Applicant guide: The Intersectoral Action Fund

On this page

• General information
• Basic eligibility criteria
• Eligible organizations
• Eligible and ineligible activities
• Eligible and ineligible expenses
• Application and review process
• Funding amount and duration
• Other considerations

General information

The Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) is inviting eligible organizations to apply to the Intersectoral Action Fund (“the Fund”) for funding to support intersectoral policy action on the social determinants of health and community resilience. The current funding opportunity will support organizations to deliver upstream interventions that address one or more of the SDOH and aspects of resilience in their communities.

It is the applicant’s responsibility to read through this Applicant Guide to ensure that they understand the eligibility criteria and other important information before submitting their application. This Guide includes important information related to eligibility criteria, the application and review process, funding information and other considerations. Applicants may also wish to consult the Glossary and additional resources for definitions and examples of common terms, as well as links to helpful resources.

Basic eligibility criteria

Applicants must clearly demonstrate how their funding request aligns with the Fund’s program objectives and guiding principles, the eligible activities listed below, as well as:

• Evidence of need for the intervention
• Engagement with the priority population(s) in all aspects of the project
• Quality and diversity of intersectoral partnerships (working with partners across multiple areas)
• Capacity to undertake the proposed project, including:
  • Organizational and financial capacity to manage projects
  • Experience with the priority population(s)
  • Ability to build and maintain intersectoral partnerships, and
  • Ability to manage projects and achieve results

Eligible organizations

Only applicants in the following categories may be considered for funding:

• Canadian not-for-profit voluntary organizations and corporations
• Organizations and institutions supported by provincial and territorial governments (regional health authorities, community health centres, schools, post-secondary institutions)
• Indigenous organizations, including Indigenous government organizations; and
• Regional and municipal governments and agencies

Only Canadian organizations may apply for funding under this solicitation. The Fund may give priority to organizations led-by or serving Indigenous, Black, and other equity-deserving populations.

Eligible and ineligible activities

Examples of eligible, policy-level activities under this solicitation include:

• Development of an inclusive governance model or advisory group to incorporate diverse voices into the design, implementation, or evaluation of a policy or community strategy
• Development of a community action plan, which identifies the current status of priority social determinants of health; community needs; and provides recommendations to address those needs (such as a local or regional food security strategy)
• Development of an equity-informed policy framework with benefits and common indicators identified for all intersectoral partners, or modifying an existing policy framework to include an equity lens
• Conducting community engagement (for example, disaggregated surveying on wellbeing), or developing evaluation processes to help strengthen the equity and diversity considerations of a policy under development
• Building and strengthening partnerships through the development of common objectives, roles and responsibilities, and collaborative reporting and evaluation processes amongst intersectoral partners to support coordinated action to help address issues facing communities
• Initiating an exploratory study or report on a potential healthy public policy in a community, which has been shown to have significant health implications (for example, a feasibility study to identify policy solutions for improving pay equity)
• Conducting a Health Impact Assessment to identify and mitigate potential negative public health effects of initiatives led by other and/or collaborating sectors
• Creating a tool or data hub to support the integration of factors related to equity and health into local programs and policies, and provide local decision-makers and leaders with community-level data on population health

These activities aim to address the social, political, and economic contexts that shape health and environments, and reduce inequities that cannot be controlled by the individual. The examples listed illustrate possible activities, but applications are not limited to these areas of work.

This solicitation will not provide funding for activities that are primarily focused on addressing individual behaviour change or interim (midstream and downstream) solutions such as:

• Individual-level interventions, programs, or services (for example, community food kitchens, physical activity programs for youth, nutrition counselling, health literacy or education, development of employment skills)
• Exclusively educational interventions pertaining to disease management or prevention, such as tailored health communications or resources (fact sheets, social marketing campaigns, courses and/or information sessions) addressing a specific health condition
• Secondary prevention interventions in communities, for example, those targeting early disease detection and prevention such as health screening through outreach efforts
• Therapeutic or harm reduction services focussed on individuals, rather than structural change
• Peer-to-peer coaching, staff training, or professional development with no links to a broader policy-level objective (for example, equity, diversity and inclusion training for staff with the goal of changing individual behaviour vs. changing or challenging the organizational context)
• Navigation or transitional supports for individuals in a social or hospital services context

Eligible and ineligible expenses

Funding is limited to cash expenses that are pertinent, reasonable and essential to accomplish the objectives of an eligible project. Eligible expenditures are costs directly related to approved projects such as personnel, travel and accommodation, material and supplies, equipment, rent, utilities (for example, electricity, phone, gas) and/or performance measurement/evaluation.

Examples of eligible project expenses include:

• Project staff salaries and wages and contractor fees
• Travel and accommodation-related expenses for project activities such as private vehicle milage, air, train or bus fares or accommodation costs
• Office supplies, printing and costs associated with meetings
• Office/project equipment such as computers
• Actual rental costs incurred and substantiated by a rental/lease agreement and/or costs incurred to rent space for off-site meetings, conferences, training (if space not available at project location)
• Fees for a third-party evaluation, data collection and analysis
• Other costs related to the approved project

Applicants who are invited to the full application stage will need to submit a detailed budget.

Any expenses for travel or accommodation must include a strong rationale at the full application stage. For example, you must demonstrate the need for any travel and related accommodation throughout your project by linking them to essential project activities. You must also be able to explain how the travel is essential to the success of the project. To learn more about eligible expenses, visit The National Joint Council Rates & Allowances.

Expenses that are not eligible include:

• Membership fees not directly related to the project
• Capital costs such as the purchase of land, buildings or vehicles
• Costs of ongoing activities for the organization
• Travel and hospitality expenses that exceed the National Joint Council Travel Directive
• Rent charges for space and computer use when already owned by the applicant organization
• Ongoing operational support or overhead or administrative fees expressed as a percentage of ongoing activities of an organization
• Unidentified miscellaneous costs

Any capital costs required for your project need to be supported by partners, such as municipalities or builders, through the matched funding requirement, as these are not eligible expenses.

Application and review process

The application to the Fund is a 2-stage process: the Advanced Screening Form (first stage) and the full application (second stage).    

All applications will undergo a competitive review process. This applies to both the Advanced Screening Form and the full application. 
Applications will be assessed on:

• How the prosed project aligns with the Fund's program objectives
• Eligibility criteria
• Quality, clarity and completeness of the application

If an application at any stage is incomplete, fails to meet eligibility criteria and/or fails to address current identified priorities, the applicants will be notified in writing that their application will not be considered further.

Funding decisions are made to ensure a diversity of projects. This means, in addition to meeting the eligibility criteria and the quality requirements, we may base funding decisions on:

• Location of project
  • province or territory
  • urban or rural and remote communities
• Priority population(s)
• Size of the organization

PHAC is responsible for determining the eligibility of each applicant, its project and project-related expenses. PHAC also reserves the right to:

• require additional information
• reject any submission received in response to this invitation
• accept any submission in whole or in part
• cancel and/or re-issue this Call for Application at any time

Please note that PHAC will not reimburse an applicant for costs incurred in the preparation and/or submission of a funding request in response to this invitation.

PHAC is under no obligation to enter into a funding agreement as a result of this Call for Applications.

Funding amount and duration

Proposed projects must be within specified funding limits, between $25,000 and $250,000 over 24 months (two years). A large range of eligible funding amounts is permitted so that projects can apply for the amount of funding required to advance a feasible set of activities. Small and large projects are welcome.

Funds for the first year will be issued no earlier than early 2025. It is expected that applicants will complete their proposed project between 12 to 24 months. For project timelines beyond 12 months, an interim report outlining project progress, successes, and outstanding deliverables, among other indicators, will be due within 12 months of the project’s start date. Completion of the interim report is required to access funding in 2025-2026, and will complement a second final report due one month following the project’s end. The proposed project cannot have a proposed start date after March 31, 2025.

Other considerations

Official language requirements

The Government of Canada is committed to enhancing the vitality of English and French linguistic minority communities in Canada (Francophones living outside the province of Quebec and Anglophones living in the province of Quebec), supporting and assisting their development, and fostering the full recognition and use of both official languages in Canadian society. Projects must be accessible in one or both official languages depending on the reach and audience. For additional information, consult the Official Languages Act.

Gender-based analysis requirements

The Government of Canada is committed to conducting Gender-based Analysis (now called Gender-based Analysis Plus “GBA Plus”) on all legislation, policies and programs. GBA Plus incorporates consideration of gender as well as other identity factors such as age, education, language, geographic area, culture and income. Applicants are expected to incorporate these considerations into their funding requests.

For more information about GBA Plus broadly, visit: Gender-based Analysis Plus (GBA Plus) - Canada.ca

More information on applying GBA Plus into your application can be found in Integrating Health Equity into Funding Proposals: A Guide for Applicants - Canada.ca