Not-for-profit organizations are established for purposes other than financial gain for their members. They primarily receive provincial/federal funding (supplemented by fundraising and fees), often rely on volunteers to deliver programs, and are often governed by a Board of Directors or a Committee. This category includes:

• community, charitable or voluntary organizations, including faith-based organizations (for example, churches, synagogues, temples, mosques)
• associations of workers or employers as well as professional and industrial organizations
• Indigenous not-for-profit organizations
• non-governmental organizations
• unions
• sector councils
• not-for-profit Band Councils

Organizations are considered part of the public sector when 50% or more of their operating revenue comes from government appropriations (voted through parliament or annual legislation) and when they must account for their activities to the government that provided their operating revenue.

Public sector organizations include public health and public educational institutions, municipal governments, and other publicly funded organizations. Among others, this category includes:

• public community colleges and vocational schools
• public health, including public hospitals, nursing homes, senior citizen homes, rehabilitation homes, and public libraries
• public degree-granting universities and colleges
• municipal governments and agencies, including regional legislative bodies and departments
• school boards and elementary and secondary institutions
• territorial governments

Private sector organizations are established to generate a profit or to provide an economic advantage to their proprietors, members or shareholders. Private sector employers must have 50 or fewer full-time employees across Canada at the time of application to be eligible for CSJ funding. Full-time employees are those working 30 hours or more per week.

This category includes:

• bodies, incorporated or unincorporated, including partnerships and sole proprietorships
• financial institutions
• business, incorporated or unincorporated bodies, which include:
  • federal Crown corporations operating in a competitive environment and not ordinarily dependent on appropriations for operating purposes as indicated in Schedule III, Part II of the Financial Administration Act
  • provincial and territorial Crown corporations recognized as operating in a competitive environment and not ordinarily dependent on appropriations for operating purposes
  • private health and educational institutions
  • independent owners of franchises, if they employ 50 or fewer working full-time employees across Canada, regardless of the number of business numbers
• Indian Band corporations
• private Band Councils
• private universities or colleges

• Members of the House of Commons and the Senate or members of their immediate family
• Federal Government Departments and Agencies
• Provincial Departments and Agencies
• Organizations that engage in partisan political activities
• Organizations that engage in activities that directly or indirectly infringe, undermine, weaken, or restrict the exercise of human rights legally protected in Canada

• Provide full-time work experience (a minimum of 30 hours to a maximum of 40 hours per week) in Canada between April 20, 2026, and August 29, 2026, for a minimum of 6 consecutive weeks and a maximum of 16 consecutive weeks
  • If you provide a youth with less than 30 hours of work for any week, we may deem their wages ineligible for reimbursement unless we grant consent for exceptional circumstances
    • For example, to accommodate youth with disabilities or due to provincial laws that prohibit youth from working full-time hours
• Provide a work experience in an inclusive, non-discriminatory work environment that respects the rights of all Canadians

• Activities that take place outside of Canada, including youth teleworking outside of Canada
• Activities that contribute to the provision of a personal service to the employer
• Partisan political activities
• Fundraising activities to cover salary costs for the youth participant
• Projects or job activities that:
  • restrict access to programs, services, or employment, or otherwise discriminate, contrary to applicable laws, on the basis of prohibited grounds, including sex, genetic characteristics, religion, race, national or ethnic origin, colour, mental or physical disability, sexual orientation, or gender identity or expression
  • advocate intolerance, discrimination and/or prejudice; or
  • actively work to undermine or restrict a woman's access to sexual and reproductive health services

Please note the following definitions:

• as per subsection 2.1 of the CSJ Articles of Agreement, "project" means the hiring, administration, and job activities, and the organization's activities as described in the Application/Agreement, including any activities which the Job supports, directly or indirectly
• to "advocate" means to promote, foster, or actively support intolerance, discrimination, and/or prejudice
• to "undermine or restrict" means to weaken or limit a woman's ability to access sexual and reproductive health services. The Government of Canada defines sexual and reproductive health services as including comprehensive sexuality education, family planning, prevention and response to sexual and gender-based violence, safe and legal abortion, and post-abortion care

• Youth hired under the program cannot displace or replace existing employees or volunteers, even if they are absent (for example employees on vacation). Please refer to section 13.1(a) of the Articles of Agreement for more details
• Youth hired due to nepotism are ineligible for reimbursement. However, we may approve a family member's participation if it is confirmed that the hiring was not due to favouritism. Please refer to subsection 20.1 of the Articles of Agreement for more details
• Youth must be hired as employees, with proper payroll deductions and an employer-employee relationship. Please refer to section 32 of the Articles of Agreement for more details
• Youth already working full-time for the employer are ineligible. However, part-time employees or those previously hired through a CO-OP placement may be eligible.
• Youth should only work one CSJ-funded job per project. As the intention of the program is to provide job opportunities to as many youth as possible, employers are to hire the number of youth identified in their agreement

If you have questions about youth eligibility, contact us for more information.