Government of Canada announces call for proposals for community-based projects supporting seniors
News Release
June 16, 2016 Gatineau, Quebec Employment and Social Development Canada
The Honourable Jean-Yves Duclos, Minister of Families, Children and Social Development, today announced the New Horizons for Seniors Program (NHSP) 2016–2017 Call for Proposals for Community-Based Projects that will help seniors stay active, engaged and informed. The application period begins on June 16, 2016 and will close on July 29, 2016.
Organizations are being invited to apply for funding for projects that help empower seniors to share their knowledge, skills and experience with others and support communities by increasing their capacity to address local issues. More information on how to apply is available at Canada.ca/Seniors.
With more than 6 million Canadians who are aged 65 or older, the Government is committed to promoting the well-being of seniors by ensuring their economic and social security. Budget 2016 delivers on the Government’s agenda to empower all Canadians to build better lives for themselves and to enable them to contribute to, and share in, the prosperity of the country. The Government recognizes the remarkable contribution that seniors have made over the years and continues to take measures to ensure they enjoy the dignified and secure life they deserve.
Investing in Canada’s communities is not only about creating good jobs and encouraging clean economic growth. It is also about building stronger communities. Partnerships with local governments, institutions and organizations are vital to deliver change and improve the lives of seniors.
Quick Facts
- Eligible organizations can receive up to $25,000 in New Horizons for Seniors Program (NHSP) funding for community-based projects that are led or inspired by seniors.
- The Government of Canada is providing approximately $35 million in NHSP funding for close to 1,850 community-based projects approved through the NHSP 2015–2016 Call for Proposals.
- Since 2004, the NHSP has funded close to 17,800 projects in hundreds of communities across Canada, with a total Government of Canada investment of more than $360 million.
Quote
“The Government of Canada continues to focus its efforts on fostering a prosperous future for seniors across Canada. Through the many community-based projects we support each year, our government helps provide seniors with unique opportunities to share their knowledge, skills and experience with others in their community.”
– The Honourable Jean-Yves Duclos, Minister of Families, Children and Social Development
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Backgrounder
New Horizons for Seniors Program
The New Horizons for Seniors Program (NHSP) is a federal grants and contributions program that supports projects led or inspired by seniors who make a difference in the lives of others and their communities. Through the NHSP, the Government of Canada encourages seniors to share their knowledge, skills and experience to the benefit of others.
The objectives of the NHSP are:
• promoting volunteerism among seniors;
• engaging seniors in the community through mentoring of others;
• expanding awareness of elder abuse, including financial abuse;
• supporting social participation and inclusion of seniors; and
• providing capital assistance for new and existing community projects and/or programs for seniors.
NHSP funding supports community-based projects and pan-Canadian projects.
Community-based projects
Community-based project funding supports activities that engage seniors and address one or more of the program's five objectives: volunteering, mentoring, expanding awareness of elder abuse, social participation and capital assistance. These projects are eligible to receive up to $25,000 per year per organization in grant funding.
Close to 1,850 projects across Canada were approved through last year’s NHSP 2015–2016 Call for Proposals for Community-Based Projects and these projects are now in progress.
The NHSP 2015–2016 Call for Proposals for Community-Based Projects closed on July 10, 2015. It invited organizations to apply for funding of up to $25,000 for projects that help empower seniors to share their knowledge, skills and experience with others and support communities by increasing their capacity to address local issues.
For more information on the NHSP, visit Canada.ca/Seniors.
Pan-Canadian projects
Pan-Canadian projects test and share best practices across the country and replicate interventions that have worked well in addressing seniors’ issues.
Projects that have received funding through the NHSP 2015–2016 Call for Proposals for Pan-Canadian Projects submitted an impact plan describing the roles they and their project partners would play in addressing the important issue of social isolation among seniors by using collaborative approaches that place an emphasis on measurable results.
Successful projects are up to three years in duration and are receiving funding between $150,000 and $750,000.
More than $24.3 million (more than $8.1 million per year over the next three years) will be made available for pan-Canadian projects funded through the NHSP 2015–2016 Call for Proposals.
For more information on the NHSP, visit Canada.ca/Seniors.
Additional Government of Canada commitments to seniors
The Government of Canada is working hard to help improve the lives of seniors on many fronts, such as:
- introducing a new Home Accessibility Tax Credit for seniors and people with disabilities to help with the costs of ensuring their homes remain safe, secure and accessible; and
- extending compassionate care benefits from 6 to up to a maximum of 26 weeks to eligible individuals who have to be temporarily away from work to provide care or support to a gravely ill family member at risk of dying within 26 weeks.
Budget 2016 proposed the following measures to improve the quality of life of seniors:
- increasing the Guaranteed Income Supplement top-up benefit for single seniors by up to $947 annually, starting in July 2016, to help lift low-income single seniors out of poverty;
- improving the retirement income security of working Canadians. The Government has begun discussions with provinces and territories to enhance the Canada Pension Plan—a portable, low-cost, defined benefit pension plan for all Canadian workers outside Quebec;
- restoring the eligibility age for Old Age Security and Guaranteed Income Supplement benefits to 65;
- supporting low-income seniors by introducing legislative changes so that couples who receive Guaranteed Income Supplement and Allowance benefits and have to live apart for reasons beyond their control (such as a requirement for long-term care) will receive higher benefits based on their individual incomes;
- supporting the construction, repair and adaptation of affordable housing for seniors through an investment of $200.7 million over two years starting in 2016–17 to help the many seniors facing challenges in accessing affordable housing; and
- developing a coordinated poverty reduction strategy in Canada that will address the issue of poverty among seniors.
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