Applicant Guide Youth Employment Strategy Career Focus

April 2015

Application Guide

Name of the Program: Career Focus
Type of process: Continuous intake

Notice to Applicants:

The information collected in your application will be used, and may be disclosed, for the purposes of assessing the merits of your application. As part of the assessment process, the information may be shared with external consultants, review committee members, officials in other departments, federal, provincial and/or territorial governments or Members of Parliament.

It may also be used and/or disclosed for policy analysis, research, and/or evaluation purposes. In order to conduct these activities, various sources of information under the custody and control of Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) may be linked. However, these additional uses and/or disclosures of information will not impact on your project.

In the event that the application contains personal information, the personal information will be administered in accordance with the Privacy Act and the provisions governing the protection of personal information that are set out in the Department of Human Resources and Skills Development Act and the Department of Social Development Act, as applicable. 

The application is also subject to the Access to Information Act (ATIA). The ATIA provides every person with a right of access to information under the control of the department, subject to a limited set of exemptions. Instructions for obtaining access to this information are outlined in the government publication entitled Info Source, which is available at the following website address: InfoSource.  InfoSource may also be accessed on-line at any Service Canada Centre.

Table of Contents

  1. Purpose
  2. Introduction
    1. Objectives of the Program
    2. Assessment Criteria
    3. Application Deadline 
  3. Review Eligibility
  4. Develop Application for Funding
  5. Submit Application
  6. Follow-up After Application

1. Purpose

The Government of Canada is currently accepting applications for funding from organizations interested in receiving financial assistance from Career Focus.

The purpose of this Applicant Guide is to provide information to assist you with the completion of your Application for Funding to Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) / Service Canada (SC).

If you require information or clarification that is not provided in this Applicant Guide please contact 1-800-935-5555 (TTY: 1-800-926-9105)

Please use this guide when you are completing the Application for Funding.

For every section in the Application for Funding, the guide shows the type of detail Career Focus requires for your organization to complete application.

The Government of Canada is under no obligation to approve any of application for funding. In the event that your application is approved your project may be randomly selected for review and/or audit.

2. Introduction

i) Objectives of the program

Career Focus provides funding for employers and organizations to design and deliver a range of activities that enable youth make more informed career decisions and develop their skills.

Career Focus aims to:

  • increase the supply of highly qualified workers;
  • facilitate the transition of highly-skilled young people to a rapidly changing labour market;
  • promote the benefits of advanced studies; and,
  • demonstrate federal leadership by investing in the skills required to meet the needs of the knowledge economy.

ii) Assessment Criteria

The criteria-based assessment process for evaluating proposals ensures that all project proposals are evaluated objectively against the Terms and Conditions of the Program, labour market needs, availability of funds, and program priorities.

Proposals are assessed, recommended and approved based on the following criteria:

  • eligibility of the applicant;
  • how proposed activities will address identified needs;
  • experience and results achieved in delivering the specified type of activity;
  • degree to which the proposal’s identified needs and proposed activities support program objectives and priorities;
  • means to measure the progress of the participants and the success of project activities;
  • organizational capacity to manage the project, including financial controls;
  • clarity of project objectives, outcomes and scheduled timeframes;
  • expected project results for participants -- the proposal must target a minimum success rate of 80%, of participants served, for the key performance indicators ‘number of participants employed’ and/or ‘number of participants who have returned to school or remained in school’ with an expectation that the majority of successful participants will find employment;
  • proposals are required to leverage a minimum of 20% of total project costs (this includes employers funding their own wage subsidy activities). If required, please consult the following website for the calculation of percentages: http://calculconversion.com/percentage-calculator.html;
  • demonstration of partner support required for success (may include letters of support from partners, and/or leveraging information and a list of potential employers -including information on the sector and size of employers) with whom participants could be placed; and,
  • value-for-money e.g. cost per participant below the maximum amount allowed, the amount of contributions from other sources, an expected rate of success surpassing the 80% minimum).

Following the assessment of proposals, applicants will be notified in writing of ESDC/Service Canada's decision. Please note that project recommendation and approval are subject to the availability of funds. In addition, funding of proposals may be approved in part or in their entirety.

iii) Application Deadline

  • ESDC/Service Canada accepts Career Focus applications throughout the year.
  • Please send your application for funding completed and signed with all required attachments.

3. Review Eligibility

Eligible Applicants

Applicants who are eligible to receive funding from ESDC/Service Canada towards a Career Focus project include:

  • Not-for-profit organizations;
  • Municipal governments;
  • Aboriginal organizations (including band councils, tribal councils and self-government entities);
  • For-profit organizationsFootnote 1; and,
  • Provincial and territorial governments, institutions, agencies and Crown Corporations.

Career Focus – Community Coordinator (CF-CC)

A Career Focus Community Coordinator (CF-CC) is a contribution recipient that receives funding to enter into its own agreements with eligible participants and employers to undertake activities that further the objectives of the CF program.

ESDC may have an agreement with a CF-CC to deliver work experience activities. As well, advanced employment skills activities may be included in, but not the sole activity of, a CF-CC agreement.

Project Activities

To be eligible for Career Focus funding, proposed projects must involve a minimum of 8 youth participants.

Within rural (defined by Statistics Canada as an area with a population of less than 1,000 and a density of less than 400 people per square kilometre) and remote regions, exceptions may be made vis-à-vis the minimum participant requirement. Applicants must include a strong justification in the proposal as to why the minimum requirement of 8 participants cannot be fulfilled.

Recruitment of Participants

Contribution recipients are responsible for recruiting participants for Career Focus activities. Contribution recipients are also responsible for working with SC/ESDC to verify the eligibility of all youth who are recruited.

Career-related Work Experience

Eligible Career Focus activities include Career-related work experiences. A career-related work experience is an activity through which Career Focus participants can gain employment experience and skills related to their field of studies or career goals. In other words, this activity must facilitate their transition into the labour market, or support the field of studies of those participants still in school. Through the work experience, participants will be able to supplement their theoretical knowledge with practical skills. Work experiences must be supported by workplace coaching and/or mentoringFootnote 2, to maximize the benefit to be gained by the participant.

The duration of the work experience will vary but is normally at least six months and not more than twelve months.

Advanced Employability Skills

Funding may be provided for advanced employability skills workshops such as management skills, entrepreneurial skills, leadership skills, communication, teamwork and essential skills workshops. These workshops must be part of the career-related work experience and must never exceed 50% of the duration of the work experience.

Eligible Participants

Participants are recruited by the funding recipients.

To participate in Career Focus projects, youth must be:

  • between 15 and 30 years of age (inclusive) at the time of intake/selection;
  • a Canadian citizen, permanent resident, or person on whom refugee status has been conferredFootnote 3;
  • legally entitled to work according to the relevant provincial/territorial legislation and regulationsFootnote 4; and,
  • not in receipt of Employment Insurance (EI) benefitsFootnote 5.

Eligible Costs

Financial assistance may be provided to cover a maximum of 80% of the costs associated with operating and delivering approved activities; contribution recipients are required to leverage (to include contributions {cash or in-kind} provided by project partners other than the Department) a minimum of 20% of total project costs (contribution recipients who are employers funding their own work experience activities would be included as providing leveraging). For instance, if the total calculated budget for a project is $100,000, then the applicant (or other partners) is required to provide a minimum of $20,000 and $80,000 may be requested of the Department.

Contributions may be made to eligible contribution recipients, including those who further distribute funds to ultimate recipients, for the following costs of eligible activities:

  1. overhead costs, including costs related to central administrative functions of the recipient organization that are drawn upon to support agreement activities (such as shared postage, telephones, IT maintenance and head office);
  2. the costs of materials and supplies;
  3. wages and mandatory employment-related costs (MERCs);
  4. honoraria and hospitality costs;
  5. printing and communication costs;
  6. travel costs;
  7. professional fees (such as consultants, IT, technical expertise, facilitation, legal, research, audit, assessment and evaluation);
  8. capital costs; and,
  9. other costs necessary to support the purpose of the funding, as approved by ESDC.

Financial Assistance

Financial assistance may be provided to cover all or a portion of the costs associated with participating in the activities.

Costs may include:

  • Income support to participants (wages) based on the prevailing wage rate for the occupation and mandatory employment related costs (MERCs) for participants;
  • additional support to cover all or part of the incremental costs for individuals to participate, such as dependent care, travel or transportation; and,
  • other support to cover the cost of items associated with the youth's participation, including disability supports.

The maximum cost per participant (the amount of departmental funding requested divided by the number of expected participants) is $20,000 per project regardless of the length of the intervention. This includes overhead and participant costs. Amounts needed to accommodate participants with disabilities would be in addition to the $20,000 maximum.

Expected Results

Project outcomes should focus on the skills acquired through career-related work experiences and the return of youth to advanced level studies. Expected results for Career Focus project should include:

  • number of clients served through Career Focus;
  • number of clients employed or self-employed; and,
  • number of clients who return to school/stay in school.

4. Develop your Application for Funding

The Application has four parts:

In order for an application to be considered complete, it must be accompanied by all required documents as specified by the Program to which your organization is applying.

However, there is flexibility in the Application for Funding for situations where the information requested may not apply to all organizations or may be best provided through some other means. You may leave a section blank only where the following terms are present:

  • “if applicable”;
  • “if different”.

If you need additional space to answer any of the questions, please use the space provided in Appendix A.

Please Note: All items marked with an asterisk (*) in the Application for Funding are mandatory unless otherwise specified.

Additional Documents Required:

Included below are additional document(s) that are required to be submitted with your Application for Funding. Please ensure that your submission package includes all of the following:

  • Budget Detail Template* (Appendix B)
  • If applicable, written union concurrence will be required.
  • Note: Proof of Workers’ Compensation coverage and/or liability insuranceFootnote 6 will be required when negotiating an agreement.

How to fill out your Application for Funding.

Part 1 – Organization

Section 1A – Organization Identification

ESDC uses the information you provide in this section to establish your organization’s identity.

Question 1 – Legal Name

Please provide the legal name of your organization. This is the name associated with your registration with the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA). This must be an exact match to what was captured when your organization registered with CRA. If there is a discrepancy between these two sets of information, the Department will be unable to validate your application. This could also be the name that appears on funding cheques.

Question 2 – Operating (Common) Name (if different from legal name)

Please provide the operating (or common) name of your organization if it is different from the legal name.

Question 3 – Business or Registration Number

Please provide your 15-digit CRA business number or, for registered charities and not-for-profit organizations, your registration number.

Example: 123456789 AB 1234

For more information, please visit the CRA website.

Question 4 - Organization Type

Your answer to this question must be one of the following:

  1. Not-for-Profit
  2. Private
  3. Public

Question 5 – Organization Category

Please select the appropriate category from the following:

Not-for-Profit

  1. Aboriginal Not-for-Profit Groups
  2. Associations of Workers and/or Employers
  3. International Non-governmental Organizations
  4. Local community, charitable, voluntary organizations
  5. Non-governmental Organizations with a focus to encourage employment
  6. National Non-governmental Organizations
  7. Not-for-Profit Band Councils
  8. Provincial Non-governmental Organizations
  9. Sector Councils
  10. Unions

Private

  1. Banks
  2. Businesses, bodies incorporated or unincorporated
  3. Indian Band Corporations (profit basis)
  4. International Sector
  5. Private Band Councils
  6. Private Universities and Colleges
  7. For-profit

Public

  1. Contributions to Provinces and Territories
  2. International Government Organizations
  3. Municipal Governments and Agencies
  4. Provincial Governments and Agencies
  5. Public Degree-Granting Colleges
  6. Public Degree-Granting Universities
  7. Public Community Colleges and vocational schools
  8. Public Health
  9. School Board/Other Educational Institution not classified elsewhere
  10. Territorial Governments

Question 6 – Year Established

Please indicate the year your organization was established.

Questions 7 – 11 – Organization Address

Please indicate the address of your organization.

Only project activities that take place in Canada will be eligible for funding.

Questions 12 – 13 – Telephone and Fax

Please indicate the telephone and fax number of the organization.

Question 14 – E-Mail Address

Please indicate the e-mail address of the organization.

Questions 15 – 19 - Mailing Address

Please indicate the mailing address if different from your organization’s address.

Questions 20 – 21 – Telephone and Fax

Please indicate the telephone and fax number if different from your organization’s address.

Question 22 – Organization’s Mandate

Please describe the primary work of your organization, including your mission, mandate and objectives.

Section 1B – Organization Contact

Please provide a main contact for the purposes of communicating with your organization about this project. This could be a project manager or coordinator, an executive director or someone else. Typically, the person responsible for the project is identified here.

Please note that the individual listed as the organizational contact should be available to respond to questions or requests for additional information following the submission of your application.

Question 23 – Given Name

Please provide the name of the person in your organization who will be ESDC’s main contact for the project.

Question 24 – Position Title

Please provide the title of the organization contact identified in Question 23.

Example: Executive Director

Question 25 – Preferred Language of Communication

Please indicate the preferred language of the organization’s main contact for both written and spoken communication.

  • EN indicates English
  • FR indicates French

Question 26 – Organization Contact - Address

Please indicate whether the address for the Organization Contact is the same address as the Organization Address or the Organization Mailing Address given in Section 1A. If different, please indicate in the box.

Questions 27- 31 – Contact Address

If you selected “Different” in Question 26, please provide the address for the Organization Contact here.

Questions 32- 33 -Telephone and Fax

Please indicate the telephone and fax numbers of the Organization Contact.

Question 34 – E-Mail Address

Please indicate the e-mail address of the Organization Contact.

Section 1C – Organizational Capacity

ESDC uses the information provided in this section to help assess the organization’s capacity to manage a project.

Question 35 – How many employees does your organization currently have?

Please indicate the number of people employed in your organization. The number of employees must be a whole number.

Question 36 – Has your organization undergone any important transformations in the past two years?

Important transformations refers to events such as a change in leadership in the board of directors or at the executive level, an important reduction, increase or turn-over in staff, a merger with or split from another organization, a change in mandate or main activities, etc.

If you answer yes, please provide a description of the changes.

Question 37Please describe how your Organization has the experience and expertise to carry out the proposed project activities? If applicable, please include any past experience(s) with ESDC and the results of the project(s).

Please provide a description of your organization’s experience and expertise in administering projects. This information will help ESDC to assess the extent to which your organization is capable of undertaking the proposed project activities and achieving the expected results. You may wish to highlight related past achievements in addition to describing current expertise and activities or projects.

This section should include a description of:

  • previous experience in delivering youth-related projects funded by ESDC/Service Canada and by other federal departments, municipal, provincial, or territorial governments (include department, responsible project officer, project name, date length, funding, proposed targets and outcomes); and,
  • previous Career Focus projects.

If you are applying for funding from other areas of ESDC/Service Canada and/or other government departments under the Youth Employment Strategy, please indicate: the name of the government department, the amount of funding requested and/or approved, the number of participants and how the activities differ from the ones requested in the proposal for funding under ESDC/Service Canada.

Question 38 – Does your organization owe any amounts to the Government of Canada?

If yes, please indicate the amounts owing in the spaces provided. See the following example:

Amount Owing Nature of Amount Owing Department or Agency to which money is owed
$10,000 Overpayment Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) formerly known as Human Resources and Skills Development Canada (HRSDC)

Answering "yes" to this question will not invalidate your application. However, you must provide details as to the type of debt owed and the arrangements that have been made for repayment.

Question 39 – Is a payment plan in place?

Please indicate whether or not payment arrangements have been made.

Part 2 – Project

Section 2A – Project Identification

Question 40 – Project Title

Please provide a brief, descriptive Project Title.

Questions 41 and 42 – Planned Project Start and End Dates

Please indicate the planned start and end dates of your project.

Please note that activities cannot begin before your project is approved and an agreement has been signed by both the recipient and ESDC.

You should not assume any commitment on the part of ESDC until funding has been approved and a formal agreement has been signed by a representative of ESDC. ESDC will notify you in writing of the outcome of the review of your application.

The maximum duration of a Career Focus agreement is 3 years.

Section 2B – Project Description

ESDC uses the information you provide in this section as part of the assessment in determining whether or not your proposed project is eligible for funding.

Question 43 - Project Objectives

Please outline the objectives of your project.

Project objectives should (but are not limited to):

  • be consistent with the funding program’s objectives;
  • identify a specific outcome(s) that the project is designed to accomplish (e.g. increase knowledge or skills);
  • ensure that these outcome(s) are measurable;
  • identify who will benefit from the project (eg. Official Language Minority Community); and,
  • show how meeting the project objectives will help to achieve the identified outcomes.

Project Objectives - provide a clear and measurable description of:

  • project objectives, activities, goals and measurable milestones;
  • expected outcomes, including how project activities will benefit the community and assist participants in acquiring employability skills, finding employment, becoming self-employed, or returning to school;
  • targets for the number of youth completing the project and the number of participants achieving the results listed above; and,
  • other positive outcomes related to proposed activities.

Question 44 - Project Activities

Please describe the proposed project activities.

Project activities are the steps that will be taken to meet the objectives of the project. Activities should be specific, measurable, realistic and relevant to the project objectives and demonstrate how the project outcome(s) will be achieved.

Your project should be broken down into various steps (milestones) that reliably show your expected progress and plans to complete the project on time and within budget.

Please include details about how the project will be delivered. For example, will there be third-party agreements, or will the organization deliver all aspects of the project?

There should be a clear link between the project activities and the project costs outlined in the project budget. The information you provide here will have a significant bearing on the assessment of your project and of your organization’s ability to undertake the project successfully.

Proposed Activities - are key components of the proposal and should be clearly defined. To be eligible for Career Focus funding, proposed projects must involve a minimum of 8 youth participants.

Participant information should describe the:

  • participants' recruitment method, (i.e. through interviews and/or information sessions, referrals from youth serving agencies and other community organizations);
  • basis for selection of participants (i.e. eligibility criteria, interests, commitment, education and/or readiness for participation in a project);
  • participants targeted;
  • means by which participants' eligibility will be verified; and,
  • fields or sectors in which participants will conduct their work experience.

Question 45 - Expected Results of the Project

Please summarize the expected results of your project. The expected results of the project must be clearly linked to the project objectives. They must also be specific, concrete and measurable.

Expected results should be listed under the following Career Focus key performance indicators:

  • the targeted number of participants to be served;
  • the targeted number of participants who will become employed; and,
  • the targeted number of participants who will return to school or stay in school.

Example:

This project will have 20 participants and of these 20 participants:

  • 15 will have found employment
  • 3 will have returned to school
  • 2 will neither be employed nor return to school

IMPORTANT - Under Career Focus, ESDC/Service Canada has established a minimum success rate of 80% of participants being employed or returning to advanced studies upon completion of their work experience, with an expectation that the majority of successful participants will find employment.

Section C – Project Details

Question 46 – Does the project include results measurement indicators?

Please describe how you will meet and track the expected results of the project. Having a clear strategy to measure results is the best way to ensure that you know how your project is progressing towards meeting the expected results. ESDC uses the information you provide in this section to assess the quality of your application and your capacity to demonstrate results.

Provide a description of how each participant's progress and achievements, and/or the overall success of the project will be measured, monitored and reported during and after the project.

Question 47 – Does the proposed project fit with your organization’s other activities?

Please describe how the project relates to the ongoing work of your organization. You may wish to highlight how past achievements and current activities and/or projects are related to your proposed project. This information helps ESDC to determine the extent to which your organization is able to undertake the proposed project and to achieve the expected results.

Question 48 – Will any of the project activities be delivered in a different location than where your organization is located?

Please indicate “Yes” or “No”. If “yes”, please list the main address first, followed by each additional location.

If there are more than five locations, please include in Appendix A.

Question 49 – Is your project designed to benefit or involve people in English or French-language minority communities? If yes, please provide an explanation and any details on whether consultations will take place with these communities?

ESDC is committed to enhancing the vitality of the English and French linguistic minorities in Canada by supporting and assisting their development and fostering the full recognition and use of both English and French in Canadian society. Official Language Minority Communities are English-speaking communities established within the province of Quebec and French-speaking communities established outside the province of Quebec.

If your proposed project will involve official language minority communities, you should answer "Yes" to this question and ensure that this is listed and described in your answer to Question 43 - Project Objectives.

Please also identify the linguistic profile of the beneficiaries targeted by the project, document any special needs of the official language minority community and indicate whether or not they were consulted. The related budgetary items can be identified in Part 3 of the Application.

Answering "no" to this question will not invalidate your application.

Question 50 – Will any other organizations, networks, or partners be involved in carrying out the project?

Career Focus requires applicants to secure the involvement of other organizations, networks, or partners. Please describe the other group(s) or individual(s) as well as the role(s) and expertise they will bring to the project.

This information will help ESDC to assess the support base for your project.

Partner Information

This section should specify details concerning the:

  • employers' participation and other partners (i.e. type of organization, location, experience dealing with the target group, etc.);
  • proposed job descriptions outlining the roles and responsibilities of partners involved; and,
  • relationships between the various partners and the applicant, including monetary and/or in-kind contributions, and details concerning the specific involvement and relevant experience (if applicable) of each partner in the project.

Applicants and/or partners (including employers) must provide monetary and/or in-kind contributions that reflect a commitment to the success of the project. This funding could come from the private sector, not-for-profit organizations and/or other levels of government. In addition, private sector employers must make either a cash or in-kind contribution to the project.

For example, the following template could be used as a starting point:

Partnerships

The organization is supported by several community partners such as the XYZ Employment Centres, Operation Youth Placement and the Lower Mainland Youth Centre who will act as host employers by offering work experiences to youth participants.

Cash contributions

Local employers will cover approximately 50% of the participants’ wages (or more, depending on the hourly rate) and will cover all of the employment-related costs during the work experience, which will last for 24 weeks.

In-kind contributions

Organization ABC will deliver employability workshops and will organize employment-related activities throughout the project.

Question 51 – Does the proposed project address the Program’s priorities?

Please indicate “Yes” or “No”. If “yes”, please select all that apply.

Program Priorities:

  • proposals which include work placements within the private sector;
  • proposals which include work placements in high-demand fields such as science, technology, mathematics, engineering and the skilled trades; and,
  • proposals which include work placements with small- to medium-size employers (defined as having fewer than 500 employees).

Question 52 – Does your project include activities that are listed in the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency’s (CEAA) Regulations Designating Physical Activities established under the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act, 2012?

Please Note: Applicants need to verify if their proposed activities are listed under the above Act – Please visit the CEEA to access the list of Regulations Designating Physical Activities.

Please indicate “Yes” or “No”.

  • If the answer is "NO", no Environmental Assessment will be required.
  • If the answer is "YES", then, as per the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act, 2012, applicant must submit the project description electronically to the CEEA for further review. The CEEA will determine if an Environmental Assessment (EA) is required based on the project description.

IMPORTANT: ESDC funding will be conditional upon receipt by ESDC of, as the case may be, CEEA confirmation that an EA is not required -or- a copy of the completed EA and confirmation that your organization is equipped to appropriately address the EA findings.

Part 3 – Funding

Section 3A – Anticipated Sources of Contribution

The Career Focus program requires applicants to seek a minimum of 20% of total project costs in cash and/or in-kind contributions for their proposed project from other sources of funding. Each program has a “stacking limit”, that is, a maximum permitted amount of combined funding from federal, provincial, territorial and municipal governments for any one project or initiative. Contributions to the project cannot exceed 100% of eligible expenditures.

ESDC uses the information provided in this section to verify that your funding request conforms to any stacking limit or requirement for funding from other sources.

“Other sources of funding” includes any source of funding (including from your organization) other than the program to which you are applying for funding.

Question 53 - Source Name

Please include the name of the organization that will contribute funds and/or in-kind contributions to this project. ESDC should be listed as the first source name and any other sources listed below.

Question 54 - Source Type

Use the following list to identify the type of anticipated funding partner:

  1. Crown Corporation
  2. Federal Department or Agency
  3. Foreign Governments
  4. Not-for-Profit
  5. Private Sector
  6. Provincial/Territorial Government
  7. Regional or Municipal Government
  8. Sponsor/Organization/Contribution Recipient
  9. Union
  10. Other (please specify) (If employers are contributing please record this as “employer”)

Question 55 - Cash

Please include the amount of funding that will be provided.

Question 56 - In-kind ($ value)

In-kind contributions are non-monetary goods or services that may be contributed to the project by your organization or other organizations or partners for which your organization will not be requesting re-imbursement. In-kind support may include coaching/mentoring, donated equipment, services or facilities necessary for the proposed project that would otherwise have to be purchased.

To be considered valid, in-kind contributions should contribute to the success of the project, and their monetary equivalent estimated at fair market value.

Applicants and/or partners (including employers) must provide monetary and/or in-kind contributions that reflect a commitment to the success of the project. This funding could come from the private sector, not-for-profit organizations and/or other levels of government. In addition, private sector organizations are required to make cash and/ or in-kind contributions to the project.

Question 57 - Confirmed Cash and In-Kind

Cash and In-kind contributions should be committed to in writing by the contributing party. Please check (x) if this has been confirmed.

When applicable, and if possible, written confirmation of partner involvement should be submitted prior to signing a contribution agreement.

Section 3B – Project Budget

ESDC uses the information provided in this section to assess the overall cost of the proposed project, as well as the general nature of the expenditures to be covered by all anticipated sources of funding.

Please find in Appendix B the Budget Detail Template* which must be included as part of the application.

Question 58 – Cost Categories

Please summarize your project budget according to the Budget Detail Template* attached in Appendix B.

Key elements to consider in determining the project budget are: contributions from other sources, duration of the project, occupations, prevailing wage rates and type of project activities. Please note that applicants must also detail monetary and/or in-kind contributions from other sources that reflect a commitment to the success of the project.

No costs are eligible as a contingency option. Costs must be foreseeable to be negotiated in the original agreement and will otherwise require a negotiation and amendment of the contribution agreement.

Eligible expenditures are the expenses considered necessary to support the purpose of the funding. The following list of items consists of possible expenditures if they are related to the project’s activities and eligible under the program.

Cost Categories

1. Administrative Costs

a) Administrative Costs

Means costs related to:

  • audit fees;
  • bank fees;
  • basic telephone fees (including fax lines);
  • contracting (if not contracted specifically to support the project), bookkeeping, janitorial services, Information Technology (IT), equipment maintenance services, security, translator, training fees, consultant fees, printing contracts fees(i.e. large job);
  • equipment repair and maintenance (includes photocopy meter charges);
  • insurance (fire, theft, liability);
  • IT maintenance;
  • legal fees;
  • materials and office supplies (e.g. pens, pencils, paper, envelopes, cleaning supplies, subscriptions);
  • monthly internet fees;
  • management and administrative staff wages not working on outcome of projects including Mandatory Employment Related Costs (MERCs), vacation pay and benefits;
  • operational printing contracted externally (business cards, letterhead, ad hoc unanticipated print jobs, minor updates and/or printing of organizational or program brochures, etc.);
  • other nonparticipant-based costs (e.g. water where public water is not safe for drinking, staff and volunteer recognition);
  • postage and courier fees; and,
  • staff and volunteer transportation (bus fare, taxi and parking required for delivery of project activities but not part of travel claims; does NOT include monthly parking fees nor bus pass).

2. Capital Costs

a) Facilities (if applicable)

Means cost of:

  • construction or renovations;
  • pre-development; and,
  • purchasing land and/or buildings.

b) Capital Assets

Means any asset/expenditure requiring agreement of disposition, as per program-specific Terms and Conditions (Ts and Cs) and value. For example:

  • computer;
  • furniture; and,
  • software.

3. Direct Costs

a) Staff Wages

Means wages, MERCs and benefits paid to or on behalf of staff working directly on the project. MERCs mean Mandatory Employment-Related Costs and include Employment Insurance Premiums, Canada Pension Plan / Quebec Pension Plan contributions, vacation pay, etc. Benefits means payments an employer is required to make by virtue of company policy or a collective agreement such as contributions to a group pension plan.

b) Participant Costs

Means participant wages and Mandatory Employment-Related Costs (MERCs), completion bonuses, and other employment-related benefit costs where warranted by current organizational Human Resources policies and/or provincial/territorial labour standards.

General project participant costs:

  • adaptive-technology set-up;
  • dependent care;
  • disability-related incremental costs (i.e. additional per diems for fees for assistance provided, etc.);
  • disability-related supports (attendant care, note takers, sign language interpreters);
  • emergency assistance (financial assistance provided to a participant to cover accommodation, food, laundry, telephone calls);
  • living expenses;
  • materials and supplies, books and testing materials to be used by/for participants;
  • participation and completion recognition;
  • professional fees related to participants – sub-contracting (i.e. vocational assessments, needs assessments, guest speakers, etc.);
  • travel, transportation; and,
  • tuition fees.

c) Project Costs

Means costs related to:

  • advertising (newspaper ads, website ads, flyers, etc.);
  • conference attendance fees;
  • conference fees (meeting room rental, guest speakers, etc.);
  • equipment lease, rental or purchase (including computers, fax machines, etc.); Computer software (with a value that is less than the amount identified in the funding agreement under the disposition of capital assets clause or without lease to own);
  • furniture (with a value that is less than the amount identified in the funding agreement under the disposition of capital assets clause);
  • goods and services tax (GST) / Harmonized sales tax (HST) / Provincial sales tax (PST);
  • hospitality;
  • materials and office supplies (e.g. pens, pencils, paper, envelopes, cleaning supplies, subscriptions);
    • memberships fees (professional and organizational), affiliation fees and business licenses and permits;
    • professional fees related to project activities;
    • reference materials (books, periodicals, subscriptions, etc., which cannot be easily traced/tracked back to usage by project participants);
    • rent, lease (including applicant owned premises), repairs and leasehold improvements;
    • signage;
    • significant project costs associated with the following types of expenditures (non- standard/non-basic amounts over and above the regular, day-to-day operational costs):
    • Contracting (if contracted specifically to support the project) (e.g. bookkeeping, janitorial services, Information Technology (IT), equipment maintenance services, security, audit costs, legal fees, translator, training);
    • Internet (web page design, etc.) and other IT requirements (significant costs associated with project activities, which increase expected internet related costs beyond normal operating requirements);
    • Postage fees (significant costs associated with project activities, which increase expected costs of postage beyond normal operating requirements);
    • Printing fees (significant costs associated with project activities, which increase expected printing costs beyond normal operating requirements);
    • Telephone (installation and extraordinary costs related to telephones and/or fax lines required over and above regular operating requirements);
  • staff disability supports (duty to accommodate);
  • staff training for disability-related issues (e.g. sign language training);
  • utilities; and,
  • support to individuals (paid through contribution recipients).

Ineligible Costs:

  • costs associated with fundraising activities;
  • Canada Revenue Agency or payroll penalties;
  • parking tickets;
  • fines or penalties;
  • entertainment costs;
  • depreciation on fixed assets;
  • board membership fees;
  • capital costs for the construction of a building (other than minor repairs or renovations) or the purchase of land or buildings;
  • purchase of motor vehicles;
  • legal fees and court awards for inappropriate dismissal or other inappropriate/illegal activity;
  • Membership fees for privates clubs, etc. (golf clubs, gyms, etc.) unless part of existing (non-monetary) employment benefits package;
  • Staff salary bonuses if not originally negotiated into agreement;
  • purchase of alcoholic beverages;
  • purchase of any illegal substances;
  • mentor and/or coach wages;
  • unreasonable gifts or unreasonable payments for recognition; and,
  • other costs ineligible as per program terms and conditions.

Applicants shall not request the payment of any charge or fee from participants for their participation in the project.

If the proposal involves subcontracting, the Budget Detail Template must include a rationale and describe the process to select the sub-contractors. If applicants intend to contract or subcontract for a value of $25,000, they must demonstrate that the costs represent fair market value. Failure to comply with ESDC requirements may result in these expenditures being ineligible for reimbursement. In the situation where a contract for goods and services is below the $25,000 threshold, the principles of accountability, fairness, best value for money must still be conformed to.

When completing questions 58-61 on the Application please provide budget totals for categories 1, 2 and 3.

Any detail or additional information regarding the proposed budget that does not fit on the Budget Detail Template* (Appendix B) can be included in Question 64.

Question 59 – 61 – ESDC/ Other - Cash/ Other - In-kind

Please provide the total planned expenditures.

Section 3C – Budget Details

Question 62 – Associated Businesses or Individuals

Please check all statements that apply to your planned expenditures of ESDC funding.

In carrying-out projects, contribution recipients may have to purchase various goods or services needed to perform the project from contractors. Some recipients may also contract-out with third-parties (i.e. outside providers) to perform part of the project activities and aid the contribution recipient to achieve the objectives of the project.

“Associated Businesses or Individuals” means:

  • an officer, director or employee of your organization;
  • a member of the immediate family of an officer, director or employee of your organization;
  • a business in which an officer, director or employee of your organization, or a member of their immediate family, has a financial interest; or,
  • a business which is related to, or associated or affiliated with, your organization.

Question 63 - Capital Assets: Are capital assets among your planned expenditures with HRSDC funding? Please indicate Yes or No.

Explain how your project will benefit from the purchase of capital assets. A disposal plan for the capital assets should also be included.

A capital asset is any single or composite asset with a purchase value of more than $1,000 (before tax) that is not physically incorporated into another product and that remains functional at the end of the project.

A composite asset is a collection of unique assets that form one identifiable functional unit, where all components are required for the asset to be functional. The collection of assets is treated as a single capital asset if the total cost of all individual items together is greater than $1,000 (before tax).

For example, a personal computer composed of a hard-drive, a monitor, a keyboard, a mouse and cabling is a composite capital asset. Four $300 chairs are not capital assets because each chair is functional on its own and, as single units, fall below the established threshold of $1,000 (before tax).

Capital Costs

Any asset with a purchase cost exceeding $1,000 (before tax) requires prior written approval from ESDC/Service Canada, and must include a plan for disposal upon completion of the project. Also, it is an excellent and sound business practice to obtain more than one quote when purchasing capital assets.

Question 64 – Further Budget Details

Part 4 – Declaration

Please ensure that your application is signed by an official, authorized representative of your organization. People with signing authority are normally one or more of the executive members of the board of directors (president, vice president, secretary or treasurer) and employees of the organization (chief executive officer, executive director, chiefs of finance or human resources).

The Application for Funding must be signed in accordance with the organization’s statutes, by-laws or other constituting documents. For example, the president and the chief financial officer may be required to sign all outgoing documents.

Appendix – A

Please use this section to complete questions from previous sections of the application; and specify the question or section meant to be continued.  

Appendix – B

5. Submit your application

Employers and organizations may submit their completed applications online, in-person or by mail. Please consult the listing below to find out where to submit an application in your area.

Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, and Saskatchewan

Alberta

Edmonton (serves north of Red Deer)
1440 - 9700 Jasper Avenue
Edmonton, AB
T5J 4C1

Calgary (serves Red Deer South)
1816 Crowchild Trail North-West
Calgary, AB
T2M 3Y7

British Columbia

Kelowna (serves Vancouver Island/Northern BE/Southern Interior)
471 Queensway, Room 306
Kelowna, BC
V1Y 6S5

Vancouver (serves the Lower Mainland)
125 10th Ave E
Vancouver, BC
V5T 1Z3

Manitoba

Brandon (serves rural Manitoba)
1039 Princess Avenue
Brandon, MB
R7A 6E2

Winnipeg (serves Elmwood, Point Douglas, Winnipeg North, Winnipeg Centre, and St. Boniface areas)
280 Broadway Avenue, Suite 115
Winnipeg, MB
R3C 4M5

North

North (serves Yukon, NWT, Nunavut)
300 Main Street
Whitehorse, Yukon
Y1A 2B5

Saskatchewan

Saskatoon (serves Northern SK)
101 - 22nd Street East
Saskatoon, SK
S7K 0E2

Regina (serves Southern SK)
200 - 1783 Hamilton Street
Regina, SK
S4P 2B6

New Brunswick

Fredericton Service Canada Centre
633 Queen Street
PO Box 12000
Fredericton, New Brunswick E3B 5G4

Newfoundland and Labrador

For Eastern Newfoundland

St. John's Service Canada Centre
P.O. Box 8548
223 Churchill Ave, Pleasantville
St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador A1B 3P3

For Western Newfoundland and Labrador

Stephenville Service Canada Centre
133 Carolina Avenue
Stephenville, Newfoundland and Labrador A2N 3B5

Northwest Territories, Nunavut, and Yukon

Applications can be mailed to your local Service Canada Centre.

Nova Scotia

Halifax Service Canada Centre
Program Delivery Unit
PO Box 1800
7001 Mumford Road
Halifax, Nova Scotia B3J 3V1

Ontario

Service Canada
1300 Bath Road – Unit 14
Kingston, ON
K7M 4X4

Prince Edward Island

Service Canada
85 Fitzroy Street
PO Box 8000
Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island C1A 8K1

Quebec

Applications can be mailed to the following address:

Service Canada
1001 Maisonneuve Boulevard East, 4th Floor
Montréal, Québec H2L 5A1

Applications can also be submitted in-person to your local Service Canada Centre.

6. Follow-up After You Apply

Under normal conditions, we will acknowledge receipt of your proposal within 21 calendar days of receiving your application.

We will notify you, in writing whether or not your application has been approved.

Decisions are final; applicants have no right of appeal.

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