
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2021
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- My Main Street is a Government of Canada investment program administered by the Canadian Urban Institute that delivers non-repayable grants, market research, and ambassador advisory support to small businesses, BIAs, and community organizations on main streets across southern Ontario.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
My Main Street industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Community Economic Development
- NAICS
- Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321), Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813)
- SIC
- Federal & Federally-Sponsored Credit Agencies (6111)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Impact Investing & Social Finance (Funds, CDFIs, Microfinance) (BPAGALAA)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Sustainable Private Markets (Impact PE/VC, Private Credit, Infrastructure) (FSAAALAG), Sustainable Infrastructure & Resilient Cities Funds (FSANAJAC), Social Infrastructure Funds (Schools, Hospitals, Civic) (FSANAEAN)
Keywords
Where My Main Street is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Long Sault
- HQ country
- Canada
- HQ region
- North America
Markets served
My Main Street business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Multi-year contract | Community Activator Initiative - Up to $250,000 |
| Other | Multi-year contract | Business Sustainability Initiative - Up to $20,000 |
| Other | Annual | Main Street Ambassador Salary Support - $50,000 |
| Other | Multi-year contract | Business Grants - $10,000 each |
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels4 records
My Main Street product offering
Product offeringCore offering
My Main Street is an investment program that delivers non-repayable financial contributions (grants) and capacity-building support to small businesses and community organizations located on identified main streets across southern Ontario. The program operates two funding streams—Business Sustainability (up to $20,000 per business) and Community Activator (up to $250,000 per placemaking project)—supplemented by custom market research reports, Portfolio Manager advisory support, and a Main Street Ambassador network spanning 65+ communities.
Product overview
My Main Street is a two-stream investment program administered by the Canadian Urban Institute, funded by the Government of Canada through FedDev Ontario. The Business Sustainability Initiative provides non-repayable contributions up to $20,000 to eligible small brick-and-mortar businesses on main streets, along with custom market research reports and one-on-one Portfolio Manager advisory support. The Community Activator Initiative supports placemaking projects with funding up to $250,000 for events, community enhancements, and streetscape improvements. Supporting offerings include a Measuring Main Streets mapping tool, market research reports drawing from Statistics Canada and Environics Analytics data, online training resources, and a Main Street Ambassador program. The program was launched in 2021 to support COVID-19 recovery and entered a second phase with additional investment in 2024.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Business Sustainability Initiative: Provides non-repayable contributions up to $20,000 to brick-and-mortar businesses located on main streets in southern Ontario to strengthen their capacity and fuel growth.
- Community Activator Initiative
Products and services
- Business Sustainability Initiative A funding program that provides non-repayable contributions of up to $20,000 to small, independently owned brick-and-mortar businesses located on identified main streets across southern Ontario. Eligible recipients also receive custom market research reports and one-on-one advisory support from Portfolio Managers to strengthen capacity and fuel growth.
- Community Activator Initiative A funding program supporting high-impact placemaking projects including events, festivals, streetscape improvements, public art installations, and community enhancements. Provides non-repayable contributions of up to $250,000 to non-profits, BIAs, municipalities, and community organizations to draw visitors, increase local vibrancy, and revitalize neighborhoods.
- Custom Market Research Reports Customized market research reports delivered to applicants and successful projects, containing demographic data, household spending insights, media behaviors, psychographic data, and mobile data. Reports combine census information from Statistics Canada with proprietary licensed data from Environics Analytics to provide deep community-level insights.
- Portfolio Manager Advisory Support One-on-one advisory support provided to program recipients by experienced Portfolio Managers offering personalized guidance on investment planning, ROI optimization, and strategic growth to help maximize the value of program funding.
- Measuring Main Streets Mapping Tool A comprehensive mapping tool that identifies approximately 5,300 main streets across southern Ontario using disaggregated business and road network data combined with demographic census data, infrastructure analyses, business independence data, housing data, and commuting patterns. Helps businesses determine if they are located on an identified main street and supports data-driven community economic development.
- Main Street Ambassador Program A program component deployed across 65 southern Ontario main street communities providing each selected community with a Main Street Ambassador for 12 months at $50,000 salary support. Ambassadors offer hands-on support and advice to local entrepreneurs, with up to ten additional $10,000 business contributions available per community.
Quantifiable outcome
- 3.4x return on investment for Downtown Kitchener patio program generating $3.2 million in sales
- +5 more outcomes
Companies that use My Main Street
Customer profileNamed customers39 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
My Main Street technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature2 records
My Main Street partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Four partnerships are on record, tiered primary and supporting.
- Canadian Urban Institute (CUI)primaryLead administrator and operator of My Main Street program. CUI delivers both the Business Sustainability and Community Activator streams, manages program operations, conducts market research using Environics Analytics data, and coordinates with local partners. CUI also developed the Measuring Main Streets mapping tool.
- Economic Developers Council of Ontario (EDCO)primaryDelivery partner for Local Business Accelerator program component. EDCO works with CUI to deliver hands-on support and advisory services to main street businesses, connecting entrepreneurs with resources and guidance through the program.
- Environics AnalyticssupportingLicensed data provider for My Main Street's custom market research reports. Environics Analytics provides proprietary data including behavioral metrics, psychographic data, and mobile data used to generate community insights for program recipients.
- Statistics CanadasupportingData provider for census information included in My Main Street's market research reports. Statistics Canada data provides demographic baseline information for understanding community characteristics and market potential.
Scale indicators12 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
My Main Street competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Business Development Bank of Canada (BDC): Canadian federal Crown corporation providing capital and advisory to Canadian small businesses. Operates at much larger scale than My Main Street but targets the same SMB segment with complementary financing and advisory services.
- Canadian Urban Institute: The administering parent entity of My Main Street, also conducting urban research and policy work. Provides program operations, data infrastructure, and the Measuring Main Streets mapping methodology.
- SBA (US Small Business Administration): US federal agency providing grants, advisory, and resources to small businesses. Wider scope and US focus, but operates in the same federal-program-for-small-businesses category with comparable tools like SBDCs and GROW.
- FedNor (Federal Economic Development Agency for Northern Ontario): Federal regional development agency that mirrors FedDev Ontario's mandate but in Northern Ontario. Could be a natural funding counterpart or expansion vehicle for My Main Street outside Southern Ontario.
Direct peers
- Main Street America: National US non-profit running the historic Main Street revitalization program with the same core playbook: grants, market research, ambassador-like program managers, and community placemaking for traditional commercial districts. Closely analogous model just in a different geography.
- Futurepreneur Canada: Canadian non-profit providing pre-seed capital, mentorship, and resources to young entrepreneurs, similar in spirit to My Main Street's SMB capacity-building but focused on age criteria rather than main street geography.
- Economic Developers Council of Ontario (EDCO): Ontario's professional association for economic developers and a primary delivery partner to My Main Street. Convenes municipalities, BIAs, and practitioners providing advisory and capacity building that overlaps significantly with My Main Street's Local Business Accelerator.
- National Trust for Historic Preservation - Main Street America Heritage Trail: US historic preservation non-profit whose Center for Preservation Leadership runs a heritage-based main street revitalization program. Closely aligned with placemaking and cultural activation focus of My Main Street's Community Activator stream.
- Toronto Association of Business Improvement Areas (TABIA): Represents Ontario BIAs that are key My Main Street beneficiaries and program partners. Strong overlap with community mobilization and support role for small main street businesses across Ontario.
Others
- Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives (CCPA): Canadian policy think tank producing research on inclusive economic development. Its community economic development research overlaps thematically with My Main Street's placemaking and equity-deserving group investments.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
My Main Street social profiles
Digital presenceMy Main Street financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
My Main Street leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
My Main Street funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
My Main Street M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about My Main Street
What does My Main Street do?
My Main Street is an investment program that delivers non-repayable financial contributions (grants) and capacity-building support to small businesses and community organizations located on identified main streets across southern Ontario. The program operates two funding streams—Business Sustainability (up to $20,000 per business) and Community Activator (up to $250,000 per placemaking project)—supplemented by custom market research reports, Portfolio Manager advisory support, and a Main Street Ambassador network spanning 65+ communities.
Is My Main Street a public or private company?
My Main Street is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was My Main Street founded?
My Main Street was founded in 2021. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is My Main Street based?
My Main Street is headquartered in Long Sault, Canada, in the North America region.
Who are My Main Street's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Business Development Bank of Canada (BDC), Canadian Urban Institute, SBA (US Small Business Administration) and FedNor (Federal Economic Development Agency for Northern Ontario). Direct peers are Main Street America, Futurepreneur Canada, Economic Developers Council of Ontario (EDCO), National Trust for Historic Preservation - Main Street America Heritage Trail and Toronto Association of Business Improvement Areas (TABIA). Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives (CCPA) is listed as an others.
Does My Main Street have an API?
No public API is recorded for My Main Street.
What industry is My Main Street in?
My Main Street's product category is Community Economic Development. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAGALAA, Impact Investing & Social Finance (Funds, CDFIs, Microfinance), with a secondary code of FSAAALAG, Sustainable Private Markets (Impact PE/VC, Private Credit, Infrastructure). Its NAICS code is 813211 and its SIC code is 6111.