Digital Main Street (DMS) is a program focused on assisting main street small businesses (MSB) with their adoption of technologies. Through a partnership with FedDev Ontario and the Province of Ontario, grant opportunities are available to enable this digital transformation process. The Digital Transformation Grant (DTG) program will provide funding for training, advisory support, and contributions to main street small businesses looking increase their capacity through digital transformation.
Participant Requirements
A Digital Transformation Grant is open to any business that meets the following requirements:
Must be a main street business that:
Is located in, or close to, a downtown main street, a Business Improvement Area or has zoning consistent with a municipality’s Operating Plan defining a central business district
Is employing 1-10 employees (or fewer than 25 employees if they are a café, restaurant, or bar)
Is paying commercial property tax (commercially assessed), either directly or through commercial rent
Is a registered business in Ontario and/or is incorporated
Is open for business/operating at the time of application (not a start up)
Is NOT a business supplying digital services to other businesses (e.g. website design/development, SEO, programming)
Is NOT a franchise, including those individually owned and operated
Is NOT a not-for-profit/ charitable organization
Is NOT renting office space on a temporary basis (month-to-month)
Is NOT in a shared workspace such as a hot desk or dedicated desk
Is NOT a purely online business
Owned by:
An Ontario resident operating a business in Ontario.
An individual of 18 years of age or older at the time of application.
A Canadian citizen or permanent resident.
Has completed the Digital Transformation for Main Street program, which includes:
The Digital Main Street Assessment
Has passed the eligibility quiz
The online training
Developing a Digital Transformation Plan
For more information visit https://digitalmainstreet.ca/marketing-new-economy/