Call for applications to the Immunization Partnership Fund: Overview

On this page

• Funding opportunity
• About our program
• Purpose of this call for applications
• Deadline to apply
• Funding amount and duration

Funding opportunity

The Immunization Partnership Fund (IPF) is inviting eligible organizations to submit funding proposals for projects that aim to increase confidence in and uptake of vaccinations across the life course among certain priority populations.

About our program

The Immunization Partnership Fund is a Public Health Agency of Canada grants and contributions program. It was created in 2016 to support the National Immunization Strategy's investments in addressing barriers to vaccination and improving immunization coverage. The program's goal is to increase vaccine confidence and uptake in Canada, particularly among populations who may face:

• greater barriers to vaccination
• higher rates of vaccine hesitancy
• increased susceptibility to serious illness associated with vaccine preventable diseases

The program achieves this by supporting vaccine education and promotion initiatives that are culturally safe, evidence-informed and equity-promoting.

Purpose of this call for applications

The following remain vaccine-related public health priorities in Canada:

• increasing vaccine uptake
• reducing disparities in vaccination uptake
• addressing vaccine hesitancy and the spread of misinformation and disinformation about vaccines

The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the differences people living in Canada experience in:

• accessing vaccination and healthcare services
• getting the information they need to make informed decisions about their health

Some populations face greater barriers to vaccination and generally have lower vaccine coverage. These include populations who:

• are impacted by a range of social determinants of health, including:
  • poverty
  • homelessness
  • race or ethnicity
• have historically been underserved and marginalized by the health system and other social structures

The pandemic disrupted routine immunization across all age groups. Vaccine confidence and uptake also continue to be challenged by widespread vaccine-related misinformation and disinformation. These challenges demonstrate the need to:

• use creative and innovative approaches to:
  • build vaccine confidence
  • address barriers to vaccination
• increase health literacy

These approaches must also be tailored and responsive to community needs.

During the pandemic, funding focused on projects supporting confidence in, access to and uptake of COVID-19 vaccines. The scope of this call for applications has been broadened. We now focus on routine vaccination across the life course, including those focusing on vaccination for COVID-19 and influenza, and catching up on vaccines missed during the COVID-19 pandemic.

It does not include projects focusing on:

• specific vaccines for travel
• non-seasonal vaccines outside of the routine immunization schedule

This call for applications seeks innovative approaches that are tailored and responsive to the needs of populations who have been identified as a priority to help:

• build vaccine literacy
• strengthen vaccine confidence
• reduce barriers to vaccination

We invite eligible organizations to submit a letter of intent for time-limited projects that meet this description (1 to 2 years in duration).

Deadline to apply

This call for applications is a 2-step process:

• You must request an application package, which contains a letter of intent template. You must complete a letter of intent on behalf of your organization and submit it by November 10, 2023, at 2:00 pm EST.
• We will invite selected applicants to submit a full funding proposal by January 31, 2024, at 2:00 pm EST.

We will review and assess all letters of intent from the first step and communicate the outcome to all applicants, whether they were successful or not.

Call for applications to the Immunization Partnership Fund: Application process and requirements

Funding amount and duration

Funding for this call for applications will be distributed over 2 fiscal years:

• April 1, 2024 to March 31, 2025
• April 1, 2025 to March 31, 2026

Projects will be funded for a minimum of 1 fiscal year up to a maximum of 2 fiscal years. We will approve the duration and funding amount for each project on a case-by-case basis.

The maximum amount of funding an organization may request is $250,000 per fiscal year.

Funding agreements will begin no earlier than April 1, 2024, and will end no later than March 31, 2026.