Where a Canadian small business should look first for AI funding — realistic options, not hype.
dgm is an independent osFoundry integration partner — not affiliated with osFoundry’s maker (OS LLC), and dgm has no completed client integrations yet.
Small businesses have fewer but real options for AI funding in Canada. Here is where to look first.
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| First stop | Business Benefits Finder (filter to open programs) |
| Financing | BDC LIFT for AI adoption |
| R&D | SR&ED if there is genuine technical uncertainty |
| Provincial | Province-specific programs (varies) |
Where small businesses should look
Start with the Business Benefits Finder, filtered to open programs. For AI adoption specifically, BDC LIFT financing is the most directly relevant federal route; if your project involves genuine R&D, SR&ED can refund a share afterward; and your province may have its own program. Note that the old CDAP small-business grant has ended.
Set expectations
Most small-business ‘AI funding’ is financing or after-the-fact tax credit rather than a simple up-front grant — plan accordingly. Program parameters, amounts and intake windows change frequently — confirm the current details on the official program page before relying on them.
How to start
Important: these are programs a business applies for directly with the government agency, bank or cluster that runs them. dgm is an independent AI-integration agency — not a registered, approved or official deliverer of any program here. dgm can help assess fit and scope an AI project, but government money does not flow through dgm. dgm can help scope a small, affordable first project.
Where dgm fits
dgm is an independent integration partner that helps Canadian businesses adopt osFoundry — scoping a first use case, handling the build, and connecting AI to the systems you already run. dgm can help you scope the AI project that a program would fund — but you apply to the program directly. dgm is independent of osFoundry’s maker (OS LLC) and has no completed client integrations yet, so everything described here is a service offered, not a past result. If you want to scope a practical first project, dgm can help you map it out.