Industry, Science, and Economic Development Canada (ISED) is offering eligible businesses $2,400 non-repayable grant money to adopt e-commerce strategies and grow digitally. This is part of a $4 billion, 3-year program rolling out across Canada. There’s a long list of items that are eligible (which you’ll find about halfway down the page here under ‘eligible costs’: https://digitalmainstreet.ca/atlantic-cdap/). It could be online ordering systems, e-commerce software, search engine optimization support, e-commerce software subscription fees, social media/digital ads, development of a new e-commerce website, or a bunch of other things. Companies are encouraged to invest their own funds beyond $2,400 in the e-commerce strategy, but it is not a requirement.

The main eligibility criteria are that:

• You’re a registered for-profit company.

• You’re a consumer facing business, which means that your sales are not exclusively business-to-business (you can still sell B2B, just not ONLY B2B).

• EITHER:

o You have at least one employee (other than an owner) on payroll, who has been on payroll for at least 3 months when you apply. OR;

o Your business has generated gross revenue of $30,000 or more during the last 12 months

• You are committed to growing your business through e-commerce for at least 6 months.

• You cannot be a franchise, corporate chain, multi-level marketing company, or real estate brokerage