CDAP: Latest Updates to the Canadian Digital Adoption Program
Last Updated: February 20th, 2024
The Canadian Digital Adoption Program (CDAP) is fully subscribed and is no longer accepting new applications. If you have a valid CDAP grant agreement, Red Pill Labs can and will continue to work with you to get funded.
If you don't have a valid CDAP agreement, we welcome the opportunity to speak with you about how we can solve your business problems or technology problems that are holding you back.
The following article will stay online as a resource for businesses with a valid CDAP agreement.
Launched in March 2022, the Canadian Federal government aimed to provide funding for Canadian small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs) to leverage technology. Setting aside $4 billion, CDAP entails 3 subsequent parts: a $15,000 grant for advisory services, an up-to $100,000 (interest-free) loan from the Business Development Bank of Canada (BDC) , and a youth wage subsidy. The program is meant to run for 4 years, however; businesses are encouraged to apply soon before funding runs out since the uptake for the grant has been enormous.
If you are returning to this webpage, and looking for the original CDAP video, you can press this link or view the video at the bottom of this page. Please note that, due to some recent updates to the CDAP Program, certain eligibility criteria may no longer be applicable (see above video or continue reading).
In this article:
Latest Updates: November 2nd, 2023
Franchises are now eligible for CDAP
Major Changes to the Youth Wage Subsidy
Past Updates: September, 22nd, 2023
Application Process Assistance & Resource Allocation
Number of Grants Received by Canadian Companies
Past Updates: July 12th, 2023
Application Delegation Steps
Steps on How to Delegate Applications
CDAP Latest Updates: November 2nd, 2023
The most recent CDAP “Boost Your Business” updates include major enhancements to the Youth Wage Subsidy from the BDC and huge news for franchise owners:
Franchise Eligibility Update
The latest update to the Canadian government’s Canadian Digital Adoption Program (CDAP) now sees franchises as eligible business entities. CDAP, which previously excluded franchises from being eligible, now allo…
Major Enhancements to the Youth Wage Subsidy
New Eligibility Criteria:
Businesses have the opportunity to hire one or multiple young individuals and qualify for a wage subsidy of $7,300 for each eligible youth hire.
Eligible youth must be aged between 18 and 30.
Youth candidates must be Canadian citizens, permanent residents, or refugees with the legal right to work in Canada.
Roles can be either full-time or part-time, offering flexibility.
Each young individual can participate in only one Boost Your Business-funded work placement.
Updated CDAP Wage Subsidy Eligibility:
No longer a requirement: Youth candidates are no longer required to be students or recent graduates.
No longer a requirement: There is no longer a minimum hour threshold to receive the wage subsidy (previously set at 450 hours).
Businesses now have the ability to receive a wage subsidy for multiple hires, with up-to $7,300 in funding per hire.
Furthermore, if a business has previously hired a young individual through the grant, they can revisit their application to bring in additional youth to further their digital adoption efforts and receive support for wage expenses.
—Have questions? Send us a message!
CDAP Update- September 22nd, 2023
The latest CDAP updates will give you insight to how many businesses have applied to CDAP so far, as well as insight to how the government plans to assist with making your application process easier.
What are the updates to the application process?
As seen at the bottom of this article, the government has recognized bottlenecks within the application process, and has allowed business owners/directors to select a delegate from within their organization to complete the application process for them. For more information, continue to the “Delegate the Application Process” section in this article, or contact us to speak with an CDAP Advisor.
The September update takes things further in an effort to assist businesses with applying. The Canadian government’s CDAP team aims to increase resources for businesses who apply, and allocate more resources towards quicker replies when the businesses run into an error or require some assistance. In unison with providing more support resources for businesses, the government’s CDAP team aims to increase clarity on the monitoring and investigation process by creating a new team for compliance and monitoring. To do this, the new CDAP compliance team is actively working with third-parties to identify patterns of non-compliance to ensure the maintenance of program integrity.
How many businesses have applied?
As of August 2023;
53,000 SME Accounts have been created
16,000 grant agreements have been created
8,000 grants have been claims
7,000 grants have been disbursed
CDAP: Delegate Your Application Process- July 12th, 2023
The government has finally updated and simplified the Canadian Digital Adoption Program’s application process, addressing a common issue a handful of businesses have faced: getting passed the application process. Although intended to be easy and straightforward for business owners, numerous people have gone through a tedious process of identity verification among other errors. These errors are typically accredited to people other than the owner/director of the organization applying on behalf of the business or owners providing inconsistent information such as different email addresses, phone numbers, etc.
What is the Update?
Owners/Directors are now able to delegate the entire application process!
The latest CDAP update acknowledges that some business owners may not have much time to spare within their work week to apply for the program. By allowing owners to delegate the application process, businesses are now able to take advantage of the CDAP “Boost Your Business” program without adding extra work onto their plates.
Although this update does allow owners to entrust a delegate from their organization to complete the application and Digital Needs Assessment, owners must follow the set of instructions featured in the next section to avoid application issues.
Please note that this recent update only affects new applications. If you’ve already applied or are in the process of applying, you are unfortunately not able to delegate the application to a member of your organization.
How to Delegate Your CDAP Application:
Instructions for Delegate:
Step 1: Ensure that the Director is aware that you will be completing the application on behalf of the business.
Step 2: Click the “Apply Now” button above or click here.
Step 3: Select “Create an Account” by using one of the following options:
Email Address (Recommended)
GCKey Sign In
Interac Sign In
Step 4: Verify your identity by using one of the following options:
Personal Banking Login (Recommended)
Interac Document Verification Service
In-Person at your nearest Canada Post
Identity Verification Appointment with a CDAP officer
Step 5: Start the Application by entering the following information:
Company name
Business registration number
Step 6: Select “No” to being a Director
Step 7: Submit Contact Information of the Director.
Please note that the contact information must be for the official director and/or owner of the business who has access to business details from the CRA.
Instructions for Owners/Directors:
Step 1: Sign in using temporary password and username (email address).
Authorized Directors will receive an email containing the necessary information to continue the application process. Please sign in using
Step 2: Verify Identity by using one of the following options.
Personal Banking Login (Recommended)
Interac Document Verification Service
In-Person at your nearest Canada Post
Identity Verification Appointment with a CDAP officer
Step 3: Confirm Business’ Eligibility.
Provide your business number and login to the CRA using your “My Business Account” credentials.
Step 4: Authorize delegation.
Once your credentials are verified, you may proceed to select the “Provide authorization” button.
Instructions for Delegate (continued):
Step 8: Continue application:
Please note that delegates will now be able to do the following:
Review and complete the CDAP application form
Provide or change business banking details
Sign the grant agreement (if applicable) and submit the grant claim, up to $15,000
Communicate with CDAP representatives about the application
Apply for other CDAP program components such as the BDC loan or Youth Wage Subsidy.
Step 9: Complete Application by following the steps located within this guide
