Funding guide

Why "dead" grants like CDAP still show up as available in 2026

CDAP closed to new applicants in February 2024, yet sites still present it as an open 2026 grant. Here's why it happens, how to spot it, and what's actually open instead.

◆ Checked with official government sources

Guide · updated September 24, 2026 · reviewed by BBN Labs

The Canada Digital Adoption Program stopped accepting new applications on February 19, 2024 (run by ISED; BDC handled the financing). Only businesses that signed an agreement before then remain eligible. Yet in 2026 you can still find pages with "apply today" buttons and status lines that appear on no government page. The reason is mostly how search works, not malice, but the cost to you is the same: a week spent applying for money that isn't there.

Why a closed program still looks open

Nobody takes the old page down. When a program ends, the page that ranked for it just stays up: same headline, same deadline, same ‘apply’ button. The government posts a closure notice on its own page, but the old third-party page already has age and links, so it often outranks the official update.
The traffic is worth money to them. A closed program that still pulls searches is valuable. Some pages funnel that traffic to a paid ‘grant expert’ or a lead form, so there’s an incentive to keep the page looking live.
Some add fake freshness. To look maintained, a page may carry a current-year date or a ‘paused’ status line that appears on no government page. It reads as authoritative. It isn’t.

The four tells

Stale page. The old page ranks on, deadline and ‘apply’ button intact, long after the program ended.
Unsourced status line. A ‘paused’ or ‘rolling intake’ note that doesn’t appear on any government page and doesn’t match the real closure.
Full how-to-apply walkthrough. A step-by-step current-year guide with an application button, for a program that stopped taking applicants years ago.
Recycled relief grant. A one-time pandemic measure, closed years ago, framed as ‘reopening’ with dates that don’t line up.

Dead programs still circulating in 2026

Canada Digital Adoption Program: Boost Your Business TechnologyClosed to new applicants Feb 19, 2024Run by ISED; closed as ‘fully subscribed.’ Only businesses with a signed agreement before that date remain eligible. BDC still processes those loans.

Canada Digital Adoption Program: Grow Your Business OnlineWound down end of 2023The earlier e-commerce micro-grant stream stopped taking new applicants before the main program closed.

Ontario Small Business Support GrantApplications closed Apr 7, 2021A one-time COVID-19 relief measure tied to the December 2020 shutdown. It has not reopened, despite pages that say it ‘will.’

How to check before you apply

Go to the official government page. A real, open program states its current status on a government or Crown-corporation site. That page settles it. Nothing else does.
Distrust any status line with no source. A ‘paused’ date or ‘rolling intake’ note that isn’t on the government’s own page is unverified. Treat it as marketing.
A citation to a dead page isn’t proof. A link that lands on a funder’s homepage, or an old deadline page, is not confirmation the program is open.
Check the real date, not the page’s date. A guide ‘updated’ this year can still describe a program that ended two years ago. Read the program’s status, not the byline.
If there is no official page and no exact program name, do not apply. And remember: a real government program never charges you to find out whether you qualify.

What's actually open instead

→Retail Modernization Project Grant (Ontario)50% up to $5,000, openFunds store technology: POS, inventory tools, kiosks. The closest broadly-usable successor for most small shops.→Technology Demonstration Program (Ontario)50% up to $50,000, openLarger, but it reimburses implementing a completed Digital Adoption Plan, so it fits fewer businesses.→Digital Main Street (Ontario)Grant for digital adoptionHelped main-street businesses get online and modernize; its last wave has closed, so check the official page for the next one.

Financing options like BDC LIFT exist too, plus programs in other provinces. See the whole picture in our CDAP replacement guide.

Not sure if a program is still open?

Tell us about your business and we'll show you what's actually open for you right now: every program checked, dated, and free.

Start my free funding check

Every program on our list is checked with its official source, carries the date we last verified it, and is flipped to "Closed, monitoring" the day after a deadline passes.

Frequently asked questions

Is CDAP still available in 2026?

No. CDAP's Boost Your Business Technology stream stopped accepting new applications on February 19, 2024. It was run by Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED), with BDC handling the financing for approved businesses. Only businesses that signed a grant agreement before that date remain eligible to continue. Any site presenting it as open for new applicants in 2026 is out of date.

Why do so many sites still say I can apply for CDAP?

Mostly because other websites rarely update their pages when a program ends, so the old page stays online with its 'apply' button. Some sites go further and add a current-status line that isn't on any government page. To be sure, check the program's official government page for its current status.

How can I tell if a grant listing is out of date?

Find the official government page and check its status and deadline. Do not trust a status that is not on that page, or a link that goes only to a homepage or an old page. Look at the program's real status, not the page's 'updated' date. If you cannot find an official page or the exact program name, do not apply.

What replaced CDAP for small businesses?

No single federal program did. In Ontario, the closest successor for most small businesses is the Retail Modernization Project Grant (50% up to $5,000, open), which funds store technology. The Technology Demonstration Program (50% up to $50,000) is larger but requires a completed Digital Adoption Plan first, so it fits fewer businesses.

Check if you qualify for funding before you spend

Tell us about your business and project. You see which grants, loans and rebates may fit, with their rules and deadlines. You apply on the official program site. It's all free.