About the program
We’re excited to share our new community-based grant program, created as part of our commitment to being more responsive to local needs and more accessible to grassroots organizations and community groups. This funding opportunity is open to community-based organizations in the Greater Toronto Area who work to enable economically vulnerable young people and families to overcome barriers to academic success, economic prosperity, and health and wellbeing.
The application deadline for the GTA Community Grants Program is Friday, March 24th, 2023.
The GTA Community Grants Program is for established grassroots organizations and community groups that are:
-Addressing a gap or need in their community
-Developing unique, local services for their community
-Building capacity for their community
-Addressing our Education and Economic Opportunities or Food Security and Systems focus areas (more details below), in a manner that is appropriate and resonates with the community being served.
The GTA Community Grants Program accepts applications for funding between $5,000-$15,000, and is open to registered charities, qualified donees, and nonprofit entities that fall under the non-qualified donee classification outlined by the Canada Revenue Agency.
We support organizations that collectively create a ladder of opportunities from early childhood to young adulthood and independence. We look for partners that foster positive youth development through education, post-secondary pathways, work related learning, and routes to employment.
The most promising approaches to social and economic mobility create opportunities for and address the needs of the “whole family”. To that end, we also strive to empower charities that create entrepreneurship and career opportunities for family members and provide the supports to pursue those opportunities. This requires a combination of resources across educational, employment, social, and health programs designed to serve children and their parents together.
We know that access to healthy and nutritious food is a critical building block of health, wellness, education, and opportunity. We support programs that create and facilitate access to this fundamental basic need as well as related stabilizing supports that address chronic food insecurity. This priority is intended to go beyond provision of emergency food in episodic interventions and does not include support for food banks.
Eligibility
To be eligible to apply for funding, your organization or community group must be:
- Based in the Greater Toronto Area
- Based within the community being served, and/or have a proven history of working with the community
- Able to identify the specific team members who will be responsible for delivering the proposed initiative
- Targeting children, youth, and families
Priority will be given to:
- Black, Indigenous, and People of Colour-led organizations and/or initiatives
- Initiatives based in Neighbourhood Improvement Areas as identified in the Toronto Strong Neighbourhood Strategy 2020
- Organizations with revenue under $500,000 per year
How to Apply
Our grant application process involves three key steps:
- Create an account at our online application portal.
- Complete an application: answer a combination of multiple choice, short answer, and long answer questions; attach a budget detailing expenditure, along with supporting documents; make sure you click the ‘submit’ button by Friday, March 24th, 2023.
- Applicants will be notified on the status of their applications by April 2023.
After creating an account and starting your application, you can save your work online, and pick up where you left off should you need to pause your work.
All applicants must submit a budget detailing the expenses that the proposed funding will cover, only to be used in the direct delivery of the services and activities detailed in the application. Download and review our Budget Template – your organization may use this template or submit your own budget, if it follows the same format (Expense, Description, Cost, Funders, Total).
*Some expense items are ineligible for funding. Please refer to our List of Eligible and Ineligible Expenses for guidance.
You will also have the option to submit supporting documentation. Supporting documentation includes, but is not limited to:
-Audited financial statements
-Annual Report and/or Impact Reports
-Reports on previous projects
-Letters of recommendation
Providing supporting documentation allows us to better understand your organization or community group and perform due diligence in alignment with the Canada Revenue Agency guidelines.
- A clear mandate to support children, youth and families in the GTA
- A demonstrated need in the identified community
- Alignment with Education and Economic Opportunities and/or Food Security and Systems focus areas
- A commitment to learning and adapting to the unique realities and needs of the identified community
- Positioning of the organization or community group to carry out the work (historical relationship with the community, previous projects, current and previous partners)
- A commitment to evaluation and reporting (with support from Foundation staff, if needed)
- How the funding will support the successful delivery of activities, and learnings for the organization/community group
Deadline and Grant Review Timeline
Application Opens Wednesday February 15th 2023
Application Closes Friday March 24th 2023
Funding Decisions Announced April 2023
Grant Reporting Due May 2024
If your work falls within the eligibility of this program, set up your profile now and begin your application. For any inquiries, please contact info@petergilganfoundation.org
