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COVID-19 Funding Opportunities
Program Tackles Hunger in Canadian Communities
Safeway Canada: Community Action Fund
Safeway Canada seeks to help local community organizations during the COVID-19 outbreak through the Community Action Fund. The Fund supports community organizations directly reaching vulnerable Canadians and helping them access healthy and affordable food. Types of support include grants, product, and gift cards. There is no deadline to apply. Visit the Safeway Canada website to access the online application form.
Grants Aid Organizations Serving Vulnerable Populations
Government of Canada: Emergency Community Support Fund
Through the Emergency Community Support Fund, the Government of Canada is investing $350 million to help community organizations serve vulnerable Canadians during the COVID-19 crisis. In the second round of the Fund, the remaining funds will be distributed through three partners (United Way Centraide Canada, Canadian Red Cross, and Community Foundations of Canada) to community organizations that deliver essential services to those in need. Eligibility requirements may vary by partner. The application deadline is October 30, 2020. Visit the Government of Canada’s website to access links to the partner’s websites.
Funding Facilitates Online Learning
National Geographic: COVID-19 Remote Learning Emergency Fund for Educators
National Geographic’s COVID-19 Remote Learning Emergency Fund for Educators supports individual educators, or an individual educator working in collaboration with other educators or National Geographic Explorers, to design instructional resources that help educators effectively teach in remote or hybrid learning environments. Grants ranging from $1,000 to $8,000 are provided in the subject areas of science, social studies, and geography. Priority is given to educators working in communities that have been particularly hard hit by the pandemic, and who have not previously received National Geographic funding. Eligible applicants are K-12 (or equivalent) teaching professionals worldwide who work directly with students in the classroom. Applications may be submitted until further notice. Visit the National Geographic website to download the Application Guidance document.
Support for Quebec Organizations Addressing COVID-19 Challenges
Fondation Lucie et André Chagnon (Lucie and André Chagnon Foundation)
The mission of the Fondation Lucie et André Chagnon (Lucie and André Chagnon Foundation) is to prevent poverty by contributing to the educational success of young Quebecers (from conception through to age 17) and helping them develop their full potential. The Foundation provides funding to organizations for initiatives aimed at meeting needs directly caused by the pandemic. Initiatives must focus on improving conditions in disadvantaged areas with large numbers of underprivileged families; help children, youth, and families who are vulnerable or marginalized; and meet fundamental needs that are directly caused by the current situation related to food, housing, etc. Funding requests may be submitted via email at any time. Visit the Foundation’s website to learn more about their COVID-19 response efforts.
National Funding Opportunities
Funds to Improve the Quality of Life for the LGBTQ+ Community
Pride and Remembrance Foundation
The Pride and Remembrance Foundation's mandate is to provide financial support to registered charities that benefit the LGBTQ+ community in Canada. Support is provided for projects, services, or activities that offer health, educational, legal, social, athletic, cultural, or other charitable benefits to the LGBTQ+ community. Examples of eligible projects include those that reduce financial barriers to individual participation in community groups, help to build sustainable organizational capacity through new projects, recognize and enable community leadership, and enhance community health and well-being. Projects that reflect the founding themes of pride and remembrance or support sports and recreation are also encouraged. Preference may be given to projects that may, directly or indirectly, support the Pride and Remembrance Run. Applications must be submitted by May 31 and November 30 of each year. The application guidelines and form may be downloaded from www.priderun.org.
Grants Promote Canadian Publishing and Arts
Access Copyright Foundation
Access Copyright Foundation promotes and supports Canadian culture by providing grants intended to encourage the development and dissemination of publishable Canadian works. Support is provided through the following programs: The Events Grants program promotes the development and public appreciation of Canadian publishing, literary, and visual arts. Funding supports organizations and artists groups in order to showcase publishable works to the public or to host professional development events for writers, visual artists, publishers, and related arts professionals. The application deadline is November 1, 2020. Marian Hebb Research Grants support inquiry and exploration relevant to Canadian publishing, writing, and visual arts. Research projects should be designed to facilitate the creation of a publishable work, an innovative program, strategic initiative, study paper, or report. The next application deadline is February 15, 2021. Professional Development Grants provide access to specialized training and continuing education for writers and visual artists and for arts professionals employed or contracted by Canadian publishers as well as writing and visual arts organizations. The next application deadline is April 1, 2021. Visit the Foundation’s website to download the application guidelines for each program.
Funding Targets Education, the Environment, and Community Well-Being
Rothmans, Benson and Hedges Corporate Giving Program
Rothmans, Benson and Hedges (RBH), a subsidiary of Philip Morris International, is committed to working with communities across Canada to address social and environmental barriers to create long-term value in the areas of education, environment, and community well-being. Through RBH’s Giving Back Program, grants of $10,000 to $25,000 are awarded to charitable organizations for programs and initiatives across Canada in the following areas: 1) education, including digital education and gender; 2) community well-being, including housing, health, hunger, and gender; and 3) environment, including water, energy, waste, and consumption. The window for applications closes on November 30, 2020. Visit the company’s website to access the online application form.
Sustainable Housing Projects Supported
Federation of Canadian Municipalities’ Green Municipal Fund
Since 2000, the Federation of Canadian Municipalities’ Green Municipal Fund (GMF) has supported municipalities’ sustainability projects. In 2020, GMF launched two new funding initiatives to make residents’ lives more comfortable and affordable. The Sustainable Affordable Housing initiative supports local affordable housing providers to retrofit existing units or construct efficient new builds that lower greenhouse gas emissions. Funding is provided for planning, studies, pilot projects, and capital projects. Eligible housing providers include Canadian municipal governments, municipally owned corporations, nonprofit organizations, and housing co-ops. Initial proposal forms for the Sustainable Affordable Housing program may be submitted at any time. The second initiative, Community Efficiency Financing (CEF), helps Canadian municipalities and their partners deliver local financing programs to support energy efficient and renewable energy home upgrades on low-rise residential properties. The standing offer, which will be launched on February 1, 2021, will accept applications on a continuous basis and is designed to target all sector needs—ranging from studies to the implementation of new programs or the capitalization of new or existing programs. Visit the Federation’s website to download the application guide for each program.
Regional Funding Opportunities
Funding Available for Salmon Conservation in Atlantic Canada and Quebec
Atlantic Salmon Conservation Foundation
The Atlantic Salmon Conservation Foundation seeks to help achieve healthy and sustainable wild Atlantic salmon stocks in Atlantic Canada and Quebec through partnerships among volunteer conservation groups, Indigenous organizations, governments, and others. The Foundation provides project funding in the following categories: development of salmon and salmon habitat conservation plans for a watershed or sub-watershed; conservation, rebuilding, and restoration of wild Atlantic salmon and salmon habitat; restoring access of wild Atlantic salmon to salmon habitat; and public education and awareness of the importance of conservation of wild Atlantic salmon and its habit. Support is also provided for applied scientific research on the following topics: the development of a decision-tree to guide stream restoration interventions and how freshwater ecosystems influence wild Atlantic salmon populations. Proposals must be received by November 15, 2020. Visit the Foundation’s website to review the guidelines for project and research funding and to download the application documents.
Organizations Working in Manitoba Supported
Thomas Sill Foundation
The Thomas Sill Foundation provides grants to improve the quality of life throughout Manitoba. The Foundation’s areas of interest include: 1) arts and culture; 2) heritage, including architecture and museums; 3) education, including students at risk and municipal libraries; 4) environment, including water issues; 5) health, including palliative care and mental illness; and 6) responses to community, including community well-being, poverty, women’s shelters, daycares, and mentally and physically challenged people. Grants are awarded for capital, operating, or project costs. Registered charities are eligible to apply. There are no application deadlines. Details on the application process are available on the Foundation’s website.
Giving Program Targets Nonprofits Serving the Toronto Community
The Big Carrot Community Giving
The Big Carrot, a worker-owned natural food market located in Toronto, Ontario, supports local nonprofit organizations that offer ongoing services within the community. Support is provided for groups and organizations that promote cooperative development, organic agriculture, community projects, environmental preservation, and healthy food programs. Donations, sponsorships, and in-kind donations of food products, raffle prizes, Big Carrot gift cards, or silent auction items are provided. Applications are accepted on a continuous basis. Visit the Big Carrot website to learn about the application process for the different types of support.
Grants Encourage Healthy Lifestyles for Quebec Youth
Fondation des Canadiens Pour l’Enfance (Montreal Canadiens Children's Foundation)
The Fondation des Canadiens Pour l’Enfance (Montreal Canadiens Children's Foundation) aims to provide a brighter future and healthy lifestyle for underprivileged children throughout Quebec. The Foundation supports programs for children that encourage and support a healthy lifestyle through physical activity. Supported projects must target underprivileged youth between four and 17 years of age and take place in the province of Quebec. Registered charities are eligible to apply. Applications must be submitted by November 30, 2020. Visit the Foundation’s website to apply online.
Government Funding Opportunities
Technology Donations Provided
Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada
Computers for Schools Plus (CFS+) refurbishes donated digital devices and distributes them to schools, libraries, nonprofit organizations, Indigenous communities, and low-income individuals across Canada. Refurbished devices available through this program include desktop computers, laptops, tablets, and smartphones. Applications may be submitted to the local CFS+ Affiliate at any time.
Support for Indigenous Heritage Preservation
Library and Archives Canada
The Listen, Hear Our Voices program provides funding to support Indigenous communities in their efforts to 1) digitize existing Indigenous culture and language recordings; and 2) build the skills, knowledge, and resources needed to digitize and preserve Indigenous culture and language recordings. Indigenous (First Nations, Inuit, and/or Métis Nation) organizations are eligible to apply. Eligible partners or secondary applicants include non-Indigenous organizations, individuals, collectors, or creators that collaborate with an eligible organization. The application deadline is December 11, 2020.
PathFinder: Featured Resource
Our free library of learning opportunities designed to help you develop your career path as a grants professional
Morweb
Are you looking for an easy way to run your nonprofit's website? If so, Morweb might be just what you are looking for. Morweb is a content management system (CMS) platform that enables nonprofits to manage and grow a website by providing the right mix of strategy, design, software, and support. In addition, Morweb's powerful add-on modules provide functionality that saves you time, grows donations, and boosts engagement on your website.
Upcoming Online Education Trainings
Live Webinars
Unless otherwise noted, all Online Education Trainings are webinars,
are 90 minutes in duration, and are scheduled to begin at 2 PM Eastern Time.
Forecasting Revenue and Annual Projections
If you are the leader of a nonprofit organization, you have almost certainly been asked to predict the future revenue and expenses during the annual budget season. And if you've ever been in a cash crunch, you may have wished you'd planned a little more rigorously earlier in the year. At Elevate, we know this task can feel challenging at best, and near-impossible at worst - which is why we want to share our secrets behind the same forecasting and projection process we use to produce forecasting charts for our nonprofit clients. In this webinar, presented by Alayna Buckner, we'll cover: why forecasting is important; how often to go through the forecasting process; and how to create your own forecasting or projections chart for your organization. This training is ideal for development managers, directors of development, leaders of small nonprofit organizations, and other nonprofit and fundraising professionals who want a better understanding of the budgeting and forecasting process. It is also helpful for grantwriters looking to deepen their understanding of nonprofit budgets and finance practice. This webinar will take place on Thursday, November 12, 2020.
Branding Your Application
Does your brand belong in your grant application? How does having a clear brand save you time and increase your chances of being awarded a grant? How hard is it to create a clear brand? Branding is your shortcut—it's the words, phrases, and images that give people instant recognition of who you are. While 'brand' might seem like a word that only applies to corporations, your nonprofit has one, whether you think it does or not. In this webinar, Ara G. Beal of Storybook Foundry will share what you need to know about nonprofit branding and grantwriting. Additionally, she'll guide you through two of the Storybook Foundry's tools to clarify and unify your brand. You'll identify words to avoid and words to use in all of your communications and learn how to compile your most compelling testimonials. Grantwriters, executive directors, and board presidents will all benefit from this 90-minute presentation. This webinar will take place on Wednesday, November 18, 2020.
How to Know if Your Grant Program is Working
Building a grants program is both high-stakes and time-intensive. But how can you tell if your grants program is working and raising as much money as it can? In this webinar, Alayna Buckner, a grantwriting expert at Elevate, will teach you how to measure the success of your grant strategy and help you avoid inadvertently leaving money on the table. In this webinar, we'll show you how to establish the right timeline and goals for measuring progress, weigh opportunity costs and know which opportunities are worth pursuing, and measure and interpret returns from grants. This training is ideal for grantwriters, development professionals, and other nonprofit leaders who want a better understanding of how to develop a grant strategy, measure grant program outcomes, and set attainable fundraising goals. This webinar will take place on Thursday, November 19, 2020.
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Information contained in the GrantStation Canadian Insider may not be
posted, reprinted, redistributed, or sold without permission.
Editor: Diana Holder
Contributing Writer: Ashlyn Simmons