AI Business Discovery
Expert guidance to identify where AI can actually move the needle in your operation, before you spend a dime on tools.
South Dakota Department of Labor & Regulation
The State of South Dakota is offering cost-share funding, up to $20,000 per employer, to help businesses adopt and train on AI. Here's exactly how the program works and how Dakota Intelligence's services line up with it.
Applications due Friday, August 7This program is run by the SD Department of Labor and Regulation, not Dakota Intelligence. Questions about the funding itself can go straight to DLREmploymentPrograms@state.sd.us.
The Program
DLR's AI Adoption Workforce Funding is structured as a one-to-one cost share across three categories. You pick the tier that matches where your business actually is, not a one-size-fits-all program.
Expert guidance to identify where AI can actually move the needle in your operation, before you spend a dime on tools.
Support to implement AI tools and put your team through hands-on, practical training so the tools actually get used.
Free, basic AI awareness training for your team to build foundational knowledge and comfort with the technology.
How It Maps
DLR funds the training and adoption work. Dakota Intelligence is one option for delivering it. Here's the direct line between what they'll help pay for and what we actually do, day to day, for South Dakota businesses.
DLR Funding Tier
AI Business Discovery
Up to $5,000↓
Dakota Intelligence Service
AI Readiness Assessment
A structured evaluation of your operations, tools, and team capacity, with a clear score and a prioritized action plan. This is the discovery work DLR is built to cost-share.
DLR Funding Tier
AI Training Implementation
Up to $20,000↓
Dakota Intelligence Service
Workflow Automation & Voice AI Agents
Hands-on build and training: automated pipelines, custom voice agents, and the practical setup that gets your team actually using AI day to day.
DLR Funding Tier
AI Awareness
$1,000/employee, up to $10,000↓
Dakota Intelligence Service
Team AI Literacy Session
Plain-language group training to build baseline AI comfort across your staff. Ask us if this fits your team, we'll tell you honestly.
How It Works
Employers choose their own training provider and apply directly to the state. For all inquiries about program details, eligibility, and reimbursement, go straight to the source: the SD DLR AI Adoption Funding page, or contact your local DLR office at DLREmploymentPrograms@state.sd.us.
Worth Knowing
DLR runs the funding. We're one of the businesses you could choose to work with if you decide to use it, nothing more. Funding decisions, eligibility, and reimbursement are entirely DLR's call.
For all inquiries about program details, eligibility, deadlines, and reimbursement, check the SD DLR AI Adoption Funding page or contact your local DLR office at DLREmploymentPrograms@state.sd.us. We'll help you scope and describe the work. The state answers the program questions.
Applications are due Friday, August 7, 2026. That's a hard date, so don't sit on it. If you're reading this after that date, reach out anyway, programs like this sometimes reopen, and we'll tell you straight if the window's closed.
Get Started
No pitch, no pressure. Start with the free AI Readiness Assessment: it takes minutes, and it gives us both a real picture of where your operation stands before we ever talk tiers.
Start Your Free Readiness Assessment → Or Schedule a Call →