Canada’s Digital Adoption Program

Grow Your Online Business Grant

Invest In Your Online Business and Get Reimbursed up to $2400
Work With An
E-commerce Advisor
Collaborate And Create A Tailored Plan To Maximize Your Business
Play Video

How The Grow Your Business Online Program Works

Step1

Confirm Your
Eligibility

Your business is eligible if:

- Operate a registered for-profit business (social enterprises and cooperatives included) in British Columbia
- Earn more than 30k revenue in a year OR have at least one employee other than the owner
- Don’t currently sell online or want to make improvements to an existing e-commerce site
- Have a business that is customer-facing

Step 2

Connect With An Advisory Team... Like Alacrity!

Get Connected With Your Ecommerce Advisor

Work with an e-commerce advisor to design a plan to maximize your online business.
Why Alacrity?

Step 3

Submit Your Plan To Get Reimbursed
Money spent on e-commerce improvements will be reimbursed upon review of receipts and/or invoice copies, with proof of payment.

Is Your Business Eligible for Grant Funding?

Eligible

Your business is eligible if:

  • Operate a registered for-profit business (social enterprises and cooperatives included) in British Columbia
  • Earn more than 30k revenue in a year OR have at least one employee other than the owner
  • Don’t currently sell online or want to make improvements to an existing e-commerce site 
  • Have a business that is customer-facing

Not Eligible

These businesses are NOT eligible:

  • Multi-level marketing companies or their representatives
  • Brokerage firms, such as real estate agents, investment advisors, insurance agents, etc.
  • Drop shippers
  • Wholesale or manufacturing distributors

Costs Covered

Eligible Expenses Explained

  • To develop a new e-commerce website or add functionality to your existing site (e.g. online reservation/booking tools, online ordering systems, electronic payments)
    • Redesign of an existing site is not eligible
  • To install an e-commerce platform (including subscription fees/costs)
  • To hire a consultant to help with digital marketing strategies for your e-commerce store that could include activities such as website search optimization and social media advertising.
    • Your grant cannot be used solely for marketing or SEO purposes; such uses must be tied to an overall e-commerce implementation plan and not a standalone item
  • To track and manage inventory and sales, market to customers, offer discounts, maintain a loyalty program, or increase cyber security using e-commerce software
  • To pay up to 20% of the total cost of hardware and software

Eligible costs must be directly tied to the sale of goods and services online.

  • Internet connectivity
  • Shipping of goods purchased through the e-commerce platform
  • Purchases made prior to grant approval
  • Renewal of digital services such as domain names or software subscriptions (including existing e-commerce subscriptions)
  • Signage and printing
  • Logo redesign and rebranding
  • Owner’s salary or current employee salary for executing the project
  • Purchase of land, buildings or vehicles
  • Intangible assets such as goodwill, whether capitalized or expensed
  • Depreciation or amortization expenses
  • Interest on invested capital, bonds or debentures
  • Bond discount
  • Monthly mortgage, loan and/or rent payments
  • Refinancing of an existing debt
  • Losses on investments, bad debts and any other debts
  • Fines or penalties
  • Litigation
  • Fees for administrators, including payments to any member or officer of the business’s board of directors
  • Opportunity costs
  • Hospitality and entertainment costs
  • Franchise fees and/or franchise licence costs
  • Lobbyist fees
  • New capital expenditures
  • Consulting fees for submission of CDAP application or any costs not related to the acquisition or set-up of technology solutions
Required Documents & details

If you have any questions about these requirements, please do not hesitate to contact us. 

  • Federal Business Number
  • GST/HST number
  • Industry type and NAICS code

One of the following:

  • Incorporation or registration documents
  • Operating/business license
  • Proof of business registration with a Band Council (Indigenous businesses only)
  • A paragraph explaining how funds will be used toward eligible expenditures
  • Number of years in business
    (since business registration)

One of the following:

  • Attestation that the business has employed at least one employee (other than the owner) for at least three months prior to the application

OR

  • Attestation of annual gross revenues exceeding $30,000 in the last 12 months of operations or since incorporation/registration (for businesses that have been in operation for under a year)

SUPPORT, GUIDANCE, GRANT NAVIGATION

ALACRITY IS HERE TO HELP​

contact us

Adding an online store to supplement your small business doesn’t need to be overwhelming, intimidating, or take away from your physical business.

Going online is an excellent way to reach more customers, but where do even begin? Fortunately, there’s an easy solution to help you build your new e-commerce platform…

Say hello to Alacrity Canada!

We’re here to help you take advantage of government micro-grants you may not even know are available to you!

Plus, get the guidance you need to get started. Sound too good to be true? It really isn’t!

CDAP - Canada's Digital Adoption Program

Frequently asked Questions

Select A Topic Below

Money spent on e-commerce improvements will be reimbursed upon review of receipts and/or invoice copies, with proof of payment.

Micro-grant disbursements require the receipt of both an invoice and proof of payment. The exchange rate can be based on the rate stated on the credit card statement or a copy of the canceled check.

This grant can not be used solely for marketing purposes, as the purpose of this grant program is for small businesses to create new or improve existing e-commerce solutions.

No. All submitted expenses will require both proof of service completed and proof of payment.

Yes. The grant funds are taxable and should be reported on your corporate tax return.

All receipts must be submitted within 90 days from the project start date, receipts must be submitted together for a maximum amount up to $2400 and proof of payment must be provided for each receipt.

The micro-grant can be used to pay a contractor only if the contractor operates an independent business (registered and/or incorporated) that provides digital adoption services. The grant cannot be used to pay an employee’s salary.

Costs can only be incurred from the date on which your application has been deemed eligible.

You can claim your micro-grant within three (3) months of your application being deemed eligible or meeting with the E-Commerce Advisor, whichever date is later. You must provide both your invoice and proof of payment within these three (3) months.

If your business is a consumer-facing business that can be accessed by customers or provides in-person services to customers, it is eligible (so long as all other eligibility criteria are met).

If the business had at least $30,000 in revenue in the last 12 months of operations or since incorporation/registration for businesses that have been in operation for under a year, you are eligible to apply.

A consumer-facing business is a business that sells directly to customers (B2C). Businesses can be a bricks and mortar business or an online business.

The program administered by Alacrity Canada is for businesses with a local B.C. address only. Please see https://www.ic.gc.ca/eic/site/152.nsf/eng/00011.html for providers in other provinces.

Funding will continue until 2025.

Businesses are asked to participate in follow-up surveys, agree to having their business information shared with the Government of Canada (ISED and Statistics Canada), and agree to their business name being published as a recipient of funding.

Businesses must agree to maintain their digital adoption strategy for 6 months post-intervention.

Stream 1 – the Grow Your Business Online program helps small businesses take advantage of e-commerce opportunities.

  • Eligible businesses will receive a micro-grant of up to $2,400 to help with the costs related to adopting digital technologies.
  • Access to e-commerce advisors who will advise and help small businesses adopt e-commerce.

 

Learn more about the Grow Your Business Online program here.

 

Stream 2 – the Boost Your Business Technology grant helps small and medium-sized businesses with at least $500,000 of annual revenues,  adopt new digital technologies.

  • Use a free digital assessment tool to evaluate your own digital readiness
  • The grant covers up to 90% of the eligible cost of retaining the services of a digital advisor, up to a maximum grant value of $15,000 per SME, to develop a digital adoption plan
  • Businesses also have the opportunity to secure a 0% interest loan from the Business Development Bank of Canada (BDC) to facilitate the acquisition of new technology

 

Learn more about the Boost Your Business Technology grant here.

Please review the full list of eligible and ineligible expenses in our Program Guide 

If the proposal is for improvements and/or something new it may be eligible. However, a replacement of existing features would not be.

Corporate chains, franchises, or registered charities are not eligible.

As the website already has a functioning online shop, expenses related to photography would not be eligible.

Yes, if you choose to use the grant only for SEO, it must cover the majority of your grant expenses.

The following improvements are examples of eligible SEO costs:

  • Keyword Research and Metadata Optimization
  • SEO to enable mobile-Friendly Design
  • Page Speed Optimization
  • Linking – Creating a clearly defined system of internal links that directs both users and search engines through the small business’ content effectively.
 
All SEO work must be implemented directly on the business website included in the grant application

Micro-grants will be issued based on the cost of the expense(s) before taxes; tax charges will not be reimbursed.

Only for-profit businesses (including for-profit social enterprises and cooperatives) are eligible for this funding.

Costs can only be incurred from the date on which your application has been deemed eligible.

You can claim your micro-grant within three (3) months of your application being deemed eligible or meeting with the E-Commerce Advisor, whichever date is later. You must provide both your invoice and proof of payment within these three (3) months.

Yes. However, you will be required to declare that the programs are not used to pay the same expense twice, i.e. the funding provided through the Online Shops Program will be used toward expenses not covered by the other programs your business has participated in.

Your business has to attest that you had a gross revenue of at least $30,000 in the last 12 months of operations or since incorporation/registration. Therefore you would not be able to apply if you are “on track” to meet the threshold; you would have to wait until the threshold has been met.

Money spent on e-commerce improvements will be reimbursed upon review of receipts and/or invoice copies, with proof of payment.

Micro-grant disbursements require the receipt of both an invoice and proof of payment. The exchange rate can be based on the rate stated on the credit card statement or a copy of the canceled check.

This grant can not be used solely for marketing purposes, as the purpose of this grant program is for small businesses to create new or improve existing e-commerce solutions.

No. All submitted expenses will require both proof of service completed and proof of payment.

Yes. The grant funds are taxable and should be reported on your corporate tax return.

All receipts must be submitted within 90 days from the project start date, receipts must be submitted together for a maximum amount up to $2400 and proof of payment must be provided for each receipt.

The micro-grant can be used to pay a contractor only if the contractor operates an independent business (registered and/or incorporated) that provides digital adoption services. The grant cannot be used to pay an employee’s salary.

Costs can only be incurred from the date on which your application has been deemed eligible.

You can claim your micro-grant within three (3) months of your application being deemed eligible or meeting with the E-Commerce Advisor, whichever date is later. You must provide both your invoice and proof of payment within these three (3) months.

CDAP Stream 1 photo - two entrepreneurs taking photos for ecommerce site

Ready To Apply?

We're ready to help you get funding!

PROGRAM HIGHLIGHT - CDAP STREAM 1:
This World's Ours

“This World’s Ours is an inclusive centre in the heart of Vancouver providing a safe, social space and a variety of programs for neurodiverse children and families. ALL children are welcome to participate in our programs.”

– Koryn Heisler, ‘This World’ Ours’