Retail Modernization Project Grant (RMPG)
Get 50% back, up to $5,000, on modern store technology for your Ontario shop: POS, inventory tracking, kiosks, CRM. You pay upfront, buy within 30 days of approval, and OCI reimburses after your claim is approved. Applications are open.
“RMPG helps retail businesses with the purchase of effective digital equipment and software to help them transform and grow.”
From the official program page
Before you spend any money
After signing the funding agreement you have 30 days to purchase and implement; costs incurred before approval are ineligible.
At a glance
Subject to program rules, available funding, and approval. Confirm current details with the official program administrator.
Is this for you?
- You run an incorporated, for-profit, consumer-facing shop with a permanent bricks-and-mortar location in Ontario, such as a book shop, coffee shop or hairdresser.
- You have 1 to 50 full-time staff, at least one year in your location, and at least $100,000 revenue in one of the last three tax years.
- You can pay the full project cost upfront (minimum $6,000) and wait for the 50% reimbursement.
Probably not the right fit if
- You sell only online, or you are part of a chain, franchise, or three-plus commonly-branded locations.
- Your business is advisory or medical services, or hospitality without a food menu.
- You already received DMAP grant support, or you want funding for a website, SEO or marketing. These are all excluded.
How much you'd realistically get
For example, a modern point-of-sale system:
Project cost
$10,000
Program pays
$5,000
You pay
$5,000
That's the program's maximum. A bigger project works, and the amount above the cap is yours to fund.
Illustration using this program's published rate and cap; amounts and eligibility are decided by the program.
Up to $5,000. A $10,000 project gets the full amount. The minimum project is $6,000 (OCI pays $3,000).
What may be supported
- Point of Sale hardware and mobile POS
- CRM and accounting software
- Electronic shelf labels
- RFID and IoT
- Self-checkout kiosks
- Digital storage and inventory management
- AI customer interaction systems
- Loss prevention video
- Scheduling and labour management software
- Technology installation
What's excluded or restricted
- Software subscriptions, new or existing
- Marketing, website costs and SEO, including signage, printing, logo redesign and rebranding
- Stock for sale, fixtures and fittings, labour and staff costs, consultancy, rent and indirect costs
- Land, buildings or vehicle purchases; purchases made before grant approval
- Ineligible businesses: e-commerce-only storefronts; corporate chains and franchises; three or more commonly-branded locations; advisory/consulting firms; medical services; hospitality without a food menu; multi-level marketing; not-for-profits
- Businesses that have already received DMAP grant support
How applying works
Effort: moderateExpect the intake form, an OCI-initiated AccessOCI application with a quote-backed budget, an endorsement step, a 30-day purchase window, a final claim with proof of payment, and follow-up outcome surveys.
- 01Submit OCI's Client Intake Form to be connected with a Business Development Manager or Digital Adoption Advisor (this is not yet the application).
- 02Once the BDM/DAA confirms fit, they initiate your application in OCI's AccessOCI system and you receive login details.
- 03Complete the application with your quote-backed budget and request the BDM/DAA endorsement before submitting.
- 04OCI reviews internally (about one week), then a committee of subject-matter experts decides; you are notified by email.
- 05Sign the non-negotiable funding agreement, purchase and implement the technology within 30 days, and submit invoices plus proof of payment to be reimbursed.
Who to ask: fshikongo@oc-innovation.ca (Febbie Shikongo, Program Manager)
Documents commonly required
- Quotes and budget lines for the technology you plan to buy.
- Proof of incorporation with a valid Business Number.
- Revenue records showing at least $100,000 in one of the previous three tax years.
- For the claim: supplier invoices and formal proof of payment.
What to know before you count on it
- You pay the full cost first. You get half back after your claim is approved. Your claim needs invoices and formal proof of payment.
- You have just 30 days after signing the funding agreement to purchase and implement the technology.
- The same budget line items cannot have any other federal or provincial funding.
- Funding is discretionary and limited. Not all eligible applications are approved. Grants are generally taxable income; ask your accountant.
What are your odds?
Approval is not automatic. Applications are scored on the need for digital modernization, expected growth impact, and how clear and workable your plan and budget are. A clear budget backed by supplier quotes gives your application the best chance.
Frequently asked questions
Do I have to repay the grant?
No. It is a reimbursement grant. You buy the technology first, submit invoices and proof of payment, and get 50% back, up to $5,000.
Can it pay for my website or SEO?
No. Marketing, website costs and SEO are explicitly ineligible. It funds store technology: POS, kiosks, inventory systems, CRM and similar.
Can I get both RMPG and the DMAP grant?
No. Businesses that have received DMAP support are ineligible for RMPG.
When do I get paid?
After project completion, once your claim report with invoices and proof of payment is approved. You have 30 days after signing the agreement to purchase and implement.
More funding by what it pays for
What you can combine it with
You cannot use other federal or provincial funding for the same costs, and you cannot use this grant to get other government funding for the same work. Businesses that already received DMAP support cannot apply.
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Worth reading before you apply
Get alerted when this changes
Programs open and close, budgets run out, rules change. We send one short email when something changes that matters for this program.
Page last updated ; status and deadline checked . Source: official program page.