Through ISM Investments, ISM Creative is opening the door for your creativity by welcoming applications for funding in a collaborative approach to transformational projects.
Our Outlook
A Transformational Moment in Time
We’re living in a time of rapid and meaningful change driven by movements like:
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SDGs, ESG, CSR
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Triple bottom lines: purpose + profit
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Systems change models & theories of change
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Social innovation & impact investing
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Powerful new methodologies
applied across critical sectors like health, environment, education, culture, and STEM.
Innovation is accelerating so quickly that the world can now transform every five years—often creating entirely new categories with 20+ year visions.
Creativity as the Catalyst
At the heart of this change is human creativity. We believe in the power of original ideas, especially at the pivotal moment when they begin to turn into action. These ideas can evolve into groundbreaking, multigenerational projects with real societal impact, when nurtured with the right:
Foresight
Resources
Strategic support
What We Support
We’re looking to support projects that are:
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Extraordinary & ambitious
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Imaginative & thoughtful
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Risky—but with transformational potential
Even if your idea has never existed before, this could be the place it begins.
Our Approach
ISM will provide funding of up to $100,000 CAD per project, using a collaborative approach tailored to your needs and together, we’ll launch and grow your project with the right mix of resources. We combine:
Government funding
Matching funds
Philanthropy & sponsorship
Cross-border opportunities
R&D and IP strategies
Venture building support
Criteria
We’re not looking for a fixed formula. While we could have defined specific requirements like ideation, problem spaces, research, data, projections, organizational structures, business models, differentiation and disruption, issues and opportunities, domains and industries, and socio-cultural trends, we believe creativity doesn’t always fit into a framework.
You might show us something we never expected, something still taking shape. That’s exciting to us.
We want to understand how you think and what your approach is. We’ll ask for some basic info about your project, and then explore the details together.
Who can apply?
Anyone with an early-stage project is welcome. We review applications on a rolling basis and will reach out to those selected for the next step.