Funding Essentials Inc. (17821727 Canada Inc.)
Last updated: September 11, 2026

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Funding Essentials Inc. ("Funding Essentials," "FE," "we," "us," or "our") respects your privacy and is committed to handling personal information responsibly.

This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, store, and protect personal information when you visit our website, contact us, book a consultation, complete an intake form, or engage us for funding, grant-writing, or related consulting services.

We aim to collect only the information we reasonably need to provide our services, communicate with you, manage our business, and meet our legal and contractual obligations.

This Policy is governed by the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA) and, where applicable to a particular individual or client, provincial private-sector privacy legislation (including Quebec's Act respecting the protection of personal information in the private sector).

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1. Who Is Responsible for Your Information

Kelly Comeau, Founder & CEO of Funding Essentials Inc., is the individual accountable for the Company's compliance with this Privacy Policy and applicable privacy law, including as the Company's designated Privacy Officer under Quebec's private-sector privacy legislation, where applicable.

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2. Information We Collect

The information we collect depends on how you interact with Funding Essentials.

Information provided through our website

If you contact us through our website, we may collect information such as:

• your name;

• email address;

• telephone number, if provided; and

• the information you choose to include in your message or inquiry.

Our website contact form does not require you to provide documents or financial records.

Information provided during an intake or consultation

After an initial inquiry, we may provide an intake form to help us understand your organization and determine how we can assist you. Depending on what is relevant to your circumstances, this may include information such as:

• business or organization name;

• business, registration, or CRA-related information;

• incorporation date;

• information about your organization, business activities, or projects;

• years in operation;

• number of employees;

• funding priorities;

• projects or initiatives for which funding may be sought; and

• the type of support you are seeking.

Not every question is mandatory. We generally ask for information that is relevant to understanding your funding needs and determining appropriate opportunities or services.

Information collected during a client engagement

When you engage Funding Essentials, we may receive additional information needed to research, prepare, submit, manage, and report on funding applications.

Depending on the requirements of a particular funding program, this may include organizational, financial, operational, project, governance, board, contact, or other information required by a funder.

The information required varies from program to program. We do not collect every type of information from every client simply because it may be useful. We collect information that is relevant to the services being provided and the requirements of the funding opportunity.

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3. How We Use Personal Information

We may use personal information to:

• respond to inquiries and consultation requests;

• understand your organization and funding needs;

• identify and assess potential funding opportunities;

• provide grant-writing, funding research, project management, and related consulting services;

• prepare, submit, monitor, and manage funding applications;

• communicate with you about applications, deadlines, requirements, claims, reporting, and other project matters;

• maintain client and project records;

• provide access to shared client documents and information;

• prepare invoices and process or receive payments;

• improve our services and website;

• maintain appropriate business and administrative records; and

• comply with applicable legal, regulatory, contractual, and professional obligations.

We do not sell client personal information. We do not use confidential client information for purposes unrelated to the services we provide without appropriate authorization or another lawful basis.

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4. Consent

By providing personal information to us (through our website, an intake form, email, or during a consultation or client engagement), you consent to our collecting, using, and disclosing that information as described in this Policy.

Where we intend to use or disclose personal information for a new purpose not described here, we will seek your consent before doing so, unless we are permitted or required by law to proceed without it.

You may withdraw your consent at any time, subject to legal or contractual restrictions and reasonable notice. Withdrawing consent may limit or prevent our ability to continue providing certain services; for example, we cannot prepare or submit a funding application without the information a funder requires. To withdraw consent, contact us using the details in Section 16.

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5. How We Collect Information

Information may be provided directly to us through:

• our website contact form;

• Calendly when you schedule a consultation;

• email;

• Google Forms used for client intake;

• shared Google Drive folders;

• meetings and consultations; and

• documents or other information you voluntarily provide during a client engagement.

Clients may generally provide documents either by email or through their designated shared Google Drive folder.

We may also collect information that is required to complete a funding application from the information and documents provided by a client or from information that the client authorizes us to use for that purpose.

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6. Client Documents and Confidential Information

Funding Essentials understands that funding applications can involve sensitive business and organizational information.

Our client agreements include confidentiality and non-disclosure obligations. We treat confidential client information as confidential and use it for the purposes of providing the agreed services.

Client information is not disclosed to unrelated third parties for their own purposes without the client's authorization, except where disclosure is required or permitted by law or is necessary to provide the services for which the information was collected.

Where a funding application requires information to be provided to a funder, information may be included in the application or related submission as necessary to complete the application and provide the agreed services.

Where a client engages us for services that involve a referral to a specialized third-party partner, for example, a referral for Scientific Research & Experimental Development (SR&ED) tax credit claims, we will only share the client's information with that partner with the client's prior knowledge and authorization, and solely for the purpose of that referral.

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7. Storage and Access

Funding Essentials is a remote consulting business and primarily uses cloud-based systems to manage information.

Depending on the nature of the information, we may use services including Google Workspace and Google Drive for email, document storage, file sharing, and collaboration; Monday.com for project and grant management; Calendly for scheduling; Wix for our website; and other service providers that support our business operations.

Client documents are generally maintained within designated client folders. Clients may be given access to their applicable folder so that they can provide or retrieve documents directly.

Access to client information within Funding Essentials is limited to the people who require it to provide services or manage the client relationship.

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8. Meeting Recordings and Notes

Funding Essentials may use meeting-note-taking or transcription tools, including Fathom, to help prepare accurate meeting notes, summaries, and follow-up actions.

We do not record client meetings without first informing the participants and obtaining their agreement to the recording.

Where a meeting is recorded with permission, the resulting meeting summary may be shared with the participants. A transcript or recording may also be retained as part of the applicable client or project records.

If you do not wish a meeting to be recorded or transcribed, you may let us know before the meeting.

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9. Third-Party Service Providers

We use third-party service providers to support our operations, including services for cloud storage, email, scheduling, website hosting, project management, document handling, payment processing, and meeting support.

These providers may process personal information on our behalf as necessary to provide their services.

Depending on the provider, personal information may be stored or processed in Canada or in other jurisdictions. Where information is processed outside Canada, it may be subject to the laws of that jurisdiction and may be accessible to courts, law enforcement, or regulatory authorities in accordance with applicable law.

Funding Essentials remains responsible for personal information in its custody or control and takes reasonable steps to use service providers that provide appropriate protections for the information they process on our behalf.

Canadian privacy guidance recognizes that organizations may use third-party service providers, including providers located outside Canada, but remain accountable for the personal information transferred to those providers.

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10. Website Cookies and Analytics

Our website is hosted on Wix.

Wix and its website technologies may use cookies and similar technologies for purposes such as website functionality, security, performance, and analytics.

At present, Funding Essentials uses Wix's built-in website analytics and has not connected Google Analytics or other third-party advertising or analytics platforms to the website.

Our website does not currently use a newsletter, advertising pixel, or similar marketing tracking system.

As our website develops, we may introduce additional analytics or other technologies. If our practices change in a way that affects the collection or use of personal information, we may update this Privacy Policy and, where required, provide appropriate notice or obtain consent.

You can also manage or restrict cookies through your web browser settings. Some website functions may not operate properly if certain cookies are disabled.

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11. Marketing and Commercial Electronic Messages

From time to time, Funding Essentials may send commercial electronic messages, such as emails about funding programs, tax credit opportunities, or our services, to individuals or businesses in accordance with Canada's Anti-Spam Legislation (CASL). Every such message will identify Funding Essentials as the sender, provide our contact information, and include a working method to unsubscribe. You may withdraw consent to receive these messages at any time by using the unsubscribe mechanism provided or by contacting us directly.

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12. Payments

Funding Essentials generally invoices clients directly.

Depending on the client's payment arrangement, payments may be made by methods such as electronic transfer or PayPal.

Payment information processed through a third-party payment provider is subject to that provider's own privacy practices and terms. Funding Essentials does not collect or store full payment-card information through our website.

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13. Retention of Information

We retain personal information only for as long as reasonably necessary to fulfill the purposes for which it was collected, provide ongoing services, complete funding-related work, manage claims or reporting requirements, maintain appropriate business records, resolve disputes, or meet legal, contractual, accounting, or other legitimate obligations.

Financial and accounting records, including invoices and payment records, are generally retained for a minimum of six years in accordance with Canada Revenue Agency requirements.

Funding applications can have lengthy timelines. A funding relationship may continue through application preparation, submission, funding decisions, claims, reporting, and subsequent funding opportunities. For this reason, client information may remain available after an individual application has been submitted.

When information is no longer reasonably required for an identified purpose, Funding Essentials will take reasonable steps to delete, destroy, anonymize, or otherwise dispose of it appropriately.

Former client records may be archived rather than actively used. Archived information remains subject to our confidentiality and privacy obligations.

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14. Safeguarding Personal Information

We use reasonable administrative, technical, and organizational safeguards appropriate to the nature and sensitivity of the information we handle.

These measures may include limiting access to client information, using established cloud-based business services, maintaining confidentiality obligations, and taking reasonable steps to prevent unauthorized access, use, disclosure, alteration, or loss.

No method of electronic transmission or storage can be guaranteed to be completely secure. We therefore cannot guarantee absolute security of information transmitted to or stored by our service providers or us.

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15. Your Privacy Rights

Depending on the circumstances and applicable law, you may have the right to:

• ask whether Funding Essentials holds personal information about you;

• request access to personal information we hold about you;

• ask how your information has been used or disclosed;

• request correction of inaccurate or incomplete personal information;

• withdraw consent to our collection, use, or disclosure of your information, subject to legal or contractual restrictions (see Section 4); and

• ask questions or raise concerns about how we handle personal information.

If you make a privacy request, we may need to confirm your identity and obtain enough information to locate the relevant records.

Under PIPEDA, individuals generally have a right to access personal information held about them and to request correction of inaccurate or incomplete information.

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16. Privacy Questions, Requests, or Complaints

If you have a question about this Privacy Policy, want to request access to or correction of your personal information, or wish to raise a privacy concern, please contact:

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Privacy Officer: Kelly Comeau, Founder & CEO
Email: office@fundingessentials.ca

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We will review privacy inquiries and complaints and respond within the time required by applicable privacy legislation. If you are not satisfied with our response, you may also have the right to bring your concern to the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada, or, for Quebec residents, the Commission d'accès à l'information du Québec.

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17. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our services, technology, business practices, or legal requirements. The most current version will be posted on this page with the date of the latest update.

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Last updated: September 11, 2026