Funding a Website or Software in Manitoba: What's Open in 2026

The short answer

As of October 2026, we couldn't find an open grant in Manitoba or federally that simply pays for a small business to build a new website. The two programs most people remember, TechUP/PowerUP and the Canada Digital Adoption Program, have both closed.

What's left is a mix: a federal loan program that explicitly covers websites and software, a training grant that can help your team learn new systems, tax credits and support for genuinely new technology, and export funding that can help adapt an existing site for new markets. Each has its own rules, so read the details before you plan around any of them.

Closed: Digital Manitoba Initiative (TechUP and PowerUP)

The Digital Manitoba Initiative was run by the Manitoba Chambers of Commerce, set up with the Province of Manitoba to help businesses go digital. It was to hand out a total of $15 million through two grants, TechUP and PowerUP, and website development and redesigns were among the eligible expenses.

Its own FAQ later said that TechUP and PowerUP were "fully subscribed and closed", and that it would only keep working with applicants on files already open. The most recent version of its website we could access, from September 2025, listed TechUP, PowerUP and the Digital Services Program as "Now Closed". We found no announcement that any of them has reopened. If you see an article promising TechUP money today, it's out of date.

Closed: Canada Digital Adoption Program

The federal Canada Digital Adoption Program (CDAP) had two streams. Boost Your Business Technology stopped accepting new applications on February 19, 2024, according to the Business Development Bank of Canada (BDC), which delivered its loans. Grow Your Business Online, the smaller grant for getting a business online, has also closed. Grant directories report that it stopped taking applications on September 30, 2024, and that the whole program ended on March 31, 2025.

BDC now points businesses to its LIFT offer instead, covered below.

Open: loans that can cover a website or software

The Canada Small Business Financing Program (CSBFP) isn't a grant. It's a federal program that helps you get a loan from your own bank or credit union, with the government sharing the risk with the lender. It's open to most small businesses and start-ups in Canada with gross annual revenue of $10 million or less. Farming businesses aren't eligible.

What makes it relevant here: the program's guidelines say term loans can cover buying or developing computer software and buying websites, as long as they're designed and built by a specialized contractor and you end up owning them or holding a licence to use them. Website work done by your own staff, or creating content, can be financed under the working-capital part of a loan instead. Limits apply: up to $1.15 million in total per borrower, and within that, no more than $150,000 for intangible assets and working capital. You apply through your bank, which makes the lending decision.

BDC's LIFT offer is another option for larger businesses. Its digital and AI track pairs a BDC advisory plan with financing at preferential rates. It's for Canadian businesses with at least $1 million in revenue, and the plan is mandatory. BDC's page doesn't list rates or amounts.

Open: training your team on new systems

The Canada-Manitoba Job Grant has been discontinued. It was replaced by the Building Up Manitoba Program (BUMP), which takes applications on a continuous basis.

BUMP covers 50% of eligible training costs: up to $10,000 per employee, with a total cap of $100,000 that also includes a human resources strategy stream. Employers must be permanently established in Manitoba, have been operating for at least a year, and have fewer than 500 full-time-equivalent employees. Training has to fall within the current fiscal year, April 1 to March 31, and the program lists software among eligible training costs. It doesn't pay for building the software itself, but it can help your staff learn a new system you've invested in.

For new technology, not everyday websites

Some programs only fund genuinely new technology. A brochure website or a standard online store won't qualify, but an original software product might.

• NRC IRAP (Industrial Research Assistance Program) gives advice and funding for research and development of innovative, technology-driven products and services. You must be incorporated, for-profit, operating in Canada and have up to 500 full-time-equivalent employees. Sole proprietorships, partnerships and co-ops aren't eligible, and it doesn't fund day-to-day costs or purely commercial work. You start by phoning the program.
• SR&ED (Scientific Research and Experimental Development) is a federal tax incentive. Work has to try to resolve a technological uncertainty: something that couldn't be solved with existing knowledge. Getting around a problem with available methods, or business risk alone, doesn't count.
• Manitoba's Innovation Growth Program shares the cost of commercializing new products, but it lists website development as ineligible and excludes software projects from prototyping. Its latest intake closed on September 30, 2026.
• PrairiesCan's Business Scale-up and Productivity program offers interest-free, repayable funding to incorporated, fast-growing businesses looking to improve productivity, scale up or commercialize technology. It takes expressions of interest on an ongoing basis, and it's aimed at bigger projects than most small-business websites.

If you sell outside Canada

CanExport SMEs funds export marketing to new international markets. For 2026-27, it covers up to 50% of eligible costs, with requests of $10,000 to $50,000, for businesses with 3 to 500 full-time employees and $300,000 to $100 million in annual revenue.

Read the fine print, though. Translating or adapting an existing website for a target market is eligible, but building or maintaining a website, building an online store, search engine optimization (SEO) and online ads are not. The 2026-27 intake closed on August 31, 2026. Future intake dates will be posted on the program's page.

How to scope a project so it's funding-ready

Funding rules change often, and many programs won't pay for costs from before you apply or are approved. So set your project up in a way that works whatever you end up applying for:

• Start with the business problem, not the technology. "Customers can't book online, so we lose evening enquiries" is easier to justify than "we need a new website".
• Split the work into phases with their own costs, such as discovery, design, build, training and ongoing support. Programs often cover some phases and not others.
• Get a written quote that names the supplier, the scope, the timeline and who will own the finished work. Lenders and funders want to see exactly what they're paying for.
• Separate one-time costs from ongoing ones like hosting and subscriptions. Some programs, such as CanExport SMEs, exclude ongoing costs like hosting.
• Check the dates before you sign anything or start work, so you don't make your own costs ineligible.
• Write down how you'll measure success, such as fewer hours of manual data entry or more online bookings.

A well-scoped plan is worth having even if you pay for the project yourself. It keeps the budget honest and makes it easier to phase the work over time.

Where to check before you apply

Program details in this guide come from the official pages listed below, checked in October 2026. Always confirm on the program's own site, or with your bank or the program office, before you rely on a deadline or an amount. If you'd like help turning an idea into a phased plan and a written quote you can take to your bank or a funder, we're happy to talk it through.