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Guide · Small business 3 min read

Funding for your tech project in Manitoba, checked at the source.

The digital adoption grant is gone. Here's what a small business can still use for software and AI projects, as of early November 2026.

Business owner at her desk taking a sealed envelope from a small robot, with a piggy bank, coins, a laptop and a toy factory and van beside her.

Planning software, automation or AI work at a Manitoba small business? There is money for it. Much of it is loans and tax credits, not grants. We opened each program's official page and kept only the ones taking applications as of early November 2026. Rules change, so read the page again before you apply.

The grant everyone remembers is closed

The Canada Digital Adoption Program paid for a technology plan and came with a 0% BDC loan. Its technology stream stopped taking new applications on February 19, 2024. BDC now sends businesses to LIFT, its AI and technology program. LIFT is a loan program.

2024
is the year CDAP stopped taking new applications for its technology grant, per BDC
30%
of Canadian SMEs used AI in 2025, per BDC
$500M
is set aside for LIFT, to help over 1,000 SMEs adopt AI, per BDC

Paying to train your team

Trainer pointing at a blank screen on an easel while two employees take notes beside laptops, a small robot sitting between them.

The Canada-Manitoba Job Grant has been discontinued. Its replacement is the Building Up Manitoba Program, or BUMP. It pays back 50% of eligible training costs, up to $10,000 per employee and $100,000 in total. Outside trainers and training software both count. A second stream pays up to $25,000 toward policies, procedures and operations manuals, which is a good excuse to get the process out of the owner's head.

You need fewer than 500 full-time equivalent employees, a permanent place of business in Manitoba and a year of full operation. Manitoba takes applications year-round, starting with an intake form. The agreement can't run past the end of the fiscal year on March 31. Training is the part of a tech project owners forget to budget for.

Loans for buying and building tech

Business owner at a crossroads signpost with blank arrow signs, a government building and a bank behind him, a small robot holding a map.

BDC's LIFT has two streams. Digital transformation and AI is open to Canadian businesses with at least $1M in revenue, in most industries. BDC builds an AI and digital plan with you first, then finances the work in it, including integration. Loans run from $25,000 to $5 million, and you can postpone principal payments for up to two years, conditions apply. You get a lower rate when Canadian suppliers provide or integrate the technology. A separate equipment stream needs $5M in revenue.

Under $1M in revenue? The Canada Small Business Financing Program runs through your bank or credit union, which shares the risk with the government. It's for businesses with $10 million or less in revenue. Term loans can cover computers and software, with up to $150,000 for intangible assets and working capital. There's a 2% registration fee, and floating term loans are capped at prime plus 3%. Before you borrow, a weekly cash forecast shows what the payment does to your month.

If you're building something new

NRC IRAP supports research and development of new technology-driven products and services. You need to be incorporated, for-profit and at 500 employees or fewer. It won't fund day-to-day operating costs or purely commercial work. You start with a phone call, and an advisor usually gives advice before any money. IRAP is for inventing. Buying a scheduling tool won't qualify.

SR&ED is a tax credit for experiments that push technology forward. The basic rate is 15%, and some corporations earn 35%. The limit for the 35% rate rose to $6 million for tax years starting after December 15, 2024. Manitoba adds a 15% credit for the same work done here. Work that only improves your business practices doesn't count, and neither does hiring experts to apply what they already know.

Growing fast? PrairiesCan's Business Scale-up and Productivity program gives interest-free, repayable funding to incorporated, high-growth businesses, with priority for 20% yearly revenue growth. Requests run from $200,000 to $5 million, up to 50% of eligible costs. PrairiesCan takes expressions of interest at any time.

Read the rules before you spend

  • Cost-share programs need your money too. BUMP and PrairiesCan both cover 50% at most.
  • PrairiesCan pays back its share after you've paid the bills, so plan the cash to carry the project.
  • LIFT's AI stream needs a BDC plan before the loan.
  • You claim SR&ED with your tax return, so track who worked on what from day one.
A laptop with a red gear leads to a magnifying glass over folders, a sealed envelope in a mailbox and a stack of coins with a red check badge.
  1. Pick the project
  2. Match the programs
  3. Apply before you spend
  4. Build and claim

Want to see this mapped to your business?

Start small

Business owner reading a sheet with a red check mark while a small robot drops a red coin into a jar beside a calculator and receipts.

Pick one workflow first, the one that eats the most hours. Then match it to a program. Training staff on a new system points to BUMP. Borrowing to build it points to LIFT or the CSBFP. Something nobody has built before points to IRAP or SR&ED.

Our $750 roadmap includes a check for funding you might qualify for, next to the fixed quote for the build. We can't promise you'll qualify. The agencies decide that. You'll know which programs to apply to before you spend anything, and you own the code and data whichever way you pay for it.

Not sure what you'd qualify for?

Bring your project idea to a free 30-minute call. We'll map the workflow and tell you which programs are worth a look.

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