BDC LIFT — financing for AI adoption, not a grant.
What LIFT is, why it is financing rather than a grant, the revenue thresholds, and the Canadian-supplier requirement.
LIFT is a federal program from the Business Development Bank of Canada combining advisory consulting with financing for businesses investing in advanced technology. It is a loan, not a grant — a distinction frequently lost in third-party write-ups. As of September 2026 it runs two paths: digital transformation and AI, which requires minimum $1 million in annual revenue and mandatory BDC advisory planning; and productivity and equipment, which requires minimum $5 million and is limited to sectors including manufacturing, transportation, construction, agriculture, wholesale, engineering services and extraction. Both require that the technology or equipment be purchased from Canadian suppliers. BDC does not publish a maximum amount; it depends on revenue, project scope and financial strength.
Source: BDC · verified5 September 2026
At a glance.
- Type
- Consulting + financing. A loan.
- Who
- Canadian-based businesses
- Revenue
- ≥ $1M (AI / digital path); ≥ $5M (equipment path)
- Sectors
- AI path is broad; equipment path is sector-limited
- Constraint
- Technology must come from Canadian suppliers
- Amount
- Not published — depends on the business
- Deadline
- None published
Why this page leads with “not a grant”.
Because a lot of pages don't, and the correction usually arrives at the worst possible moment — after someone has built a budget around free money that turns out to be debt.
LIFT is a reasonable instrument for the right project. It is preferential-rate lending paired with advisory work, and for a company financing a substantial AI or automation programme it can make the numbers work. It is not comparable to DMAP, which is a grant.
If you are choosing between them: the Ontario DCC programs are the first place to look, and LIFT is worth considering when the project is larger than they can cover and you'd be financing the balance regardless.
The Canadian-supplier requirement.
Worth naming plainly: LIFT requires that the technology come from Canadian providers. Vitops is a Canadian supplier, so digital work delivered by us qualifies under that condition. That isn't a reason to take financing you don't need — but if you're already planning to, it removes a constraint that rules out a lot of vendors.
Common questions.
Is LIFT the replacement for CDAP?
Effectively, yes. The Canada Digital Adoption Program has ended, and LIFT is where BDC's support for digital and AI adoption now sits — with the significant difference that CDAP included a grant component and LIFT does not.
What if our revenue is under $1 million?
LIFT's AI path isn't available. The Ontario DCC programs have no revenue floor for DMAP, which is the better starting point at that size.
Does the mandatory advisory phase cost extra?
It's part of the engagement with BDC and priced by them. We're not involved in that relationship and can't quote it.
Can we use LIFT financing for the work Vitops does?
Where it fits the program's scope and you qualify, yes — the Canadian-supplier requirement is met. Whether taking on debt is the right call is a conversation for you and your accountant, and we'd say so on a call rather than encourage it.
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.
Approval and amounts are decided by OCI, not Vitops.