How Canadians do business has changed. To stay competitive and grow, small and medium-sized businesses need to adopt new digital tools.
In Budget 2021, the Government of Canada announced the $4 billion Canada Digital Adoption Program (CDAP) to help get your business online, give your e-commerce presence a boost or help digitalize your business’s operations.
CDAP provides funding and support to businesses, as well as training and work opportunities for young Canadians. source: https://www.ic.gc.ca/eic/site/152.nsf/eng/home
$2400 Micro Grant for Small Business
Eligible businesses will receive a micro-grant of up to $2,400 to help with the costs related to adopting digital technologies. Grants will be available through local and regional service providers across Canada. The service providers will also support a network of e-commerce advisors who will advise and help small businesses adopt e-commerce.
Is Your Canadian Business Eligible For The $2400 Grant?
Applications can only be submitted by a small business that meets all of the following criteria:
- Is a for-profit business (including for-profit social enterprises and co-operatives)
- Is a registered or incorporated business
- Is a consumer-facing business
- Can be accessed by consumers or provides in-person services to consumers
- Has at least one employee
- Must commit to maintaining digital adoption strategy for six months after participation in the program
- Must consent to participating in follow-up surveys, sharing information with the Government of Canada (ISED and Statistics Canada), and having the name of the business published as a recipient of funding
The following types of small businesses are ineligible:
- Corporate chains, franchises or registered charities
- Representatives of multi-level marketing companies
- Real estate brokerages
What Can The Grant Be Used For?
Eligible costs include, but are not limited to, the following:
- Costs related to the implementation of a digital e-commerce plan (e.g. online reservation/booking tools, online ordering systems, electronic payments)
- Costs related to website search optimization (SEO)
- Costs related to the installation of an e-commerce platform (including subscription fees/costs)
- Costs of back-office solutions to support an e-commerce strategy
- Costs of social media advertising
- Costs related to the creation of customer databases
