Ottawa will help fund your AI project. Here is the honest version.
The federal government just put real money behind AI adoption. It is big, and a lot of people are going to get the details wrong. So here is the straight version, with the government's own pages so you can check me.
The 20 second version
If you run a company: the government will cover up to half of a real AI project, from $125,000 up to $5 million. For a business that money is interest free, but you do pay it back. So it is not free money. It is a zero percent way to fund half of a system you own. You need 5 or more full-time employees and a project of about $250,000 and up.
If you are a non-profit, a charity, a First Nation, Metis or Inuit organization, or a municipality: it is up to 90 percent, and you do not pay it back.
That is the whole thing. Now the details, because the details are where people get burned.
What it is
The program is the Regional Artificial Intelligence Initiative. It is part of the federal AI for All plan. In southern Ontario it is run by FedDev Ontario, and the intake is open right now.
The point of it is simple. The government wants Canadian businesses to actually adopt AI, not just talk about it, so it is paying for a big chunk of the work.
Who actually qualifies
This is the part the hype videos skip. For a business you have to be a for-profit, incorporated, and operating in southern Ontario. You need at least 5 full-time employees and fewer than 500. And your project has to be real, roughly $250,000 and up, because the smallest funding amount is $125,000 at up to half the cost.
You also have to be able to carry it. You fund your own half up front, and you pay the government's half back over time with no interest. If a business does not have that kind of cash for a project that size, this one is not for them, and that is okay.
The government says it may give priority to companies in manufacturing and robotics, healthcare and life sciences, and agriculture. Other sectors can still apply.
The 90 percent, pay-nothing-back deal is only for non-profits, charities, Indigenous organizations and municipalities with at least $1 million in annual revenue or expenses.
Check it yourself. Do not take my word for it.
For companies, the FedDev Ontario business page has the funding, the eligibility and the project rules: https://feddev-ontario.canada.ca/en/funding-southern-ontario/regional-artificial-intelligence-initiative-businesses-who-can-apply
For non-profits, charities and municipalities, the 90 percent non-repayable terms are on the organizations page: https://feddev-ontario.canada.ca/en/funding-southern-ontario/regional-artificial-intelligence-initiative-organizations-who-can-apply
You apply through FedDev Ontario. Applications are open now, and the final deadline to apply is January 19, 2027. So there is time, but not a lot. If a loan fits better than the program, BDC also has AI loans through LIFT.
Where we fit
This money is built to fund exactly what we build. One AI-native platform that takes the scattered software you run on, the CRM, the quoting, the scheduling, the training, the customer service, the inventory, and pulls it into one system you own.
We build the platform, we help you shape a project that qualifies, and we make sure what you have at the end pays for itself. If you want to know whether your business actually fits this, reach out. I will tell you straight, not sell you something you do not need.
Want the straight answer on whether your business fits? Lets talk.
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