Ontario money splits into two very different piles. Province-wide programs fund technology: plans, implementation, store systems, energy retrofits. City programs fund the building: facades, signs, fit-outs, accessibility. Most owners qualify for one pile without knowing the other exists. This guide ranks both, with the real caps.
One ground rule before the list: these are grants and rebates you do not repay. Loans and financing are a different tool and live on our loans and financing page. And nearly every grant here is a cost-share: you pay first, get approved first, or both — the program page for each one spells out its exact order of operations.
The top 20 at a glance
| Program | Worth up to | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Ottawa Centretown Heritage Facade Program | 75% of costs, max $75,000 | Ottawa (Centretown) |
| Technology Demonstration Program | 50%, up to $50,000 | Ontario-wide |
| London Vacant Space Fit-Out Grant | 50%, up to $50,000 | London |
| Chatham-Kent Facade Grant | up to $40,000 | Chatham-Kent |
| Windsor Main Streets Facade Program | up to $30,000 | Windsor |
| Richmond Hill Facade & Sign Grant | up to $25,000 facade | Richmond Hill |
| Brampton Facade Improvement Program | $20,000 ($50,000 heritage) | Brampton |
| Digital Modernization and Adoption Plan | 50%, up to $15,000 | Ontario-wide (B2B) |
That is the top of the table; the full twenty follow, grouped the way you should actually work through them.
Province-wide: the technology money
1. Technology Demonstration Program (TDP) — 50% back, up to $50,000
The biggest province-wide grant most Ontario businesses can actually use. TDP reimburses 50% of the cost of implementing a completed digital plan — platforms, software, integration work — with a minimum 1:1 match, paid on completion. The catch: you need a finished DMAP first. Open as of July 2026. Details and the official source on the TDP page.
2. Digital Modernization and Adoption Plan (DMAP) — 50% back, up to $15,000
Step one of the pathway above: 50% back, up to $15,000, on an expert-built technology roadmap with an approved consultant. Designed for business-to-business product companies rather than consumer retail. Finish it and TDP funds the build-out. DMAP page.
3. Retail Modernization Project Grant (RMPG) — 50% back, up to $5,000
The retail door: 50% back, up to $5,000, on store technology — POS systems, inventory tracking, kiosks, CRM — on a minimum $6,000 project, reimbursed after purchase. Small cap, fast win, open as of July 2026. RMPG page.
4. Retrofit Program — up to 50% of energy upgrades
Ontario's electricity-saving retrofit program covers up to 50% of eligible project costs on energy-efficient equipment — lighting, refrigeration, HVAC measures — which cuts the bill that never stops arriving. Caps depend on the measures; the Retrofit Program page has the current rules and official source.
City storefront grants, ranked by what they are worth
Sixteen city programs across fifteen Ontario cities will pay for your storefront right now. These are address-specific: designated streets, downtown districts and community-improvement areas decide who qualifies, and most require approval before you spend a dollar. Ranked by the verified cap:
5. Ottawa — Centretown Heritage Facade Improvement Program: 75% up to $75,000
The richest storefront grant in the province, for heritage properties in Centretown: 75% of costs to a $75,000 maximum, applications open to December 31, 2026. Program page.
6. London — Vacant Commercial Space Fit-Out Grant: 50% up to $50,000
London pays half the cost of fitting out a vacant commercial space, up to $50,000 — the rare grant aimed at moving IN, not just refreshing. Program page.
7. Chatham-Kent — Facade Improvement Grant: up to $40,000
50% of eligible facade and signage work, calculated per linear foot of frontage, to a verified $40,000 ceiling. Program page.
8. Windsor — Main Streets Facade Improvement Program: up to $30,000
Facade and signage reimbursement along Windsor's designated main streets; you pay first, the city reimburses. Windsor runs one more storefront program below. Program page.
9. Richmond Hill — Facade, Landscaping and Signage Grant: up to $25,000
Three streams in one program: up to $25,000 for facades, $10,000 for landscaping, $2,500 for signage. Program page.
10. Brampton — Facade Improvement Program: $20,000, or $50,000 for heritage
50% cost-share on storefront and signage work, with the cap rising to $50,000 on heritage buildings. Program page.
11. Windsor — Downtown Facade Improvement Program: up to $20,000
Downtown-district facade and signage reimbursement. Program page.
12. Greater Sudbury — Facade Improvement Program: up to $20,000
50% back on facade and signage upgrades. Program page.
13. Brantford — Downtown Facade & Safety Grant: up to $15,000
Facade plus safety upgrades downtown. Program page.
14. Peterborough — Central Area Facade Grant: 50% up to $15,000
Per-property facade reimbursement in the central area — and the record notes signs and masonry both qualify. Program page.
15. Welland — Downtown & Health Cluster Facade Grant: up to $12,500
Up to $12,500 for the front facade, with extra streams for side, rear and heritage work. Program page.
16. Oshawa — Facade & Accessibility Grant: up to $10,000, apply by September 1, 2026
Facade plus accessibility upgrades — and the nearest hard deadline on this list. Program page.
17. Waterloo — Uptown Facade Grant: up to $10,000, apply by October 31, 2026
Uptown CIP storefront renovations, second-nearest deadline here. Program page.
18. Hamilton — Commercial District Revitalization Grant: up to $10,000+
50% cost-share, with higher caps for corner and BIA locations. Program page.
19. Kitchener — Facade Grant Program: up to $10,000
Facade and signage reimbursement. Program page.
20. St. Catharines — Facade Improvement Program: 50% up to $10,000 per facade
Per-facade cap, so corner buildings can qualify twice. Program page.
Your city missing? We track storefront programs in more Ontario cities than fit in a top-20 — the full set lives on the storefront and retail modernization page, and every Ontario program is on the Ontario funding page.
How to work the list
- Start with the pile that matches your project: building work → your city's program; technology → TDP/DMAP/RMPG; power bills → Retrofit.
- Check the address rules before anything else. City grants are street-specific; five minutes on the program page saves a dead application.
- Never start work before approval unless the program page explicitly says you can. Most of these reimburse approved projects only.
- Stacking is real but rule-bound: a city facade grant plus a province-wide tech grant on the same premises is common; two grants on the same invoice usually is not. Each program page carries its stacking notes.
Key takeaways
- 37 grant and rebate programs are open to Ontario small businesses right now; the 20 above are the most broadly useful, verified July 2026.
- The biggest province-wide grant most businesses can use is TDP: 50% back, up to $50,000, after a completed DMAP.
- The richest storefront money is municipal: Ottawa's 75% up to $75,000 leads sixteen city programs.
- Two deadlines are close: Oshawa (September 1, 2026) and Waterloo (October 31, 2026).
- Every program here is a grant or rebate — no loans on this list — and every figure comes from a verified record with its official source linked.
The short version: in Ontario, the province pays for your technology and your city pays for your storefront — and the owners who get both are the ones who checked both piles.
BBN Labs screens your business for these programs free, tells you honestly when nothing fits, and when something does, we build the website, store technology or signage the funding is meant for — and help you manage the application and deadlines so you do not lose the money. Qualification and approval always rest with each program administrator, subject to program rules, available funding, and approval.