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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
Program Bolsters Canadian School Music Programs
MusiCounts: Band Aid Program
MusiCounts, a charity associated with The Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences and The JUNO Awards, aims to make music education inclusive, sustainable, and accessible for youth across Canada. Through the Band Aid Program, MusiCounts provides under-resourced schools with grants of up to $15,000 worth of musical instruments, equipment, and resources. Funds may be used to support any approach to music education and purchase any kind of musical instruments. Schools can apply for support for an existing music program, or schools with no music program may apply to start a new music program. All public, separate, and First Nations schools in Canada are eligible to apply. The application deadline is November 24, 2022. Visit the MusiCounts website to download the program guidelines and access the online application as well as other helpful resources.
Funds Aid Organizations Serving Communities in Canada and the U.S.
CREATE ACTION
The mission of CREATE ACTION is to amplify the efforts of local organizations through funding, storytelling, and collaboration with Sony. CREATE ACTION grants support organizations in Canada and the United States serving their local communities in areas such as STEAM/academic enrichment, workforce development, and nonprofit services for underserved and under-represented groups. One grant will be awarded each month through March 2023. Grantees will receive a $50,000 USD grant to continue and expand the organization's work, $50,000 USD in Sony electronics products to support their mission, and a Sony-produced short film telling the organization's story. Nonprofit organizations with 501(c)(3) status in the U.S. (excluding territories) and provincially and federally incorporated nonprofit organizations in Canada (excluding Quebec) who have received no more than $500,000 USD in annual donations per year for 2020 and 2021 are eligible to participate. The remaining application deadlines for this year are November 30 and December 31, 2022. Guidelines and the online application are available on the CREATE ACTION website.
Technology, STEM Education, and Children's Initiatives Supported
Vendasta Corporate Giving Program
Vendasta supports community initiatives and organizations in Canada, with some emphasis on the company's home province of Saskatchewan. Vendasta's community support focuses on enriching the lives of children in Saskatchewan, promoting digital literacy and STEM education in Canada, and advocating for a strong technology ecosystem in Canada. Registered charities are eligible to apply. Applications are accepted on a continuous basis and reviewed several times a year. Visit Vendasta's website to complete the online Community Support Request Form.
Funding Expands Access to Canadian Books
I Read Canadian Fund
The I Read Canadian Fund believes that every young Canadian should have access to Canadian books. The Fund supports getting new, Canadian books into the hands of young people across the country as well as the expansion of children's choice reading programs into Indigenous, rural, and priority communities. Grants are provided to help cover the costs of Canadian books, the shipment of the books, and to help subsidize author and illustrator visits either virtually or in person. Support is also provided to run a Forest of Reading program. Applications are accepted between February and April and between September and November, annually. Visit the I Read Canadian website to apply online.
Regional Funding Opportunities
Support Provided to Manitoba Charities Working in a Number of Areas
Thomas Sill Foundation
The Thomas Sill Foundation provides grants to improve the quality of life throughout Manitoba. The Foundation provides grants in the areas of: 1) arts and culture; 2) heritage, including architecture and museums; 3) education, including municipal libraries and students at risk; 4) environment, with a focus on water issues; 5) health, including mental illness and palliative care; and 6) responses to community, including agencies addressing poverty, women's shelters, daycares, mentally and physically challenged people, and community well-being. Registered charities are eligible to apply for project, operating, or capital support. There are no deadlines to submit an application. Visit the Foundation's website to learn more about the application process.
Grants Enhance BC Students' Food Literacy
Farm to School BC
Farm to School BC (F2SBC) is a program administered by the Public Health Association of BC that brings healthy, local, and sustainable food into schools across British Columbia. F2SBC provides students with hands-on learning opportunities that develop food literacy, all while strengthening the local food system and enhancing school and community connectedness. F2SBC offers two types of grants: Start-Up Grants of up to $3,000 are for schools that have a clear vision for their farm to school project and a team of supportive stakeholders in place. Scale-Up Grants, ranging up to $1,000, are best for schools who want to build upon their existing farm to school program and expand their vision. Projects aren't limited to building school gardens; they may also include beekeeping, local food foraging, farm visits, cooking classes, food preservation, and much more. This year a total of 30 grants will be distributed to K-12 schools across British Columbia, with priority given to rural, remote, and First Nations schools. The deadline to apply for both grant types is November 13, 2022. Visit the Farm to School BC website to learn more about these grants and apply online.
Program Promotes the Arts in Saskatchewan Communities
SK Arts: Artists in Communities
SK Arts provides funding and support to the arts for the benefit of all people in Saskatchewan. Through Artists in Communities grants, SK Arts provides funding to organizations, professional artists, or arts professionals for projects and residencies. There are three major grant categories available: Development grants provide small amounts of funding to organizations, professional artists, or arts professionals to build relationships with potential partners, develop projects or residencies, and research community needs. Development grant application deadlines are January 15 and June 15, 2023. Project grants allow eligible applicants to engage in the arts through performances, exhibitions, or workshops led by a professional artist(s) or arts professional and/or to work with an artist in the research and development of an artistic residency. Applications for projects must be submitted by November 1 and March 1, annually. Residency grants allow community organizations to host a six- to 12-month artist-in-residence project with a professional artist, working in any art form, which involves significant community engagement components. Residency grant applications are due March 1 annually. Visit the SK Arts website to learn more about Artists in Communities and other grant programs.
Funding Targets Company Communities in Alberta, British Columbia, and Saskatchewan
Cenovus Energy Social Investment
The Cenovus Energy Social Investment program provides support to organizations serving communities where Cenovus does business in the U.S., as well as locations in Alberta, British Columbia, and Saskatchewan in Canada. The company's funding areas consist of 1) Indigenous Reconciliation, with a focus on addressing social and economic priorities to advance reconciliation; 2) Protected Planet, supporting innovative solutions to environmental issues to ensure a sustainable future for generations to come; 3) Future-Ready Youth, helping to provide access to education and skills training to prepare young people for the jobs of today and tomorrow; and 4) Resilient Communities, providing the training, tools, and on-the-ground support needed to enhance readiness, respond to challenges, and build healthy, safe, and resilient communities. Grants, sponsorships, and in-kind donations are provided. There is no deadline to apply. Visit the Cenovus website to learn more about the funding areas and submit a request for funding online.
Government Funding Opportunities
Grants Strengthen Indigenous Capacity to Protect Species and Habitats
Environment and Climate Change Canada
The Aboriginal Fund for Species at Risk program supports the development of Indigenous capacity to participate actively in the implementation of the Species at Risk Act (SARA). The Fund also supports and promotes the conservation, protection, and recovery of target species and their habitats on Indigenous lands and territories. The application window closes on November 15, 2022.
Endowment Funding Available to a Black-Led Organization
Employment and Social Development Canada
The Black-Led Philanthropic Endowment Fund seeks to create a sustainable source of funding for Black-led, Black-focused, and Black-serving nonprofit organizations and registered charities. Through it, the Government of Canada will provide one national Black-led and Black-serving recipient organization with an endowment of $199,476,227. Applications are due by November 25, 2022.
PathFinder: Featured Resource
A library of quality resources designed to help you develop your career path as a grants professional
Artificial Intelligence and Fundraising: An Overview
Artificial intelligence (AI) is becoming ever more popular among nonprofits as a tool to facilitate fundraising. If you are considering utilizing AI in this way, but want to understand what features it offers and what to look for when implementing it, you might want to read The Chronicle of Philanthropy's report, Artificial Intelligence and Fundraising: An Overview. Presented as a collection of articles, this report discusses the potential benefits of using AI in fundraising, pitfalls to avoid, and questions to ask before selecting an AI provider.
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.
A Layperson's Guide to Indirect Costs
Accurately accounting for your indirect costs is crucial in effectively managing your nonprofit organization. While indirect costs can be confusing, understanding what they are and how to calculate them is worth your time and effort because this will help you provide funders with an accurate picture of what it costs to truly run your programs. During this TargetED, Alice Ruhnke will provide a “layperson’s” overview of indirect costs so you can help your organization increase sustainability. You'll learn the basics without the “financial-ese” that can often be overwhelming, including: the straightforward definition of indirect cost; examples of expenses usually considered to be indirect costs; how a few simple calculations can help you get started; and key resources to secure a federal indirect cost rate. Additionally, you’ll have the opportunity to ask Alice questions about indirect costs so you walk away with a baseline understanding of indirect costs that you can apply to your organization or use when working with a financial advisor. This TargetED is perfect for you if you have little or no experience with indirect costs but would like to understand what they are and how to account for them. The webinar will be 45 minutes in duration and will be held on Monday, November 7, 2022.
What Funders Are Looking For in Your Financials
Funders often look at financials first because they want to support sustainable organizations with realistic project budgets that demonstrate thoughtful planning. Without a compelling budget and appropriate financial package, even the best written grant proposals will be declined. This piece of the proposal writing process is not just for your financial or executive teams to manage. When done right, it is a highly collaborative process between leadership, development, programs, and accounting staff. Understanding how to package your financials will help you win points during grant reviews and can help you build trust and credibility, which can lead to long-term, sustainable relationships with funders. During this webinar, Kristin Queen Shaffer will help you understand what funders are looking for in your organizational budgets, how you can build effective and accurate program and project grant proposal budgets, and how you can communicate about costs in compliance with funder guidelines. You will learn about: the key differences between organizational, program, and grant budgets; common overhead and program-specific costs; the common misconceptions that arise from funders, development professionals, and accounting professionals all using different terms to speak about the same things; how you can identify the components that make up your program’s costs; how to allocate common overhead costs to your programs; and how to communicate program costs in compliance with funder guidelines. You’ll see anonymized examples of grant budgets that have received positive feedback from funders, as well as constructive funder feedback about budgets and financials that missed the mark. This webinar can help everyone involved in the grant process. Whether you’re an executive director who wants to have control over how your financials are represented, an accounting professional who is responsible for making sure financials are accurate, or a development professional who needs to package financial information in a compelling way, you’ll walk away confident that you can use your financials to win more grants. The webinar will be held on Thursday, November 10, 2022.
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Editor: Diana Holder
Contributing Writer: Ashlyn Simmons