FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Yes, you can spend the authorized amounts as per your grant agreement. Approved expenses only will be reimbursed. You have three months from the date of your agreement to spend the authorized amounts.

Due to the large number of requests, new grant applications for “Grow Your Business Online” are temporarily suspended. Our team of e-commerce advisors will reach out to all businesses that have filled out the interest form in the coming weeks.

Due to the high volume of requests, new grant applications for “Grow Your Business Online” are temporarily suspended. Therefore, it is no longer possible to schedule an appointment with an e-commerce advisor via their “Booking” link to initiate a new grant application process. In the coming weeks, we will contact all businesses that have filled out the online interest form but do not yet have a grant agreement.

All appointments scheduled with an e-commerce advisor are still valid.

Contact your e-commerce advisor or email info@pcan-quebec.ca.

New grant applications for “Grow Your Business Online” are temporarily suspended due to the high volume of requests received.

Stream 1: Grow Your Business Online

We are participating in this category.

The Grow Your Business Online grant helps small, customer-facing businesses take advantage of e-commerce opportunities by providing consulting services and micro-grants of up to $2,400 to help cover the costs of adopting digital technologies.

Stream 2: Boost Your Business Technology

We do not participate in this category.

The Boost Your Business Technology grant supports small and medium-sized businesses in need of more advanced technologies.

For more information, visit the ISDE website.

Businesses of all sizes and in all industries are eligible for the grant on a one-time basis. To apply, they must meet all of the following criteria:

• Have at least one employee OR had at least $30,000 in annual revenue in the most recent tax year (2022);
• Be a for-profit enterprise. This includes for-profit social enterprises and cooperatives;
• Be registered or incorporated;
• Sell goods and services directly to consumers (B2C);
• Be accessible to clients or provide services in person or online;
• Commit to maintaining the digital adoption strategy for at least six months after the intervention;
• Agree to participate in follow-up surveys, to have its information sent to the Government of Canada (ISDE and Statistics Canada) and to have its name published as a recipient of funding.

Eligible expenses covered by Quebec CDAP:

• Building a new e-commerce website
  * Please note redesign of an existing site is not eligible
• Add functionality to your existing site (added transactional component for example: online reservation/booking tools, online ordering systems, electronic payments, etc)
  * Please note redesign of an existing site is not eligible
• Costs related to the installation of an e-commerce platform (Shopify, Amazon, WooCommerce, etc.)
• Hiring a consultant to implement back-office solutions to support an e-commerce strategy
  * For marketing strategies, please select the Digital Marketing activity
• Creation of a customer database
• Add an e-commerce software to manage inventory and sales, offer discounts, maintain a loyalty program*, or increase cyber security:
  • Software to track and manage product inventory, as well as fulfill and ship orders
  • Software for product databases 
  • Cyber Security software or certifications
• Hardware and accompanying software up to 20% of total micro-grant amount. (The maximum amount covered possible is 20% of 2400$, therefore 480$)
  • As for examples of limited coverage for software, it would be any software that is bought with the equipment that is required to support an e-commerce strategy. For instance, if a small business buys a new e-commerce integrated point of sale (POS) system that costs $1,300 (including software), CDAP will cover 20% or $260
• Website search optimization/SEO

In addition to the eligible expenses above: 

• Digital marketing: Hire a consultant to execute Digital Marketing initiatives related to your e-commerce store, loyalty programs and social media advertising*

*Your grant cannot be used solely for digital marketing or any other activities that are exclusively marketingrelated, with the exception of search engine optimization/SEO.

CAREFUL: Marketing functionalities and software are considered digital marketing as well. Please note all eligible costs must be directly tied to the sale of goods and services online.

There is no minimum or maximum income requirement to participate in the Grow Your Business Online program.

No, all expense claims must be dated at least one day after the date of your approval notice.

Only hardware purchases directly related to an e-commerce strategy are eligible for subsidy at a rate of 20% of the total amount of the expense.

No, only new subscriptions are eligible. In addition, new subscriptions must be for a period of six months or more.

No, online businesses are also eligible.

Businesses must have at least one employee on the payroll to be eligible OR had at least $30,000 in annual revenue in the most recent tax year (2021).

You can submit a new application if your fisrt one was declined. However, each company can only receive one grant under this program.