Interest-free money for southern Ontario companies adopting AI or bringing an AI product to market. FedDev covers up to half the project, takes no equity, and costs from the past 12 months can count.
Check if your company qualifies in 60 seconds.
Eligibility check · 60 seconds
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The money
FedDev Ontario covers up to half of your eligible project costs, from $125K up to $5M, at 0% interest. Repayment normally starts one year after the project ends, and you give up no equity.
$1M
FedDev could fund
$500K
50% of the project, interest-free
Your share
$500K
cash, investors, loans or other funding
$0
interest
0%
equity given up
Illustration: FedDev covers up to 50% of eligible costs, $125K minimum and $5M maximum per project. Total government assistance is capped at 50% of capital and 75% of non-capital costs.
Two ways in
AI Adoption
For established businesses buying and installing AI, beyond off-the-shelf tools, to raise productivity, competitiveness and resilience.
AI Commercialization and Scale-Up
For businesses validating, commercializing, deploying and scaling a Canadian-made AI product that is already proven in a real setting (TRL 6+).
Not-for-profits and municipalities apply under separate organization streams that are non-repayable (up to 90% of costs).
Why the date matters
Oct 13, 2026
Intake opened
$500M added nationally, bringing the Regional AI Initiative to $700M.
Nov 24, 2026
Priority date
Apply by this date if your project's eligible costs start before March 31, 2027.
12 days leftJan 19, 2027
Final deadline
4:59 p.m. Eastern. Projects starting after March 31, 2027 use this date.
Already spending on the project? Eligible costs can go back up to 12 months before you apply, so November 24 is most likely your date.
What winning looks like
Recovered most of their eligible R&D expenses with GrantOps.
“GrantOps helped us unlock a ton in non-dilutive capital — funding we put straight back into building our product, without giving up a single point of equity.”
“GrantOps took a complex process entirely off our plate and delivered real results. I'd recommend them to any business looking to fund its growth.”
Joined by businesses across 13 industries
PhD-level reviewers check the technical claims before anything is filed
No equity, ever you keep 100% of your company
RAII + SR&ED planned together so both stack cleanly
Success rate: every application GrantOps filed in the past 12 months was approved.
How it works
Tell us about the company in a few minutes. GrantOps maps the programs you qualify for, the Regional AI Initiative included.
Work plan, milestones, budget, projections and the responsible-AI statement, built from your documents. PhD-level experts review the technical claims.
Nothing goes in without your sign-off. We keep RAII and SR&ED costs apart so you can claim both.
Founding offer · until Nov 24
11 months
of your subscription waived
Join GrantOps before November 24.
8%
success fee, only if funding is awarded
Missing some of it? That's normal. We tell you what to pull first.
Questions
For businesses it is a contribution, not a grant: you pay it back, but at 0% interest, with no equity taken and repayment normally starting one year after the project ends. Not-for-profits and municipalities apply under separate streams that are non-repayable.
Yes. The AI Adoption stream is for established businesses in any sector that put AI to work in their own operations: manufacturing, logistics, health, professional services and more. Commonly available AI tools and subscriptions on their own don't qualify; the project has to go further than that.
Cash you have or can raise: your bank balance, investors, loans or other government funding within the stacking caps (total government assistance up to 50% of capital and 75% of non-capital costs). Future revenue and in-kind contributions don't count as matching funds.
The intake stays open until January 19, 2027 at 4:59 p.m. ET. November 24 is FedDev's priority date for projects whose costs start before March 31, 2027. Because costs can go back 12 months, most projects already under way fall under it.
Yes. FedDev asks applicants to exclude SR&ED-eligible costs from the RAII application where possible, so the usual split is R&D under SR&ED and adoption, scale-up and go-to-market costs under RAII. We plan both together so they stack cleanly.
FedNor runs the Regional AI Initiative for northern Ontario, and every other regional development agency has its own intake. Our by-region guide lists each one's dates. See the regional dates.
Join before November 24 and we waive 11 months of your subscription. On top of that there is an 8% success fee, payable only if funding is awarded. No equity, ever.
12 days to the priority date
Founding offer · until Nov 24
Join now, 11 months of subscription waived.
8% success fee, only if funding is awarded. No equity, ever. Read-only access to your tools.
Get started free$125K to $5M, interest-free
12 days left