FAQs

• AIOC provides loan guarantees and capacity grants for Indigenous Nations and groups approved by a ministerial order.
• We can also support community-owned business entities administered by an elected Council.

Economic development corporations cannot apply for loan guarantees. They also cannot apply for a capacity grant directly, but Indigenous Nations and groups with an approved loan guarantee can hire them as advisors.

• No. We provide loan guarantees, which is money backstopped by the Alberta government.
• Our capacity grants can provide funds required for an Indigenous Nation or group to conduct due diligence on an investment opportunity eligible under our program; they do not need to be repaid.

Yes. The minimum amount is $20 million. The maximum is $250 million.

A loan guarantee is money backstopped by the Government of Alberta to reduce the risk of investment and the cost to borrow for Indigenous Nations and groups. It serves as collateral for lenders to protect them against default.

• A capacity grant is money tied to the probability of success of a loan guarantee. It is money that Indigenous Nations and groups use to access third-party advice and expertise for the assessment and due diligence of a potential project.
• There is $3 million per year awarded on a discretionary basis.
• It is money to be used for independent, third-party legal, technical, and economic support.
• The purpose is for advisory, negotiation and closing.
• Does not need to be repaid.
• It cannot be used for the development of a business plan.

We were created by the Government of Alberta in 2019 and operate at arm’s length. We are a crown corporation with a Board of Directors who are accountable to the Ministry of Indigenous Relations.