What is Regional Artificial Intelligence Initiative (RAII)?
Regional Artificial Intelligence Initiative (RAII) is delivered by Federal Regional Development Agencies (FedDev, PrairiesCan, PacifiCan, ACOA) as a contribution. Funding is typically up to $3,000,000 (varies by RDA). This page covers eligibility, intake status, and what an application actually requires.
At a glance
| Funding amount | Up to $3,000,000 (varies by RDA) |
|---|---|
| Cost share | SMEs: interest-free REPAYABLE contribution up to 50% of costs; NPOs: non-repayable up to 90% |
| Level | Federal |
| Program type | Contribution |
| Delivered by | Federal Regional Development Agencies (FedDev, PrairiesCan, PacifiCan, ACOA) |
| Available in | ALL (REGIONALLY DELIVERED) |
| Intake status | Open - varies by region |
| Last verified | 2026-06-11 |
Who qualifies
- Eligible industries: All sectors (health, environment, manufacturing, transportation)
- Employee count: min 1, max 500
- Eligible activities: AI solution development; AI adoption; proof of concept to commercial deployment
Watch out for
Non-incorporated; no AI component; outside Canada
Deadlines & how to apply
$200M national initiative running to Mar 31, 2029, delivered by the regional development agencies. Status differs by region: PrairiesCan accepts rolling applications (~90 business days), CED Quebec active ($38.2M envelope); FedDev southern Ontario stream is CLOSED. Check your RDA before planning around it. SME support is repayable (interest-free).
How NorthGrants helps with Regional Artificial Intelligence Initiative (RAII)
Most business owners read about Regional Artificial Intelligence Initiative (RAII), see the funding amount, and stop. The hard part isn't finding the grant. It's building an application that actually wins.
NorthGrants builds the full application framework for you: a tailored project narrative aligned to this program's evaluation criteria, a budget structure that maps to eligible costs, and the supporting documentation checklist. You review it, refine the parts only you can write, and submit.