Ease AIThe Business Development Bank of Canada announced LIFT on 24 April 2026: a $500 million programme offering financing for AI adoption. The amounts run from $25,000 to $5 million per business, with principal deferrable for up to two years.
That deferred repayment window matters. It gives you time to see whether the thing you built actually works before the bill comes due.
But these are loans. Not grants. You will repay them.
What LIFT is not
Several third-party sites quote an interest rate for LIFT. BDC has not published one. Treat any figure you read elsewhere as speculation.
LIFT is also not a subsidy programme like Ontario's Digital Modernization and Adoption Plan, which reimburses half your costs up to $15,000. DMAP puts cash back in your account after you spend it. LIFT gives you access to capital you will eventually repay with interest.
If your project costs $8,000 and you can pay for it outright, financing it through LIFT makes no sense. You would take on debt and interest for no reason. Save LIFT for projects whose scale or timing requires borrowed capital.
The three qualifying categories
BDC structures LIFT around three spending categories: software and platforms, hardware and infrastructure, and implementation services.
Software and platforms includes SaaS subscriptions, API access, and off-the-shelf AI tools. If you are buying seats in a platform or paying per API call, this is the category.
Hardware and infrastructure covers servers, GPU capacity, edge devices, and cloud compute. Most small businesses will not need this. The exception is manufacturing, logistics, or any operation running vision models on dedicated hardware.
Implementation services means hiring someone to build, configure, or integrate the system. This is where workflow automation and custom AI applications sit. It also covers training your staff to use what you have built.
All three categories can combine in a single LIFT application. You might finance the consultant's fee, the first year of API costs, and the hardware that runs inference at the edge of your production line.
When LIFT makes sense
LIFT works when the project is large enough that financing changes what you can do, and when deferring repayment gives you time to validate the return.
A manufacturer in Hamilton wants to deploy computer vision for quality inspection across four lines. The hardware, integration work, and first year of support come to $180,000. The company has the cash flow to carry the loan, but not the reserves to pay it all up front. LIFT lets them proceed now rather than in eighteen months.
A logistics company in Mississauga wants to automate dispatch, route optimisation, and customer communication. The build costs $22,000. They could pay it outright, but a two-year deferral means they can measure fuel savings, overtime reduction, and customer retention before repayment starts. If the system does not deliver, they have learned that before exhausting the capital budget.
Both examples hinge on scale and timing. LIFT does not make a $5,000 project cheaper. It makes a $50,000 or $200,000 project possible sooner.
When it does not
If your AI project costs less than $10,000 and you can fund it from operating cash, pay for it directly. Financing small projects adds administrative overhead and interest expense for no material benefit.
If you are not confident the project will generate a measurable return, do not borrow to fund it. Deferred repayment does not eliminate risk. It only delays the bill.
And if the project is experimental—testing whether an AI approach might work at all—grants or internal R&D budget are better fits. LIFT is for deployment, not exploration.
LIFT and Ontario grants
Ontario businesses have access to programmes that reimburse costs rather than finance them. DMAP covers up to $15,000 at a 50 per cent match for digital adoption planning, explicitly including the cost of hiring a consultant to write the plan. The Retail Modernization Project Grant offers up to $5,000 at 50 per cent for retailers with a physical storefront, though you cannot combine it with DMAP.
The Technology Demonstration Program offers up to $50,000 at 50 per cent, but requires a completed DMAP and at least $750,000 in revenue. The programme's page shows a deadline of 10 August 2026, which has passed, though the stream still appears open. Confirm directly with the Ontario Centre of Innovation before assuming eligibility.
You can layer these. Apply for DMAP to fund the planning phase. Use LIFT to finance the build. The grant reduces your out-of-pocket cost; the loan gives you access to capital for the larger implementation.
But only if the math works. If DMAP covers $7,500 of a $15,000 plan and you finance the remaining $7,500 through LIFT, you are paying interest on $7,500. Paying that $7,500 directly is probably smarter unless cash flow or timing makes borrowing necessary.
You can review the full list of provincial and federal programmes on the Ontario AI grants page.
LIFT vs. paying outright
Ease AI's published rates run from $3,500 to $35,000 depending on scope, with optional monthly support from $500 to $2,000. A single workflow build typically costs $8,000 to $20,000 and takes four to six weeks. A multi-department programme runs $20,000 to $35,000 over eight to twelve weeks.
| Project type | Typical cost | LIFT financing | Pay outright |
|---|---|---|---|
| Single chatbot | $3,500–$8,000 | Adds interest, no benefit | Simpler |
| Multi-workflow | $8,000–$20,000 | Useful if cash flow is tight | Better if you have reserves |
| Multi-department | $20,000–$35,000 | Deferred repayment matters here | Still better if feasible |
The threshold where LIFT starts to make sense is somewhere north of $15,000, and only when deferring repayment gives you time to measure results or when you need to preserve working capital for other priorities.
How to apply
BDC has not published a standalone LIFT application portal as of this writing. Contact BDC directly to confirm the current process, required documentation, and any sector or size restrictions.
Expect to provide financials, a project description, and a breakdown of costs across the three qualifying categories. BDC will assess creditworthiness the way any lender does. Approval is not automatic.
Should you use LIFT for an AI project?
If the project is large, if you are confident in the return, and if deferring repayment or preserving cash flow changes what you can do, LIFT is worth considering.
If the project is small, if the return is speculative, or if you can pay for it outright without strain, financing adds cost and complexity you do not need.
LIFT is a tool. It works when the situation fits it. It does not make a bad project good, and it does not make a small project cheaper.
If you are trying to figure out whether an AI project is worth doing at all—financed or not—start with the ROI calculator or get in touch at info@easeaiworks.com. I would rather tell you not to spend the money than watch you borrow for something that will not deliver.