Founders, SMEs, non-profits, students · 6 min read

How to find AI funding in Canada

Match your situation to the right program, and prepare the three things every application asks for.

Start from who you are

A small or mid-sized business adopting AI: talk to NRC IRAP, then look at Mitacs AI Advantage to bring in student talent.
A start-up building an AI product: your regional development agency (RAII), Scale AI partner accelerators, and the AI Compute Access Fund when it reopens.
A non-profit or municipality: Mitacs AI Advantage accepts non-profits and municipalities as partners.
A student or recent graduate: Mitacs placements and the youth job commitments in the national AI strategy.
A researcher: CIFAR programs and your university's research office.

The problem, in two sentences, with a number: "We spend 20 hours a week answering the same supplier questions."
What you'll build or adopt, and how you'll know it worked.
A rough budget and timeline — and how much you can put in yourself, since most programs share costs.