BDC LIFT — financing, not a grant.
Advisory support plus lending for AI, digital transformation and automation projects. Minimum $1M revenue for the AI path. The technology has to come from Canadian suppliers, which we are.
Funding
What governments will actually pay for, and what they won't.
There is real money available for digital modernisation, and a lot of confident writing about it that's out of date. Here's what exists as of September 2026, what each program genuinely covers, and — the part usually left out — who doesn't qualify.
As of September 2026, digital adoption funding for Canadian small businesses comes from two levels. Federally, BDC's LIFT program offers advisory support and financing — a loan, not a grant — for AI and automation projects anywhere in Canada, with a $1 million revenue floor on the AI path. Provincially it depends where you operate: in Ontario, the Digital Competence Centre administers DMAP (up to $15,000 for planning) and RMPG (up to $5,000 for retail). The Technology Demonstration Program, which funded implementation, closed 10 August 2026 with no replacement announced. The Canada Digital Adoption Program has ended.
Available anywhere in Canada.
Your province doesn't matter for this one. Your revenue and your suppliers do.
Two programs, in the order most businesses meet them.
This is where we operate and where we know the programs cold. Most provinces run something comparable — if you're elsewhere, ask and we'll find out what applies to you before you commit to anything.
Up to $15,000, matched — the plan.
Funds assessing what your technology should be and documenting how to get there. Ontario for-profit SMEs, 1–499 employees. First come, first served, while funds last. This is the entry point and the one most of our clients use.
Up to $5,000, matched — retail only.
For retailers with a physical location open to the public. Point of sale, online payments, inventory, CRM, cybersecurity, AI tools. You can apply to DMAP or RMPG — not both.
What usually stops people, and nobody mentions.
These are the four facts that most often turn a promising funding conversation into a dead end. Better to know now.
DMAP and RMPG are mutually exclusive.
A retailer who takes the $5,000 RMPG has spent their DMAP eligibility. For most retailers with meaningful modernisation ahead of them, the $15,000 DMAP is the better trade. Decide deliberately.
LIFT is a loan.
It's frequently listed alongside grants, and it isn't one. It's advisory plus financing, with a revenue floor and a Canadian-supplier requirement. Useful for the right project; not free money.
The Ontario Job Grant won't pay for vendor training.
It excludes training by a vendor on their own product, and business consulting. It funds third-party training — a real thing worth having, and not what we sell.
DMAP is first-come while funds last.
An intake can close without an announcement. OCI's Digital Adoption Consultant roster and vendor database are currently closed to new applicants, which is itself a sign of how tight the current allocation is.
We'll tell you before you apply.
We are not grant writers and we don't charge for application support as a product.
On the first call we'll tell you whether you plausibly qualify, which program fits, and — often — that the timing or the revenue test doesn't work for you. If it does fit, we document the modernisation plan in the form the program expects, and we deliver the scoped work if you hire us for it.
Approval and amounts are decided by OCI, not Vitops.Anyone telling you otherwise is selling something. And we'd rather you spend the call finding out you don't qualify than find out three weeks in.
One thing worth knowing: LIFT requires Canadian suppliers, and we are one. If you're financing digital work federally, it can be spent here.
All figures verified 5 September 2026 against the Ontario Centre of Innovation and BDC. We re-check monthly.
Common questions.
Is CDAP still available?
No. The Canada Digital Adoption Program has ended, though it's still described as current across a lot of the web. BDC's LIFT program is effectively what replaced it, with the important difference that LIFT is financing rather than a grant.
Can you guarantee we'll get funded?
No, and nobody can. Approval and amounts are OCI's decision. What we can do is tell you early and honestly whether you're likely to qualify.
How long does DMAP take?
Weeks rather than months in normal conditions, but it's first-come while funds last, and an intake can close without much notice. If it's relevant to you, it's worth starting the conversation rather than waiting for a quieter quarter.
Do you charge to help with the application?
No. We'll assess fit and document the plan as part of the engagement. We're paid for the work the funding supports, not for the paperwork around it.
What about training grants?
The Canada-Ontario Job Grant was replaced in May 2026 by the Ontario Job Grant — open year-round, up to $10,000 per trainee ($15,000 for a previously unemployed new hire). It's worth knowing about, but read the exclusions before counting on it: it won't cover training by a vendor on their own product, or business consulting, which rules out a lot of software-adoption work.
What happened to the $50,000 TDP grant?
It closed 10 August 2026. OCI's own program page still describes it as “open to eligible applications until August 10, 2026” — the wording simply wasn't updated once the date passed. Nothing has replaced it. If a comparable build grant opens, we'll publish it here.
Is Ontario's $5 million announcement a new program?
No — it's additional money into the Digital Competence Centre itself, announced May 2026 and expected to support around 450 businesses. It doesn't create a new stream; it means the existing ones have more behind them, which is a reason to apply sooner rather than later.
Find out in one call whether this applies to you.
Tell us your headcount, roughly your revenue, and what you're trying to change. We'll tell you which program fits, or that none of them do.
Talk to us Or email hi@vitops.ca