Prepare to apply

What is your organization's legal name? The legal name is usually:

• the name on your registration with the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) or provincial/territorial equivalent, or
• the name used on funding cheques, bank accounts, etc.

What is the operating (or common) name of your organization (if it differs from the legal name)?

There is a limit to the number of applications organizations may submit under this CFP. For each unique 9-digit CRA business or registration number, organizations may only submit one application.

For the process where multiple applications with the same 9-digit CRA business or registration number are submitted, we will only review the first application received.

If you are not already a registered Grants and Contributions Online Services (GCOS) user, you will be required to provide a Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) document showing your valid business number that is no more than 2 years old.

Choose one of the following:

• not-for-profit organization
• for-profit organization with up to 99 full-time equivalent employees provided that the nature and intent of the project is non-commercial and does not generate profit
• municipal government (small or low-density population municipality of less than 50,000 people)
• territorial government
• Indigenous organization including:
  • First Nations
  • Inuit
  • Métis Nation
  • Non-affiliated  

This question is mandatory. Select the most appropriate category from the following based on what you chose in question 4.

• Not-for-profit sector
  • Local community, charitable, or voluntary
• Indigenous organizations
• Private (businesses with up to 99 full time equivalent employees)
  • Private sector (businesses, private schools, etc.)
  • Businesses (incorporated or unincorporated)
• Public
  • Municipal governments and agencies (small or low-density population municipality of less than 50,000 people as per 2021 Census)
  • Territorial governments 

What year was your organization established?

What is your organization's address? Give a complete address in a format recognized by Canada Post. For more information, please visit Canada Post website.

What is your organization's telephone number, website and email address?

What is the mailing address of your organization (if it differs from your organization's physical address)?

What are your organization's telephone number?

You must:

• describe your organization’s main activities, including your mission and your mandate
• describe the governance structure of your organization

If available, you can provide the link (web address) of your organization’s website. 

Who is the main contact person for the proposed project? Provide 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 22: Given (first) name and surname (last name)
• Question 23: What is the title of the contact person named in question 23? For example:
  • business Owner
  • president
  • executive Director
• Question 24: What official language would your contact person prefer to use in written and spoken communications? Choose either English or French.
• Question 25: 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 (questions 27 to 34):
• Question 26: Street address
• Question 27: City or Town
• Question 28: Province or Territory
• Question 29: Country
• Question 30: Postal Code
• Question 31: Telephone number, including extension
• Question 32: Email address (note this is where all correspondence will be sent) 

If we cannot reach the main contact, who else can we contact? Provide the person’s full name, telephone number where we can reach them during business hours and their email address.

• Question 33:Given (first) name and surname (last name)
• Question 34:What is the title of the contact person named in question 35? For example:
  • business Owner
  • president
  • executive Director
• Question 35: What official language would your contact person prefer to use in written and spoken communications? Choose either English or French.
• Question 36: 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 (Questions 39 to 46):
  • Question 37: Street address
  • Question 38: City or Town
  • Question 39: Province or Territory
  • Question 40: Country
  • Question 41: Postal Code
  • Question 42: Telephone number, including extension
  • Question 43: Email address  

If no, please describe how your organization is managed.

• Human Resources – Indicate – “Yes” or “No”
• Occupational Health and Safety – Indicate “Yes” or “No”
• Other – “Yes” or “No”

Please describe how your organization addresses the areas of Human Resources and Occupational Health and Safety.

Financial Management System (for example, tracking expenses, general ledger, etc.) “Yes” or “No”.

Policies and procedures – Indicate “Yes” or “No”.

Staff Managing Finances – Indicate “Yes” or “No”.

If no, please provide details on how finances are managed within your organization .

If yes, does your organization have controls in place to verify that the funded amount can be accounted for? Please describe this in the space provided. 

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

For this funding process, important transformations refer to events such as:

• a change in leadership in the board of directors or at the executive level
• a significant reduction, increase or turnover in staff
• a merger with or split from another organization
• a change in mandate or main activities
• etc.

If you answer “Yes”, provide a description of the changes. 

You must describe if you have completed similar accessible projects and what the results and impact on the community were. 

If “Yes”, complete the fields for each amount owing.

Answering “Yes” will not make your application ineligible. Though, 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. 

Give a short title that describes your project. 

When do you plan to start and end your project?

Your project should be ready to start by September 1, 2024, and no later than October 31, 2024, and be completed within a 2-year period.

You can only start your project activities after we approve your project and when a signed funding agreement is in place. We can only pay for activities that have started after the agreement is signed. 

This question is mandatory. Outline the objective(s) of your project. Your objective(s) must be clearly linked to the objectives of the program to which you are applying.

You must address all of the items below and explain how as a result of the funding, the project will enable Canadians with disabilities to participate in and contribute to their community or workplace.

Furthermore, you will need to explain the need for the proposed project within the community or workplace by specifying the 3 items below:

• the gaps in services, programs or employment opportunities for persons with disabilities
• how much time persons with disabilities have to wait in order to get access to services, programs or employment opportunities
• if the gap being addressed is to new or existing services, programs or employment opportunities for persons with disabilities

For example, there has been a strong interest in starting a sledge hockey team, however, the local arena was unable to provide this program because the facility is inaccessible. As a result of the funding through the EAF Mid-sized program, the arena was able to incorporate the required accessibility features including making the entrance area to the ice, as well as, the player and penalty boxes level with the ice for easy access to the playing area. The player and penalty boxes include plexi-glass at the ice level for visibility to the ice area. Additionally, the change room areas now include accessible washroom and shower areas as well as the clothing hooks at a lower level for easier access. The improvements also include increased accessibility to the general facility such as the entrance to the arena, parking lot and increased accessible seating for spectators. The facility is now accessible, and a sledge hockey program has started.

Project activities are the steps you will take to meet your goals. They should be specific, measurable, realistic and relevant.

You must provide a work plan that describes the project activities and timelines broken down by activity and in chronological sequence by quarter (for example, every 3 months).

For each of the main activities, you are strongly encouraged to use the following model as a guide in preparing your work plan.

Instructions: Please provide the information indicated below for each project activity in a chronological sequence. You may use this table or upload your workplan as a separate document. Your application will be assessed on the following information:

Activity 1: title

1. Activity Description
   • breakdown of flat rate activities
   • breakdown of non flat rate activities
2. Sub Activity Description (what needs to be accomplished to complete activity)
3. Dimensions of space where activity will take place (E.g.: square feet, new or existing space)
4. Description of space where the activity will take place:
   • description of necessary building system (electricity, plumbing, HVAC, etc.)
   • finishes (including those with accessibility features)
5. Estimated activity start and end date
6. Construction timeframe (for example, tendering, permits, approvals, construction requirements)
7. State of readiness (what is required before the activity can start)
8. Activity costs in Canadian dollars including sub activity costs
9. Risk and mitigation strategies (consideration for delays in preparation, material delivery, construction timeframes, or anything that could affect the activity timelines and how are you prepared to address it)
10. Contingency funds (explain how you have considered the risks from a financial perspective)

Note: It is your responsibility to ensure that the project fully complies with local building code restrictions and requirements and other relevant federal and provincial or territorial laws and regulations.

You are also required to meet or exceed accessibility standards and requirements such as those in the Canadian Standards Association’s “Accessible Design for the Built Environment” (PDF Format).

Do not forget that your project must consist of a minimum of $500,000 worth of accessibility project activities. Note that this amount increases depending on your project’s total value. For example:

• for projects requesting funding up to $1.2M, the minimum amount of accessibility project activities is set at $500,000
• for projects requesting funding between $1.2M and up to $2M, the minimum amount of accessibility project activities is set at $600,000
• for projects requesting funding between $2M and $3M, the minimum amount of accessibility project activities is set at $800,000

Tell us the expected results that this project will have on addressing/reducing existing waitlists or increase access to programs and services targeted to persons with disabilities.

Describe how the results of the accessibility project will reduce and/or eliminate existing waitlists and increase access to programs and services targeted to persons with disabilities.

What are the anticipated results this will this have on persons with disabilities.

Additionally, for all activities you must describe your expected results.

Your expected results must be clearly linked to the project objectives and be specific, concrete and measurable.

• Specific: define how the results will link to the objectives of this funding process
• Concrete: results must provide sufficient details
• Measurable: ensure that the expected results are quantifiable and tangible

You must list your outputs and outcomes. Here are the definitions:

Outputs are direct products or services that you will produce to get the outcomes you want. They answer the question, “What will the project produce?”

Examples could include:

• 1 fully accessible community kitchen
• 10 accessible parking spaces for persons with disabilities
• 1 accessible front desk
• a new accessible facility located in a remote region

Outcomes are the short-term and medium-term changes that you expect the project to deliver. You can link more than one outcome to an objective. Outcomes answer the question, “How do we know the project is a success?”

Examples could include:

• increased cooking classes for persons with disabilities by offering a class for up to 6 persons, twice a week
• increased employment opportunities for persons with disabilities by making the front desk accessible

It is important to note that organizations that receive EAF funding will be required to report on the results of their accessibility project, including progress reporting throughout the life of the agreement.

Reporting requirements post agreement will be:

• for a period of 3 years following the end of the agreement end date, the Recipient shall provide Canada with an annual report on the operation of the facility, which will include metrics on the impact the project has had on persons with disabilities accessing the programs and services offered by your organization. Additionally, a digital picture(s) of the project that was funded in an appropriate digital format (for example, JPEG, GIF, JPG)

Your answer to this question must be “yes”.

Show us that the indicators you chose to measure are:

• specific, relevant, time-based, and targeted, and
• easy to measure and can be achieved within the proposed timeframe.

You must:

• describe how you plan to gather, measure and report on results achieved by your project (e.g., survey)
• describe how you plan to assess the impact on current waitlists or the number of persons with disabilities served as a result of the project activities
• describe how the accessibility activities will contribute to reducing waitlists or serve a bigger proportion of the population with a disability
• describe how will you assess the impact on the number of persons with disabilities served as a result of the project activities

Your answer to this question must be “yes”.

You must describe the programs and services that your organization offer that are targeted for persons with disabilities and address the social or labour market integration needs of persons with disabilities.

Examples of services or programs targeted for persons with disabilities can include, but are not limited to:

• employment preparedness programming and services
• social inclusion community programming
• sports and recreation programming
• peer-led support is a group-facilitated learning and support program and services designed for persons with disabilities
• professional intervention is one-on-one, group counselling or support services specifically for persons with disabilities
• therapeutic support in spaces that have adapted equipment or support personnel, such as sensory rooms for persons with disabilities
• virtual programming and service options refer to infrastructure that facilitates remote participation for persons with disabilities that conform with public health measures for physical distancing
• life skills and transition support are programs or services designed to train or assist independent living specifically for persons with disabilities
• culture programming and events are programs or services designed to promote and strengthen an individual’s cultural knowledge, understanding and participation specifically for persons with disabilities
• workforce onboarding and retention programs
• educational supports that refer to educational programs and services specifically for persons with disabilities

If “yes”, give the main address first and then add other addresses.

It is important to describe where each of the project activities will take place.

We commit to enhancing the vitality of the English and French linguistic minorities in Canada. We support and assist their development and foster 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 Québec and French-speaking communities established outside the province of Québec.

Answering “No” to this question will not invalidate your application.

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

Find more information about official language minority communities .

Indicate “Yes” or “No”.

If yes, select the specific target group(s) that applies to your project .

Answer “No” to this question. This will be addressed in Questions 74 and 75. 

Not applicable for this funding process. Answer “No” to this question.

When prompted in GCOS, click the link to access the online calculator and follow the instructions. Please note the following:

• the questions with an asterisk (*) are mandatory
• do not use your browser’s forward and back buttons to navigate. Instead use:
  • the ‘Continue’ button at the bottom left of the screen to move from one screen to the next, or
  • the ‘Back’ button at the bottom right of the screen to return to a previous screen.
• the progress bar at the top of each page indicates the progression of your input into this calculator
• please be aware that this questionnaire will prompt you if there is no activity after 60 minutes. If you respond to the prompt, the session will continue. Otherwise, the session will end, and all data will be lost.
• if you would like to save the session and continue later, you can select ‘Save and Continue Later’ in the top right corner of the screen. You will then be prompted to enter your email address and password. Please note that your session will only be saved for a maximum of 14 calendar days from the time that you select ‘Save and Continue Later’.

Select the appropriate project category that best describes your project. Tell us if you want funding for:

• ramps
• accessible washrooms
• accessible doors
• elevators
• accessible lifts
• pool lifts
• multi-Sensory rooms and stations
• accessible playgrounds
• accessible parking
• accessible drop-off areas
• accessible electric vehicle charging stations
• other activities

The first 11 activities are considered flat rate. This means that the EAF Mid-sized projects calculator will generate amounts based on your selections. For all measurements, please round to the nearest foot.

For non-flat rate activities, you must also enter the amount provided in the quote you received from a certified professional into the calculator under “other activities”.

Once all information is entered in the calculator, the estimated eligible costs of your project will be populated. The amount of leveraging required for your project will also be calculated.

For more information on flat rate, please refer to the EAF flat rate information sheet.

A flow chart is available to help you choose the accessibility project that is right for your organization. New guidance on safety and security items is available. These items are considered non-flat rate activities and will require a quote from a certified professional.

ESDC will validate all of the information you provide and revise it as necessary. Please only select options that apply to your project. Errors or fraudulent information provided in this calculator may affect the amount of funding you could be eligible to receive.

You can select one or more project activities as applicable. More options will appear based on your selections and the estimated project cost will appear for flat rate activities. Please provide any information that could impact the project’s cost in the additional information section. It is important to select all relevant components in order to see all options related to your project activities.

If you are requesting funding for other activities, you must provide one quote for each project activity.

For all project activities, we recommend that you consult a certified contractor to scope your project. This can help reduce unexpected costs. We also recommend that you have your own contingency budget of around 20% of your total project costs to offset unexpected costs. Contingency is not an eligible project cost for EAF funding.

Examples of eligible costs include:

• professional fees such as architects, engineers, construction consultants, and contractors
• costs of the construction or the renovation of a building, including materials, supplies and labour (not employee wages)
• costs of the purchase or rental of tools, equipment or machinery necessary to complete the project
• costs related to information technology devices that have accessibility features integrated, such as tablets, cellphones, laptops and computers, as long as they contribute to building accessibility
• costs related to the purchase of universal accessible or ergonomic accessories and furniture, or
• other costs approved as part of the funding agreement with ESDC

Examples of ineligible costs (not limited to):

• costs incurred before the signing of the agreement
• contingency funds for the project
• costs for the purchase of furniture or equipment that does not include features to increase accessibility for persons with disabilities. For example:
  • lockers
  • refrigerators
  • Interac terminals
  • defibrillators
• costs linked to constructing, renovating, or retrofitting:
  • Government of Canada or Provincial properties
  • publicly funded hospitals or health care facilities
  • publicly funded schools (or on school grounds), or
  • private homes or dwellings
• retrofit of motor vehicles
• training costs associated with the project
• routine repairs and maintenance costs, or general costs (overhead, administrative, operating costs and amenities, etc.)
• any expenditure for which the recipient or a third party is eligible for a rebate
• expenditures of land or any interest therein, and related expenditures
• Financing charges and interest expenditures
• legal fees
• cost of consultation and preparation of the project proposal
• cost associated with feasibility, planning (including sustainability plans) and marketing studies, including environmental assessments
• costs related to the research and the development of a technology
• costs related to the commercialization, the marketing and the promotion of a product or a service
• employee salaries and benefits
• landscaping for esthetic purposes

If you are not exempt from providing leveraging, the EAF Mid-sized projects calculator will help you calculate the leveraging requirement for your project.

If available at time of applying, include the names of the other sources that will contribute to your project. If the other sources of funds are from outside of your organization.

Tell us the amount of funding that you will be requesting from ESDC. This amount will be available after you have completed the online EAF Mid-sized projects calculator. Enter the amount from your PDF download Total estimated eligible costs of your project and enter the amount from the line entitled Total funding request from ESDC.

Tell us what type of organization is providing the cash contribution from the following options:

• not-for-profit organization
• registered charity
• municipal government
• provincial and territorial government, institution and Crown Corporation
• Indigenous organization including:
  • band council
  • tribal council
  • self-government entity
• international organization
• coalition, network or committee
• research organization or institute
• educational institution
• public health and social service institution
• for‑profit organization

Tell us how much in confirmed and/or unconfirmed cash contributions you plan to receive.

Here is an example:

Check all statements that apply to your planned spending of the funding from us.

In carrying out the project, you may need contractors or third parties (outside providers) to carry out part of the project activities, such as reporting.

"Associated businesses or individuals" means:

• an officer, director or employee of your organization, or a member of their immediate family
• 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 connected to your organization

Third party: 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.

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 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 taxes).

For example, a personal computer composed of a hard drive, a monitor, a keyboard, a mouse and cabling are 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).