Applicant guide: Funding for the In-Home Support Pilot Project stream of the Age Well at Home initiative

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

Provide your 15-digit CRA business number. For registered charities and not-for-profit organizations provide your registration number (for example, 123456789 RR 0001).

Your CRA business number is on tax-related documents or CRA correspondence.

You need to provide a proof of organization type and status: A formal document coming from Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) that includes your organization’s current address and business number.

Note: If you are unable to provide that document with your application, please provide a rationale as to why you cannot provide it. You should also provide us with a document that includes:

• registration number, or
• proof of provincial incorporation or registration

Please note that you will still be required to send us a formal document coming from Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) that includes your organization’s current address and business number, but at a later date. We encourage you to get the process of obtaining that document started as early as possible.

For more information, please visit Canada Revenue Agency’s website.

Reminder: We encourage you to apply through Grants and Contributions Online Services (GCOS). GCOS allows you to apply and track your application status, sign agreements, manage active projects, submit supporting documents, and review past projects submitted through GCOS. However, we also accept applications by e-mail or mail.

Question 4 - Organization type

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

• not-for-profit
• public

Please refer to the list of eligible recipients under Eligibility section.

Question 5 - Organization category

Select the most appropriate category from the following:

Not-for-profit sector:

• local community, charitable, or voluntary organization
• provincial non-governmental organizations
• national non-governmental organizations
• not-for-profit band councils
• non-Governmental Organizations (NGO) with a focus on encouraging employment
• unions
• associations of workers and/or of employers
• Indigenous not-for-profit groups
• sector councils

Indigenous:

• band council
• tribal council
• self-government entity

Public sector:

• public degree school boards / school districts
• municipal public health units
• municipal governments and agencies
• provincial governments and agencies
• territorial governments
• public community colleges and vocational schools
• public degree-granting universities
• public degree-granting colleges

For more information, please refer to the Eligibility section .

Note: Provincially/territorially funded public institutions are eligible to receive funding with the agreement of the provincial/territorial government. You do not need to submit this agreement with your application. ESDC will help you request this agreement, if required.

Question 6 - Year established

Provide the year you established your organization.

Questions 7 to 11 - Organization address

Provide the address of your organization. You must provide a complete address in a format recognized by Canada Post. Information is available on the Canada Post website.

Questions 12 to 14 - Telephone, fax and e-mail

Provide the telephone number, fax number (if applicable) and e-mail address of your organization.

Questions 15 to 19 - Mailing address (if different from organization address)

Provide your mailing address if different from your organization's address. This is a mandatory field.

Questions 20 and 21 - Telephone and fax numbers (if different from organization numbers)

Provide the telephone and fax numbers if different from your organization's address.

Question 22 - Organization's mandate

Describe the main activities of your organization, including your mission and objectives. Select all the target group(s) that best aligns with your organization’s main activities. More than one activity may be selected.

Primary contact information

Secondary contact information

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

Provide the total number of people employed in your organization.

Provide the total number of active volunteers in your organization.

The number of employees and number of volunteers must be whole numbers.

Question 48 - Has your organization undergone any important transformations in the past two years?

Important transformations refer 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, etc.

If you answer "yes" to this question, 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 past experience with ESDC and the results of the project.

*Please be advised that this a pre-assessment question and failure to properly answer will prevent your application from being considered for the next steps. Please make sure to be clear and precise.

Provide a description of your organization’s experience and expertise in delivering programs or services to seniors, and in administering projects, including approximate dates. This information will help us assess if your organization is able to undertake project activities and achieve the expected results. You may wish to highlight related past achievements in addition to describing your current activities or projects and expertise.

You must clearly demonstrate in your application that your organization has recent, significant, and relevant experience.

We define recent experience as experience within the last 5 years

We define significant experience as experience totaling at least 3 years within the last 5 years

We define relevant experience as experience providing:

• at least one of the eligible services to low-income and otherwise vulnerable seniors, offered primarily in the seniors’ homes
• individualized help with navigating and gaining access to eligible services provided by other organizations, and
• at least 60% of delivery of services through volunteer labour

If you have more than the minimum recent, significant and relevant experience, please include this information (for example, tell us the total number of years of relevant experience that you have and provide some supporting detail).

Question 50 - Does your organization owe any amounts to the Government of Canada?

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

Question 51 - If an amount is owing, is a payment plan in place?

Indicate if a payment plan is in place.

Answering "Yes" to this question will not invalidate your application. You must provide details about the type of debt owed and the repayment plan.

Question 52 - Project Title

Provide a brief and descriptive project title. Do not use “Age Well At Home”, “In-Home Support Pilot Projects” or your organization’s name.

Questions 53 and 54 - Planned project start (yyyy/mm/dd) and end dates (yyyy/mm/dd)

Indicate the planned start and end dates of your proposed project in the given format.

We expect projects to be multi-year, but they must end by March 31, 2025.

Projects start dates will vary. We anticipate that projects will start in Spring 2023.

Proposed activities cannot begin before ESDC approves your project and both you and ESDC have signed a Funding Agreement. ESDC will not reimburse any expenses for any activities that take place before we sign the Funding Agreement.

You should not assume any commitment from ESDC until we approve your funding and a representative of ESDC signs the Funding Agreement. We will notify you in writing, of the funding decision of your application.

Question 55 - Project objectives (must be clearly linked to the objectives of the program to which you are applying).

Note: This CFP provides funding to organizations that propose to provide at least one eligible service from a list of eligible services, to low-income and otherwise vulnerable seniors, as well as help seniors navigate eligible services provided by other local organizations. Consideration will be given to organizations planning to deliver multiple services. Projects are expected to rely on volunteers to deliver services, unless there are exceptional circumstances that make it impossible to deliver a service without paid support.

Objectives are statements of achievable goals in the delivery of your projects. They provide a context in which the progress of your proposed project can be measured. Your application should show how you would work towards achieving your objectives. Please ensure that there is a logical connection between all elements.

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, and
• show how meeting the project objectives will help to achieve the identified outcomes

In this question, please outline the objectives of your proposed project. Describe them in terms that are quantifiable and measurable and can be achieved through your project. They must clearly link to all of the objectives of this Call for Proposals, which are:

• expand delivery of volunteer-based eligible services to low-income and otherwise vulnerable seniors, primarily in seniors’ homes, to help them age at home, by offering additional eligible services and/or offering existing eligible services to more seniors, and
• deliver a service that helps low-income and otherwise vulnerable seniors navigate and gain access to eligible services provided by other organizations that are active in the local area

Eligible services are:

• light housekeeping (for example: laundry, cleaning)
• meal delivery and/or preparation
• home maintenance (for example: repairs, yard work, lawn mowing)
• transportation (for example: to appointments, errands)
• snow removal
• volunteer drop offs (for example: groceries, medication, pet supplies), and
• friendly visiting in the home

In your application, you must do all of the following:

• list the eligible services you propose to deliver, including indicating those your organization has delivered before and those that are new
• describe how the proposed services will address barriers to aging at home and benefit the target group of vulnerable seniors. Barriers may include something that makes it difficult for a senior to access the services they need so they can live independently at home
• describe the target group of vulnerable seniors who will benefit from your proposed project, including:
  • list all the groups of vulnerable seniors targeted
  • provide the approximate number of individuals, where they live, and
  • describe the barriers to aging at home that they face
• demonstrate that proposed services will be delivered by volunteers, or, demonstrate why limited delivery by paid staff or contractors is required due to exceptional circumstances. Explain which service(s) would be delivered by paid staff or contractors and explain why it is necessary.
• your project cannot duplicate services already available and accessible in the local area, including services that are provincially- or territorially-funded. If any of the eligible services you propose to deliver are already provided in the local area, explain why they are not available and accessible to the seniors to whom you propose to deliver them.
• outline your plan for identifying and enrolling clients who are low-income and otherwise vulnerable seniors
• describe the need(s) your proposed project will address
• describe the local geographic areas in which you will deliver services

Note: Funding recipients will be expected to engage over the course of the project with a researcher who will be contracted by ESDC to support evaluation of the In-Home Support Pilot Project stream of Age Well at Home and an ESDC-managed Community of Practice to facilitate sharing expertise and experience among projects.

Question 56 - Project activities (must be broken down into clear steps)

Project activities are the steps you take to meet the objectives of the project. You must break them down into clear steps. There should be a clear link between the activities and the objective(s) (see Question 55 above). They should be specific, measurable, realistic and relevant to the project objectives. They should demonstrate how you will achieve the project outcome(s).

You must clearly describe in your application:

• how your project’s activities will align with the project objectives
• that the activities and timelines are clear and realistic,
• the steps that your organization will take to meet the objectives of the project including mandatory activities for all projects

You must include the following details:

• provide a brief description of each activity and an explanation of how each relates to the project's objective(s). Identify who will do them and when they will be done
• there should always be a clear link between the activities and the objective(s) (see Question 55 above). See mandatory activities and eligible activities
• include clear and realistic project timelines and/or duration of each activity:
• logical sequence of the project activities
• clear and relevant description of the project activities;
• clear and realistic project timelines and/or duration of each activity
• 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.
• Include the details of the languages in which the activities will be delivered to seniors (French, English and any other languages).
• you should clearly link each activity to the project costs outlined in the budget (Sections 3B and 3C). This should demonstrate your expected progress and plans to complete the project on time and within the proposed budget.

Mandatory activities - you must include the following mandatory activities related to:

• introducing new eligible services and/or expanding delivery of the services already offered, within six months of the start of the agreement
• working with ESDC’s research partner, including participating in developing a common measurement framework and collecting information for mandatory results indicators
• participating in a Community of Practice convened by ESDC, and
• developing a sustainability plan

Eligible activities include, but are not limited to the following:

• hiring, paying, and providing work tools to staff related to project administration;
• buying and renting materials, supplies, and equipment
• renting, insuring, and purchasing utilities for work and project space
• travelling and providing hospitality
• reimbursing volunteer purchases of supplies to support project activities (including mileage)
• providing accessibility supports to staff
• engaging with Elders
• purchasing professional services, and
• in exceptional circumstances only, hiring staff or paid contractors to deliver services to seniors

Ineligible activities include, but are not limited to, the following:

• delivering services to non-seniors
• delivering services other than the eligible services listed above
• delivering services to support recreation (such as sports, games, the arts)
• core operations of an organization
• lobbying or politically partisan activities, and
• projects that duplicate provincially- or territorially-funded health care and home and community care services already available in the jurisdiction(s) in which you propose to deliver your project activities

Note: Hiring staff or paid contractors to deliver services to seniors may be an eligible activity, but only in exceptional circumstances. If applicable, describe your exceptional circumstances under Question 55.

Projects with a main focus on capital improvements (such as renovating office spaces, community spaces or outdoor spaces; or purchasing capital assets) are not eligible. However, these activities may be included as part of a larger service delivery project (must not exceed 20% of your budget).

Note: Capital projects and projects that focus on recreation for seniors are examples of projects that may be eligible under the New Horizons for Seniors Program Community-Based program.

Question 57 - Expected results of the project (must be clearly linked to the project objectives and be specific, concrete and measurable)

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

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

Outputs are direct products or services that you will expect to produce to achieve the desired outcomes. Several activities could contribute to one output. See examples below.

Your application must clearly describe the expected outcomes and outputs of your proposed project. Describe how they link to the project objectives in Question 55. It is important to set results that are specific, concrete, measurable and demonstrate the impact. The results can be qualitative (descriptive) and/or quantitative (numerical). This way you can track the success of your project.

Your project outcomes must relate to one (1) or more of the following Age Well at Home outcomes:

• increase the ability of vulnerable seniors to age at home
• increase the capacity of seniors-serving organizations to support aging at home
• increase the practical supports available to seniors
• improve access to practical supports, and
• increase seniors’ sense of belonging and connection to their communities

Examples of outcomes include:

• beneficiaries (seniors) report increased confidence in their ability to age at home, as a result of the project
• beneficiaries (seniors) report an increased sense of belonging and inclusion in their communities, as a result of the project
• beneficiaries (seniors) have increased supports and connections in their communities, a result of the project

Examples of outputs include:

• number of beneficiaries (seniors) expected to achieve an outcome as a percentage of those enrolled in a project
• number of individuals (seniors) who will be reached by, and benefit from, the project
• number of materials (such as toolkits or brochures) produced
• an evaluation plan, and
• a sustainability plan

Question 58 - Does the project include Results Measurement Indicators?

Your answer to this question must be “Yes” in order for your project to be considered eligible.

In your application, you must:

• outline the Results Measurement Indicators (RMIs) that you will use. Include at least one RMI (performance indicator) for each of the project’s expected results (outcomes)
• describe how you plan to gather, measure, monitor and report on results achieved by your project, and
• provide the data collection mechanism(s) you will use for each indicator, and briefly describe the mechanism(s) (Common data collection mechanisms include surveys, key informant interviews, focus groups, attendance tracking and verbal feedback)

Note: Advice on selecting indicators:

• indicators chosen should allow you to demonstrate impact on the target population(s)
• indicators must be measurable, and
• data must be available and collectible for each indicator

Results Measurement Indicators (RMIs) are quantitative or qualitative measurements used to assess the performance or success of the project towards the project objectives and outcomes. An RMI provides evidence that results have or have not been achieved. They ensure a proper assessment of the progress achieved towards the intended objectives, outputs and outcomes of the project.

Examples of Results Measurement Indicators may include, but are not limited to:

• number of individuals (seniors) participating in the funded project
• number of individuals (seniors) participating in the funded project that are part of a key target population
• percentage of individuals (seniors) participating in funded projects who report:
  • an increase in wellbeing
  • ability to continue to live comfortably at home, and
  • ability to live safely at home after participating in the project

Mandatory RMIs:

We expect all funding recipients to collect and report the following data points:

• number of seniors who received services from funding recipients (by gender, low-income status, vulnerable population group, if known)
• number of seniors who report that their participation in a project has increased use of practical supports (by gender, low-income status, vulnerable population group, if known)
• number of seniors who reported enhanced social inclusion (for example, a sense of belonging, connection, and inclusion in their communities) because of the project (by gender, low-income status, vulnerable population group, if known), and
• number of seniors who reported that while accessing project services they experienced increased confidence in their ability to age at home (by gender low-income status, vulnerable population group, if known)

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

If you answer “Yes”, you must describe how your proposed project relates to the ongoing work of your organization. You may wish to highlight how achievements and current activities and/or projects relate to your proposed project.

This information helps ESDC to determine the extent to which your organization can undertake the proposed project and to achieve the expected results.

Question 60 - 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 61 - Is your project designed to benefit or involve people who live in English or French language minority communities?

If Yes, please explain if consultations will take place with these communities, and provide details, including whether an official language minority community is the focus of your project.

Answering "No" to this question will not result in your application being refused/dismissed.

We are committed to increasing the vitality of the English and French linguistic minorities in Canada by:

• supporting and assisting their development, and
• promoting the full recognition and use of both English and French in Canadian society.

Official Language Minority Communities (OLMCs) are English-speaking communities living within the province of Quebec and French-speaking communities living outside the province of Quebec.

If your proposed project will involve Official language minority communities, you should answer "Yes" to this question. Ensure to list and describe this in your answer to Question 56 - Project activities.

In addition, identify:

• the linguistic profile of the beneficiaries targeted by your project
• any special needs of the OLMCs and if they were consulted

The related budgetary items can be identified in Part 3 of the Application for Funding form (EMP5523). Read information about Official Language Minority Communities (OLMCs).

Question 62 - Is your project targeting vulnerable groups?

Select the main target group(s) of your project, as outlined in Question 55 – Objectives. More than one may be selected.

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

If you involve other partners with this proposed 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.)
• briefly describe the role(s) they will have in the project

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

Not applicable for this Call for Proposals.

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

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

Note: You need to verify if your proposed activities are listed under the above Act – Please visit Impact Agency of Canada to access the list of Regulations Designating Physical Activities.

Please indicate Yes or No.

Your answer should be “No.” If your answer is "No", an Impact Assessment is not required.

If you answer "Yes", you must submit the project description electronically to the IACC for further review. The IACC will determine if an Impact Assessment (IA) is required based on your project description.

ESDC funding will be conditional upon receipt of IACC confirmation that an IA:

• is not required, or
• a copy of the completed IA, and
• confirmation that your organization is equipped to appropriately address the IA findings

Question 66 - Source name

If applicable, include the name of the organization that will contribute cash and/or in-kind contributions to your proposed project.

List ESDC as the first source name and any other sources listed below.

Question 67 - Source type

If applicable, name the types of organizations that are contributing funds to this project from the following options:

• crown corporation
• federal department or agency
• Foreign governments
• Not-for-profit organization
• organization / recipient
• others
• private sector
• provincial government
• regional or municipal government
• union

Question 68 - Cash

A cash contribution is when money is exchanged to cover eligible project costs.

If applicable, include the amount of funding that will be provided.

Question 69 - In-kind ($ value)

In-kind contributions is when there is no money exchanged for the service or resource.

They are non-monetary goods or services donated to the project and for which the donor does not ask for reimbursement. In-kind support may include:

• donated equipment
• administrative or managerial services, or
• labour necessary for your project that you would have to purchase

To be eligible as an in-kind contribution the contribution must be:

• essential to the project's success, and
• supported by a commitment from the contributor

In-kind contributions will only be recognized when fair value can be reasonably estimated.

Question 70 - Confirmed cash and in-kind

If applicable, write down if the contributions from other sources have been confirmed. Write the amount for in-cash and amount for in-kind contributions. If so, include letters from each contributing partner(s) confirming cash and in-kind contributions.

Question 71 - Cost category

Here are the eligible costs categories to support your submission of a project budget.

Please indicate how much funding would be required overall, per applicable category, for your proposed project.

• wages and employment-related costs for staff to undertake eligible activities
• materials, supplies and equipment (including computer equipment and equipment rental)
• administrative costs such as utilities, insurance, rental of premises
• cost of project evaluations, assessments and reporting
• costs related to planning for the sustainability of the project
• travel and hospitality costs
• costs related to reimbursing volunteer material costs (including mileage, supplies)
• traditional medicines and financial gestures of gratitude/honorarium for Elders
• capital costs and capital assets (must not exceed 20% of the project budget)
• accessibility supports for staff of the recipient, and
• fees for professional service

Ineligible costs include, but are not limited to:

• costs incurred before the signing of the agreement
• costs related to delivery of health care and homecare services, including:
  • therapy
  • physical therapy
  • dental services; and
  • assessment or support related to use of medical or mobility devices
• cash payments or reimbursements to project beneficiaries (individual seniors)
• costs related to capitalimprovements to private residences (including modifications for accessibility), and
• purchase of real property (such as buildings or land)

Projects with a main focus on capital improvements (such as renovating office spaces, community spaces or outdoor spaces; or purchasing capital assets) are not eligible. However, these activities may be included as part of a larger service delivery project (must not exceed 20% of your budget).

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

Provide the total amount of planned expenditures from all sources including ESDC.

"Other" includes funding from another source (not ESDC), whether cash or in-kind.

Question 75 - Associated Businesses or Individuals

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

In carrying out the project, you may have to buy various goods or services needed to perform the project from contractors. You may also contract-out to third parties (outside providers) to perform part of the project activities 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

Project activities must go beyond your organization’s normal activities. We will not fund your organization’s core, existing or on-going activities.

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 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 is still 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 needed 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. As single units, they fall below the established threshold of $1,000 (before taxes).

Question 77 – Further budget details

Budget details intend to capture a further breakdown of your total eligible project costs over the life of the project. This can be done 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.