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National Funding Opportunities
Funding for Environmental Justice Litigation in Canada, Mexico, and the U.S.
Impact Fund: Just Earth Fund
The Impact Fund awards grants to legal services nonprofits, private attorneys, and small law firms who seek to advance justice in the areas of civil and human rights, environmental justice, and poverty law. The Just Earth Fund supports impact litigation for environmental justice, with a focus on marginalized communities in Canada, Mexico, and the United States. Previously funded cases have sought to stop mining, unwanted development, pollution, logging, and spraying pesticides. Recoverable grants of up to $50,000 are made for specific cases. On cases that achieve a fee or cost recovery, repayment of the original grant plus 7% simple interest is required. The upcoming deadline to submit a letter of inquiry is January 14, 2020; invited applications are due by February 11, 2020. Visit the Fund’s website to review the grant program criteria and a list of previously supported Environmental Justice cases.
Grants Available for Youth-Led Projects Across Canada
#RisingYouth Community Service Grant Program
#RisingYouth is a micro-grant program led by TakingITGlobal to help youth build Canada and develop life skills by giving back to their communities. Three levels of funding are available: $250 grants, for simple ideas like community events or gatherings that can be implemented by one or two people; $750 grants, for bigger ideas that can be implemented with a small group of peers, such as building a community garden, or distributing care packages; and $1,500 grants, for projects that involve a larger group of people to drive impact. #RisingYouth supports community service projects led by youth between the ages of 15-30. Their goal is to support youth in their journey of turning their ideas into action to build a brighter future. Grant applications are reviewed monthly, bimonthly, and quarterly, depending on the award amount. Visit www.risingyouth.ca/ to review eligibility requirements and upcoming deadlines.
Crime Prevention and Safety Initiatives Funded
Allstate Foundation of Canada
The Allstate Foundation of Canada was established in 1977 to provide grants to charities and nonprofit organizations that are involved in a variety of activities or educational initiatives focused around crime prevention, road safety, or home safety. Nonprofit charitable organizations with a Canadian Charitable Registration Number are eligible to apply. Applications are accepted throughout the year. Visit the Allstate Canada website to learn more about eligibility and the application process.
Support for Women’s Organizations Promoting Social Justice in Canada and the U.S.
Mary’s Pence: Mary’s Pence Grants
Mary’s Pence invests in women across the Americas by funding community initiatives and fostering collaborations to create social change. Mary’s Pence Grants support women’s organizations in Canada and the U.S. that are working with their local community to create long-term systemic change. Funding targets small organizations that collaborate with diverse populations, advocate to change unjust policies, and educate to build skills and increase capacity. Supported projects should focus on social justice actions, be women-led, and improve the lives of cis women, trans women, non-binary people, and their communities. Grants of up to $5,000 act as seed money for organizations that are newly created, and as support for organizations that have been working on the grassroots level for years. Applications are due February 1 and August 1 of each year. The grants criteria and application form may be downloaded from the Mary’s Pence website.
Regional Funding Opportunities
Program Promotes Healthy Eating in Ontario and Quebec Schools
Green Apple School Program
The Green Apple School Program, an initiative of Metro grocery stores, aims to encourage students to adopt healthy eating habits and increase their fruit and vegetable consumption. The Program awards grants to elementary and secondary schools in Ontario and Quebec that are located within a 30-kilometer radius of a Metro or Food Basics store for projects that motivate young people to develop healthy eating habits. Project ideas include, but are not limited to, preparing healthy lunches for students, facilitating cooking sessions, publishing a healthy recipe cookbook, hiring a nutritionist to speak to students, organizing a healthy recipe contest, creating a healthy eating poster campaign, organizing a full day of activities oriented towards healthy eating, and designing a healthy menu for the school cafeteria. Grants of $1,000 are provided; a total of $1,000,000 will be awarded across the two provinces. Applications for Ontario projects will be accepted until December 31, 2019. The application deadline for Quebec projects is March 27, 2020. Visit the Green Apple School Program website to review the guidelines for each province in English or French.
Grants and Sponsorships Enhance the Quality of Life in Company Communities
Desjardins Corporate Giving Program
Desjardins provides sponsorships and donations in the communities the company serves in Canada. Priority areas of support consist of education, employment and entrepreneurship, community and humanitarian involvement, health and healthy lifestyles, culture, and economic development. Organizations based in Canada and registered with the Canada Revenue Agency as a foundation or nonprofit organization are eligible to apply. Applications are accepted and reviewed on a continuous basis. Visit the Desjardins website to download the funding guidelines and application form.
Initiatives Targeting Alberta Youth Funded
AltaLink Community Investment Program
The AltaLink Community Investment Program supports community programs in Alberta that empower youth. AltaLink seeks to give youth what they need for a bright future by supporting initiatives in areas including, but not limited to, sports, science, and agriculture. Registered charities are eligible to apply. Applications may be submitted at any time. Visit the AltaLink website to review the list of previously supported initiatives and complete the online application form.
Support for Communities in Alberta, Manitoba, Ontario, and Saskatchewan
Bayer CropScience Canada Corporate Giving Program
Bayer CropScience Canada invests in company communities in Alberta, Manitoba, Ontario, and Saskatchewan. The company provides grants and sponsorships for initiatives in the areas of arts and culture, agriculture, science and innovation, and education and youth. Priority is given to initiatives focused on Canadian agriculture. Company communities include locations in Calgary and Lethbridge, Alberta; Winnipeg, Manitoba; Guelph and Ottawa, Ontario; and Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. Applications are accepted throughout the year. Visit the Bayer CropScience Canada website to submit a proposal online.
Government Funding Opportunities
Grants Strengthen Indigenous Agriculture in Canada
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada
The Indigenous Agriculture and Food Systems Initiative supports Indigenous communities and entrepreneurs who are ready to launch agriculture and food systems projects and others who want to build their capacity to participate in the Canadian agriculture and agri-food sector. Examples of eligible projects include supporting an approach to producing fresh food within an Indigenous community, providing skills training to establish or scale up an agriculture operation, and developing a food system within an Indigenous community to access healthy food while providing an opportunity for Indigenous Peoples to share their agricultural knowledge and market their agricultural products. Proposals can be submitted at any time throughout the year until September 30, 2022.
Program Fosters Economic Development in Western Canada
Western Economic Diversification Canada
The Regional Innovation Ecosystems (RIE) program aims to create, grow, and nurture inclusive regional ecosystems in Western Canada that support business needs throughout the innovation continuum, and foster an entrepreneurial environment conducive to innovation, growth, and competitiveness. RIE is open to nonprofit organizations that support businesses, innovators, and entrepreneurs for start-up, growth, productivity, technology commercialization, technology adoption, export, and investment attraction. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis through the regional offices of Western Economic Diversification Canada.
PathFinder: Featured Resource
A library of quality resources designed to help you develop your career path as a grants professional.
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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.
FREE: 2020 Payroll Changes and Tools to Save Time
So here we are again, another year and more changes to payroll. How do you navigate these yearly changes and still wear all those hats at your nonprofit? Don’t worry, Giving Payroll and ADP are here to help you navigate the 2020 changes, and make sure you completed the 2019 changes, with some extra tips along the way. Whether you process payroll in-house or through a payroll provider, this webinar is for you. In this session we will cover the 2020 Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) changes; the leap year extra pay period for some nonprofits; W4 review and discussion; 2020 payroll tax rate changes and 2019 changes (Are you playing catch up?); and how to work smarter—tips and tools to save time and stay compliant. This webinar is intended for executive directors, employees, bookkeepers, and volunteers who enter or process payroll for their organization. A handout will be provided to all attendees before the webinar for easy reference. The webinar will be held on Wednesday, December 4, 2019.
LIVE Workshop: Tracking Restricted Grants in QuickBooks (DESKTOP and ONLINE versions)
Do you receive grants that are restricted in some way? Do you struggle to complete grant spending reports at the end of these grants? Do you spend hours going through transactions and payroll reports trying to figure out which expenses were paid from a grant? And what about grants with a budget by account that must be adhered to? By simply setting up a few things, you can easily get a profit and loss statement for each of your restricted grants (compared to budget if you’d like). See reports for your grants all on one screen and in real time. All of this and more can be easily tracked right in your QuickBooks software! We are very excited to have Gregg Bossen, a CPA specializing in nonprofits, deliver one of his most popular webinars exclusively for us. In this webinar, Gregg will show you how you can easily track restricted grants in QuickBooks. Topics include how and where to set up your grantors, how to enter grant revenue, how to point expenses to a grant, how to allocate payroll to a grant, how to enter grant budgets, how to generate and memorize reports on your grants, and how to deal with future year grants received this year that make it look like you made more money than you did. Don’t miss this opportunity! You will be VERY glad you joined us. The DESKTOP version webinar will be held on Tuesday, December 10, 2019. The ONLINE version webinar will be held on Wednesday, December 11, 2019.
GrantStation Announcements
The latest updates from GrantStation.
How has your GrantStation Membership helped your organization?
Have you learned from the tutorials, found new funding opportunities, or kept abreast of current events? Please let us know!
Funding Alerts
GrantStation shares database profiles of Local, National, Canadian, and International grantmakers with upcoming deadlines each week. Check out the current Funding Alerts for more grant opportunities!
GrantStation 20th Anniversary
GrantStation celebrates 20 years of service to the sector.
Using Every Angle
By David Preis and Bernita Walker
We are celebrating the 20th anniversary of GrantStation by interviewing some of our longstanding Members. Bernita Walker of Project: Peacemakers in Los Angeles, CA, has been a Member since 2003, so I wanted to gain insights from her years in grantseeking.
Visit our 20th Anniversary page and read the article today!
Information contained in the GrantStation Canadian Insider may not be
posted, reprinted, redistributed, or sold without permission.
Editor: Diana Holder
Contributing Writer: Ashlyn Simmons