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Special Funding Opportunities
Current funding opportunities for COVID-19 and Ukraine are available to the public on our website.
National Funding Opportunities
Health, Environment, and Indigenous Reconciliation Efforts Supported
Johansen Larsen Foundation
The Johansen Larsen Foundation is committed to enhancing the lives of those marginalized in Canada's communities, through supporting inclusive initiatives that foster learning and well-being. The Foundation supports programs that benefit marginalized children and youth, Indigenous peoples, or animals. For 2023, funding targets the following focus areas: Reconciliation, focused on reconciliation with Indigenous peoples in Canada; and One Health, focused on the need to achieve optimal health and well-being outcomes in recognition of the interconnections between people, animals, plants, and the wider environment. The Foundation provides single year grants of up to $10,000 and multi-year grants of up to $7,500 a year for two or three years. Requests for general operational expenses may also be considered. Eligible applicants include registered charities with total revenue below $2 million, and Indigenous-led nonprofit organizations without registered charitable status. Intent to apply forms must be submitted by April 1, 2023; the deadline for invited applications is June 16, 2023. Visit the Foundation's website to learn more about the current focus areas and to register and complete an intent to apply form.
Funds Empower 2SLGBTQ+ Youth in Canadian Schools
It Gets Better Canada: It Gets Better – Youth Grants
The It Gets Better - Youth Grants program, funded by the U.S.-based It Gets Better Project and administered by It Gets Better Canada, aims to empower 2SLGBTQ+ youth through school-based projects across Canada. Grants ranging up to $10,000 fund initiatives that uplift, empower, and connect 2SLGBTQ+ youth in schools in all 13 provinces and territories in Canada, including school-wide projects, gender-sexuality alliance projects, and community projects. Projects should involve students in the planning and execution process, be unique to the school, create measurable impact, and activate both the students and staff. Schools must be a public or charter secondary (middle, junior high, or high) school that serves students between 13 and 18 years old. Applications must be submitted by a faculty member (teacher, administrator, advisor, etc.) at the school and a student signatory. The deadline to apply is March 15, 2023. Visit the It Gets Better – Youth Grants website to review the project examples and download the application questions as well as the grant overview and guidelines.
Grants Enable Charities to Engage Government on Climate Issues
Public Voice Fund
The Public Voice Fund provides funding to Canadian registered charities so they can hire skilled government relations professionals to engage with the federal government and other levels of government on important climate and environmental issues. Grants of up to $30,000 are provided to hire external experts to engage in a policy or financial issue in one of two subject areas: 1) innovative responses, insights, and measures that mitigate climate change and achieve greenhouse gas emission reductions in sectors such as energy, transportation, industry, buildings, and others; and 2) natural climate solutions that take an integrated approach to benefit biodiversity, sustain livelihoods, and mitigate climate change. Funding applies to engaging the federal government, provincial governments, and territorial governments, but not municipal governments. Letters of intent may be submitted at any time. Visit the Fund's website to review the FAQs.
Funding Supports Organizations Working in Canada and Developing Countries
Peter Gilgan Foundation
The Peter Gilgan Foundation seeks to improve the lives of children and families by empowering charities that help the world transition to a more healthy, prosperous, and sustainable future. The Foundation awards grants to Canadian registered charities and qualified donees working in Canada and developing countries. In Canada, funding targets the following areas: climate change, with a focus on helping halt and reverse the effects of climate change, build a green economy, and strengthen community resilience; and children, youth, and families, supporting charities that equip children, youth, and families with skills, resources, and opportunities to reach their full potential. Expressions of interest in these two areas are accepted on a rolling basis. Funding may also be available for Canadian organizations working in the area of international development, with a focus on maternal and child health and education and economic opportunities for women and girls in developing countries. Deadlines in this area are posted on the Foundation's website when there is an open funding opportunity. Visit the Foundation's website to learn more about the funding priorities and application process.
Regional Funding Opportunities
Grants Target Arts, Education, Health, and Sports in BC
Hamber Foundation
The Hamber Foundation makes grants for cultural, educational, and charitable purposes within British Columbia. The Foundation provides support in the following areas: Cultural and creative arts grants target the visual arts, performing arts, and literary arts. Health and welfare funding supports activities that promote health by preventing or relieving mental or physical health conditions through the provision of services, education, or support for individuals with conditions or their informal caregivers and families. Grants in the area of amateur athletics support opportunities to play, learn, join, or compete in a sport or physical activity, whether recreational or competitive. Educational resources funding aims to support youth by advancing education through the provision of training, mentoring, or support. Registered charities and registered educational institutions are eligible to apply. The annual application deadlines are March 15 and September 15. Visit the Foundation's website to access additional information on each of the funding areas and download the application form.
Projects Benefiting Manitoba Women Supported
Jewish Foundation of Manitoba: Women's Endowment Fund
The Jewish Foundation of Manitoba is dedicated to strengthening the Jewish and general communities of Manitoba. Through the Women's Endowment Fund, the Foundation supports projects that benefit women in Manitoba. Priority is given to initiatives that demonstrate a direct benefit to and encourage the advancement of women in Manitoba; promote volunteer participation and citizen involvement; provide access to social services, healthy living, and education; and strengthen the organization's ability to provide innovative and creative projects. Registered charities are eligible to apply. The deadlines for applications are March 15 and October 15 of any given year. Visit the Foundation's website to review the grant guidelines and FAQs.
Funding Aims to Improve the Quality of Life in Saskatchewan
Community Initiatives Fund: Community Grant Program
The Community Initiatives Fund (CIF), a special purpose fund created through the Saskatchewan Gaming Corporation Act, invests in Saskatchewan communities in order to improve the quality of life for children, youth, and families. CIF's Community Grant Program supports programs under three funding themes: the healthy growth and development of children and youth, individual and community well-being, and nonprofit and community leadership. Grants range up to $30,000 for local programs benefiting one community or region, and up to $50,000 for provincial programs that are delivered in two or more regions, or that involve participation from across Saskatchewan. Eligible applicants include incorporated Saskatchewan nonprofit organizations, municipalities, health regions, and schools or school boards. The application deadlines are April 1 and October 1 of each year. Visit the CIF website to download a guide to the Community Grant Program funding themes.
Youth Sports Projects in Several Provinces Funded
Freshslice Cares
Freshslice Cares (FSC) is a not-for-profit initiative of the Freshslice Pizza chain. Its mandate is primarily to help kids in need that come from families that for whatever reason do not have the financial resources to pay for their children's sports activities. This is done by contributing financially through sports associations, which provide the details of whom FSC can assist. Applications will be accepted from communities in Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, Northwest Territories, Ontario, and Saskatchewan. There is no deadline to apply. Visit freshslice.com to download the application guidelines and form.
Government Funding Opportunities
Literary Publications Supported in Canada
Canada Council for the Arts
The Literary Publishers component of Supporting Artistic Practice funds Canadian publishers of literary books and magazines committed to developing and promoting Canadian literary writers and artists through the publishing process. Applications must be submitted by March 22, 2023.
Program Enhances First Nations Student Success
Indigenous Services Canada
The Education Partnerships Program is designed to advance First Nations student achievement in First Nations, independent, provincial, and territorial schools. The program has three funding components: The Partnerships component supports First Nations education administration and service delivery organizations to deliver activities that are related to existing partnerships and address some of their governance and administration costs. The Structural Readiness component supports targeted activities that build the capacity of First Nations education administration organizations to deliver education services, and develop and implement transformative education systems and agreements that delegate responsibility for elementary and secondary education to First Nations. Proposals for these two components are due March 31, 2023. The Regional Education Agreement component supports activities such as information sessions on education transformation, technical tables, and negotiating or renegotiating education agreements supported by leadership. Work plans for this component will be accepted from April 1 to October 31, 2023.
PathFinder: Featured Resource
A library of quality resources designed to help you develop your career path as a grants professional
Donor Love, For Life: A Look At Planned Giving Stewardship
Are you thinking of starting a planned giving program but aren't sure where to start? The article "Donor Love, For Life: A Look At Planned Giving Stewardship" may be of help. Published on the Bloomerang website, this article discusses various considerations when developing and executing a planned giving program for an organization. It looks at how planned giving stewardship differs from current use donations, provides ideas for planned giving stewardship, and discusses where to begin with outreach.
Upcoming Online Education Trainings
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Unless otherwise noted, all Online Education Trainings are webinars,
are 90 minutes in duration, and are scheduled to begin at 2 PM Eastern Time.
(FREE) Tour of the GrantStation Website
Whether you're part of an established nonprofit constantly searching for new funding to expand your programs, or you're a one-person development office, which means you need to do it all, GrantStation can work for you because it is designed to help nonprofit organizations of all sizes get funded. During this live demo and Q&A session, Jeremy Smith, Director of Communications Technology, and Kerry Glauser, Senior Research Specialist, will show you how you can use GrantStation to complete your grant research quickly and get high-quality results. You'll see how you can find and vet funding opportunities in a quick, streamlined fashion, so you and your staff can focus on what's most important—serving your community. The webinar will be held on Tuesday, February 21, 2023.
(FREE) Impact Capital and the Spectrum of Social Enterprises
Growing your nonprofit requires innovation. But many organizations hesitate to try something new because they fear how it will affect finances. To overcome this, you need new ways of thinking about raising capital to help you fund the good work you do, which means you should explore all the funding sources that are available for your organization. For example, nonprofits with earned-revenue (i.e., social enterprises) can often access impact capital and non-traditional funding sources to scale their programs and projects. But what if you don't consider your organization a social enterprise? You still may be able to access impact capital—because social enterprises fall onto a spectrum. It's not always black and white. Taking the time to understand where your organization fits on this spectrum will allow you to determine whether your organization is a good fit for non-traditional funding sources. During this free webinar, Paul Wright will help you understand different social impact models. You'll explore the spectrum of social enterprise components which you can apply to your own organization and programs, so you can determine whether you have the opportunity to access non-traditional funding sources. The webinar will be held on Wednesday, February 22, 2023.
The Change Map and the Bottom-Up Logic Model
This interactive session, led by Maryn Boess, founder of GrantsMagic U, offers a powerful way of thinking about and assessing the work your organization does—and a simple, step-by-step process for communicating the impact of your work to funders, partners, and the community at large. The Change Map and Bottom-Up Logic Model are two powerful, practical tools that help community agencies organize resources toward change and diagnose misalignments between action and impact. Using these tools together, we can create a visual framework for meaningful, measurable collective impact in a challenging and changing environment—and organize our resources to achieve it. The webinar will be held on Thursday, February 23, 2023.
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Editor: Diana Holder
Contributing Writer: Ashlyn Simmons