Applicant guide: Opportunities Fund for Persons with Disabilities

Question 1 - Legal name

Provide the legal name of your organization. This is usually:

• the name associated with your registration with the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA), or
• the name that would appear on funding cheques.

Question 2 - Operating (common) name (if different from legal name)

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

Question 3 - Business or registration number

Indicate your 15-digit CRA registration number that is assigned to your business or legal entity, for example, 123456789 RR 0001.

If you do not have a CRA registration number, provide 1 of the following:

• your provincial/territorial corporation number (the number found on your Letters Patent)
• your federal corporation number with Industry Canada
• a document confirming the proof of operations for your organization

Question 4 - Organization type

Choose 1 of the following:

• not-for-profit organization
• public sector
• private sector (for-profit organization)

Question 5 - Organization category

Select the most appropriate category from the following based on what you chose in Question 4

Not-for-Profit

• Indigenous Not-for-Profit Groups
• Associations of Workers and/or Employers
• International Non-governmental Organizations
• Local community, charitable, voluntary organizations
• Non-governmental Organizations with a focus on training employment
• National Non-governmental Organizations
• Not-for-Profit Band Councils
• Provincial Non-governmental Organizations
• Sector Councils
• Unions

Private

• Banks
• Businesses, bodies incorporated or unincorporated
• Indian Band Corporations (profit basis)
• International Sector
• Private Band Councils
• Private Universities and Colleges

Public

• Contributions to Provinces and Territories
• International Government Organizations
• Municipal Governments and Agencies
• Provincial Governments and Agencies
• Public Degree-Granting Colleges
• Public Degree-Granting Universities
• Public Community Colleges and vocational schools
• Public Health
• School Board/Other Educational Institutions not classified elsewhere
• Territorial Governments

Question 6 - Year established

Indicate the year your organization was established.

Questions 7 to 14 - Organization address

Indicate the primary address of your organization. The primary address is usually the head or main office. This includes:

• Question 7: Street address
• Question 8: City or Town
• Question 9: Province or Territory
• Question 10: Country (if not Canada)
• Question 11: Postal Code
• Question 12: Telephone number, including extension
• Question 13: Fax number
• Question 14: Email address

Questions 15 to 21 - Mailing address (if different from organization address)

If your mailing address is different from the organization address, indicate the mailing address of your organization as per the following:

• Question 15: Street address
• Question 16: City or Town
• Question 17: Province or Territory
• Question 18: Country (if not Canada)
• Question 19: Postal Code
• Question 20: Telephone number, including extension
• Question 21: Fax number

Question 22 - Organization's mandate

Describe the main activities of your organization.

Ensure to select the target group(s) that best aligns with your organization’s mandate or purpose (you can select more than one).

Questions 23 to 34 - Primary contact information

Provide us with the contact information for the person who will be ESDC’s primary contact person in respect to your application for funding. Include the following details:

• Question 23: Given (first) name and surname (last name)
• Question 24: Position Title
• Question 25: Preferred language for written and spoken communication, English or French
• Question 26: Indicate if your address is the same as the Organization Address, same as the Organization Mailing Address, or different. If it is different, provide the following for the primary contact person:
• Question 27: Street address
• Question 28: City or Town
• Question 29: Province or Territory
• Question 30: Country
• Question 31: Postal Code
• Question 32: Telephone number, including extension
• Question 33: Fax number
• Question 34: Email address (note this is where all correspondence will be sent)

Questions 35 to 46 - Secondary contact information

Provide us with the contact information for the person who will be ESDC’s secondary contact person in respect to your application for funding. Include the following details:

• Question 35: Given (first) name and surname (last name)
• Question 36: Position Title
• Question 37: Preferred language for written and spoken communication, English or French
• Question 38: Indicate if your address is the same as the Organization Address, same as the Organization Mailing Address, or different. If it is different, provide the following for the secondary contact person:
  • Question 39: Street address
  • Question 40: City or Town
  • Question 41: Province or Territory
  • Question 42: Country
  • Question 43: Postal Code
  • Question 44: Telephone number, including extension
  • Question 45: Fax number
  • Question 46: Email address

Question 47 - How many employees does your organization currently have?

Indicate the total number of people employed in your organization or business. The number of employees must be a whole number.

Question 48 - Has your organization undergone any important transformations in the past 2 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 turnover in staff
• a merger with or split from another organization
• a change in mandate or main activities

If you answer yes, describe the changes.

Question 49 - Describe how your organization has the experience and expertise to carry out the proposed project activities. If applicable, please include any experience with ESDC and the results of the project(s).

Provide the following information:

• a description, including details of activities, clients served, and results, of your organization’s experience and expertise in administering projects similar to the one described in your proposal. This information will help the Department assess your organization’s capability to undertake the proposed project activities and achieving the expected results.
• related past achievements, in addition to describing current expertise and activities or projects.
• if you have past projects with ESDC, provide details, such as dates, outcomes, success, etc.

Additionally, in order to meet the priority of including underserved populations in projects, your proposal should include the following:

• Details of your organization’s history of serving clients with disabilities who are also members of other equity deserving groups. This includes groups that face barriers to equitable access, opportunities and resources due to disadvantage or discrimination. If you are unable to demonstrate this experience, please provide detailed plans, with defined targets and milestones, to strengthen your organization’s capacity to serve these clients. (Only relevant if you are applying under Streams 1 and/or 3).
• For employer-focused projects (Stream 2), describe how your project will incorporate intersectional considerations into your work with employers, to encourage the hiring and retention of a broad cross-section of persons with disabilities.
• Organizations are encouraged to enter into strength-based partnerships and alliances with organizations that serve other equity-deserving groups, in order to improve their own capacity to include underserved populations in project activities.
• See below for more details on each stream.

Questions 50 to 51 - Does your organization owe any amounts to the Government of Canada

Indicate if your organization owes any money to the Government of Canada. If ‘Yes’, complete the fields for each amount owing.

For example:

Answering yes will not make your application ineligible. However, you must provide details about the type of debt owed.

If you have a payment plan in place to repay the debt, check ‘Yes’ under question 51, otherwise check ‘No’. You may be asked to provide the current arrangements for repayment during the assessment of your application.

Question 52 - Project title

Provide a brief, descriptive project title.

Questions 53 and 54 - Planned project start and planned end dates.

State the planned start and end dates of your project.

Projects must not exceed 3 years (36 consecutive months).

The project’s start date will vary. It is anticipated that projects will start at the earliest in early winter 2022.

The Department will notify you in writing of the outcome of the review of your application. You cannot begin any of the proposed activities or incur any expenses until the approval of your project. As well, both you and the Department must sign a Funding Agreement. You should not assume any commitment on the part of our Department until the signing of the Funding Agreement. If you purchase anything for the project after the approval but before the signing of the Agreement, these expenses cannot be reimbursed.

Question 55 - Project objectives

Outline the objective(s) of your project. Proposals should include clear and achievable objectives. The objectives of each proposal should be described in terms of quantifiable and measurable goals to be achieved through this project. Multifaceted proposals should include major steps and sub-objectives.

Objectives are statements of desired change that describe what should be accomplished and provide a context in which progress can be monitored and success can be measured.

Project objectives should:

• be S.M.A.R.T.: specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and timely
• be consistent with the funding program’s objectives and linked to the program objectives
• identify the specific outcome(s) or expected results that the project is designed to accomplish (example: number of clients served, number of clients trained, number of clients employed, etc.)
• ensure that these outcomes are measurable
• identify who will benefit from the project, and
• show how meeting the project objectives will help to achieve the identified outcomes

Your project must be clearly linked to the objectives of the CFP for the Opportunities Fund program.

Specifically, your application for funding must demonstrate how your organization will meet the objectives of the CFP for the Opportunities Fund program. The objectives are:

• to support persons with disabilities prepare for, find and keep good jobs, become self-employed, or advance in their careers or take on new or greater responsibilities
• to assist employers to create inclusive and accessible workplaces, and
• to improve the capacity of workers in a range of occupations to better identify barriers faced by persons with disabilities in the workplace

Your project must also (where appropriate to the stream under which activities will take place):

• Include mental health supports to help individuals experiencing mental illness including counselling for individuals with substance use disorders, and/or awareness activities for employers
• Be gender sensitive and seek to include underserved populations (equity deserving groups) in its activities
• Support home-based work/telework, where opportunities exist, as a means of increasing the number and range of job opportunities and making work more accessible, including encouraging employers to provide good quality home-based job opportunities
• For employer-focused projects, build employer awareness of and/or capacity to hire and integrate persons with disabilities
• For employer-focused projects, build employer awareness of the benefits of providing good quality home-based job opportunities for persons with disabilities
• Wherever possible, serve persons with disabilities who are further from the labour market or who face complex and/or multiple barriers, and
• Include underserved populations, including through strength-based partnerships and alliances

Your application should also include:

• Relevant information supporting your project’s objectives. This includes:
  • labour market information
  • demographic statistics for the location(s) of activities
  • lack of other employment supports for persons with disabilities in the geographic area(s) targeted.

In general, describe the need for the project in the proposed area and demonstrate that there is a reasonable expectation of project success.

If you apply for more than 1 stream, you need to describe your project objectives for each stream separately.

Question 56 - Project activities

Describe, in full detail, the proposed project activities. Break down the activities into clear steps.

Activities should be specific, measurable, realistic and relevant to the project objectives and demonstrate how you will achieve the project outcome(s).

Your answer to this question must include details regarding all your planned activities. Refer to the program’s eligibility criteria for examples and additional details on eligible activities.

Applicants must include the following details:

• A description of each activity and explanation of how each relates to the objective(s) of the project. There should always be a clear link between the project activities and the project objective(s) (see Question 55). List the project activities in a logical sequence, including how participants will be recruited, timelines and/or duration of each, and descriptions where needed. Timelines must be clearly established and feasible. Each activity should be clearly linked to the project costs outlined in the budget (especially in Sections 3B and 3C). This should demonstrate your expected progress and plans to complete the project on time and within budget.
• Project milestones, timelines and/or duration of the various activities (milestones are significant events or points of progress during the project). These should demonstrate your expected progress and plans to complete the project on time and within budget.
• Clear linkages between the project activities and the project costs outlined in the budget (see Questions 65 - 76 in Part 3 - Funding). Costs associated with all identified activities should be reflected in the Budget Detail Template (BDT) (PDF Format, 706KB)
• The length of time needed for the completion of individual participant activities should be based on each participant’s needs; the maximum duration of up to 18 months is intended to support those experiencing complex or significant barriers.

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

The information you provide here will have a significant bearing on the assessment of your proposed project and of your organization’s ability to undertake the project successfully.

Project activities must go beyond your organization’s normal activities, as this program does not fund an organization’s core, existing or on-going activities.

The following section lists the types of eligible activities applicable to each stream. Please see the Eligibility criteria section for details on each specific activity. You must clearly indicate which stream(s) you are applying for and you must clearly describe the activities you wish to deliver under each stream.

Question 57 - Expected Results of the Project

Describe the expected results of your project. The expected results of the project must be clearly linked to the project objectives. The expected results must also be specific, concrete and measurable (qualitative or quantitative) and must be defined as outcomes. You must provide a description for each stream your project is proposing to deliver. Reporting requirements will be explained during the agreement stage, for successful projects. It is important to clearly describe your expected results for each stream.

Outcomes are the short-term and intermediate changes that are expected to occur as the result of the project (more than 1 outcome could be directly related to an objective). They answer the questions “How do we know the project is successful?” and “How do the activities lead to improvements for the beneficiaries?”

Outputs are tangible products, including goods and services that will be produced to generate the desired outcomes; several activities could contribute to 1 output.

Expected results may be defined in different ways and it is up to your organization to clearly define them under each stream.

Expected results are the proposed outcomes and outputs of your project.

Your application must clearly describe the expected outcomes and outputs of your proposed project. Describe how they are linked to the project objectives. It is important to set results that are specific, concrete, measurable and demonstrate the impact (qualitative and/or quantitative), so that you can track the success of your project.

Expected results may be defined in different ways, and it is up to your organization to define them clearly under each stream.

Depending on your project’s stream(s), you must focus on the following outcomes:

Participant-focussed (Stream 1) Outcomes

• Persons with disabilities have tools, skills and information to obtain employment
• Persons with disabilities have enhanced employability
• Persons with disabilities that participated in the program have become employed, self-employed or have returned to school, and
• Applicants are invited to develop other outcomes related to the OF CFP objectives*

Employer Stream (Stream 2) Outcomes

• Participating employers have increased ability to hire and support persons with disabilities in the workplace
• Participating employers hire and retain persons with disabilities, and
• Applicants are invited to develop other outcomes related to the OF CFP objectives*

Career Advancement (Stream 3) Outcomes:

• Participating persons with disabilities gain greater knowledge, skills and experience to apply for better quality jobs or jobs with more responsibilities
• Participating persons with disabilities progress in their careers, and
• Applicants are invited to develop other outcomes related to the OF CFP objectives*

*Applicants are not required to provide this outcome, only if applicable to the project.

Question 58 - Does the project include Results Measurement Indicators?

Describe how you will achieve and track the expected results of the project. Provide a description of how you plan to collect, measure, monitor and report on results achieved by your project. You must provide a description for each stream your project is proposing to deliver.

A results measurement indicator is also called performance indicator, a measure that allows the project to see whether results have or have not been achieved. Performance indicators ensure a proper assessment of progress achieved towards the intended outputs and outcomes of the project. Applicants must provide the performance indicators they will use to measure each anticipated result to be able to track progress of their projects.

Proposals must include performance indicators for each of the project’s expected results (outcomes) identified under Question 57. In addition, for each result performance indicator, data collection mechanisms must be provided.

Measuring results helps connect a project’s activities and outputs to its intended outcomes, which help in the assessment of proposals. The Department (ESDC) uses the information you provide in this section to assess your capacity to demonstrate results.

Question 59 - Does this proposed project fit with your organization's other activities?

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

Include any previous work done by your organization, your partners and your potential partners. Include details as to how your project builds on, and does not duplicate, this previous work.

You may also wish to include details on your project management processes.

Question 60 - Will any of the project activities be delivered in a different location than where your organization is located?

State where your project activities will be taking place. Will they be at the organization’s main address and/or at a different location? If ‘yes’ to a different location, include the address for every other location.

If you are applying for the National Component, your project must deliver activities in 3 or more provinces or territories.

If you are applying for the Regional Component, your project must deliver activities in only 1 or 2 provinces or territories.

If there are more than 5 locations, please include in Appendix A.

Question 61 - Is your project designed to benefit or involve people in English or French-language minority communities?

ESDC is committed to enhancing the vitality of the English and French linguistic minorities in Canada. It supports and assists their development and fosters the full recognition and use of both English and French in Canadian society. Official language minority communities are:

• English-speaking communities where French is the dominant language, or
• French-speaking communities where English is the dominant language

If your proposed project involves official language minority communities, you should answer “yes” to this question. Then, complete the question by following the instructions in the application form.

Note that answering no to this question will not invalidate your application.

Question 62 – Is your project targeting vulnerable groups?

Indicate the vulnerable groups your project is targeting, if applicable.

Question 63 - Will any other organizations, networks or partners be involved in carrying out the project?

Some programs require applicants to secure the involvement of other organizations, networks, or partners. If relevant, 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 the Department (ESDC) to assess the support base for your proposed project.

If partners are involved with this project, you must provide the following information regarding the partner organization(s):

• Name of the organization
• Type of organization (for example not for profit, publicly funded, etc.)
• Nature of partner's involvement in the proposed project

Question 64 - Does the project address the program's national, regional or local priorities?

OF priorities are largely covered by other questions; applicants are invited to provide any additional details they may wish to add regarding the program's national, regional or local priorities.

Question 65 - Does your project include activities that are listed in the Impact Assessment Agency of Canada (IACC) Regulations Designating Physical Activities established under the Canadian Impact Assessment Act 2019?

Please note: Applicants need to verify if their proposed activities are listed under the above Act. Please visit the Justice Laws Website to access the Physical Activities Regulations.

Indicate ‘Yes’ or ‘No’.

If the answer is ‘No’ – an impact assessment will not be required.

If answer is ‘Yes’, as per the Impact Assessment Act, you must submit your project description electronically to the IAAC online registry for further review. The IAAC will determine if an impact assessment is required. If required, ESDC funding will be conditional on the status and results of the impact assessment. Results are accessible on the Canadian Impact Assessment Registry website.

Question 66 - Source Name

Include the names of all the organizations that will contribute funds and/or in-kind contributions to this project. The Department should be listed as the first source name and then any other sources listed below.

Question 67 - Source Type

Identify the types of organizations that are contributing funds to this project from the following options:

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/Recipient
9. Union
10. Other (please specify)

Question 68 - Cash

Include the amount of funding provided from each source.

Question 69 - In-kind ($ monetary 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 reimbursement. In-kind support may include:

• donated equipment
• services
• labour, or
• facilities

The items must be necessary for the proposed project and would have otherwise been purchased.

To be valid, in-kind contributions:

• should contribute to the success of the project, and
• must be estimated at fair market value

Question 70 - Confirmed cash and in-kind

Cash contributions (if applicable) and in-kind contributions (if applicable) must be committed to in writing by the contributing party. Indicate with an ‘x’ if this has been confirmed and include letters confirming cash and in-kind contributions from each contributing partner.

Question 71 - Cost category

Summarize your project budget by using the Budget Detail Template (BDT) (PDF Format, 706KB)

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

If the project will involve subcontracting, a rationale and description of the process to select the subcontractors must be included.

If applicants intend to contract or subcontract for a value of $25,000 or more, a fair and accountable process that includes the solicitation of a minimum of 3 bids or proposals is required when contracting for the purchase of project-related goods or services. This includes anyone who is hired to deliver the project who is not an actual employee of the contribution recipient. 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, it must still demonstrate the principles of accountability, fairness, and best value for money.

Refer to the program’s eligibility criteria for expenditures.

Questions 72 to 74 - Planned expenditures ($) - ESDC/other - Cash/other - In-kind

Provide the total planned expenditures.

"Other" includes funding from another source (not ESDC).

Question 75 - Associated businesses or individuals.

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 help the contribution recipient in achieving project objectives.

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
• a business which is related to, or associated or affiliated with your organization

Third Party means:

• a person or organization that has signed an agreement with the organization under the terms and conditions of a master agreement between the organization and the federal government.

Question 76 - Capital assets: Will capital assets be among your planned expenditures with ESDC funding?

Indicate yes or no.

If "yes", 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 taxes) 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 1 identifiable functional unit, where all elements 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 taxes).

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 taxes).

Question 77 – Further budget details.

Budget details are intended to capture a further breakdown of your total eligible project costs over the life of the project, by project activity and cost category.

Your Application for Funding must include:

• a brief and clear justification of how you intend to use the funds. Costs must be reasonable and support the proposed project activities and scope of work, and
• a complete Budget detail template