The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:

Subvention \Sub*ven"tion\, n. [F., fr. LL. subventio, fr. L.
   subvenire to come up to one's assistance, to assist. See
   Souvenir, and cf. Subvene.]
   1. The act of coming under. "The subvention of a cloud."
      --Stackhouse.
      [1913 Webster]

   2. The act of relieving, as of a burden; support; aid;
      assistance; help.
      [1913 Webster]

   3. A government aid or bounty.
      [1913 Webster]

The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:

Subvention \Sub*ven"tion\, v. t.
   To subventionize.
   [1913 Webster]

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006):

subvention
    n 1: grant of financial aid as from a government to an
         educational institution
    2: the act or process of providing aid or help of any sort
    v 1: guarantee financial support of; "The opera tour was
         subvented by a bank" [syn: underwrite, subvention,
         subvent]

Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0:

90 Moby Thesaurus words for "subvention":
   TLC, accouterment, aid, alimony, allotment, allowance, annuity,
   armament, assistance, backing, bounty, bread, care, carriage,
   carrying, catering, chandlery, daily bread, depletion allowance,
   dole, economic support, endowment, equipment, fellowship,
   financial assistance, finding, fitting out, furnishing,
   furnishment, grant, grant-in-aid, guaranteed annual income, help,
   investment, keep, livelihood, living, logistics, maintenance,
   manna, meat, moral support, mothering, nourishment, nurture,
   old-age insurance, outfitting, pecuniary aid, pension, preparation,
   price support, procurement, providing, provision, provisioning,
   psychological support, public assistance, public welfare,
   purveyance, reinforcement, reliance, relief, replenishment,
   resupply, retailing, retirement benefits, scholarship,
   security blanket, selling, stipend, subsidization, subsidy,
   subsistence, supply, supplying, support, supportive relationship,
   supportive therapy, sustaining, sustainment, sustenance,
   sustentation, tax benefit, tender loving care, upholding, upkeep,
   victualing, welfare, welfare aid, welfare payments