Women’s Economic and Leadership Opportunities Fund 2026: How to develop your application

3. How to develop your application

The first step is to create an account in the Women and Gender Equality Canada funding portal. Consult the funding portal user guide to learn how to navigate and use the system. This will help you create and manage your account, and will show you how to complete, submit, and track your application.

We recommend that you read this section while completing the application. It provides important details on the information and documentation we need. We will review your application using

• Eligibility criteria: basic requirements you must meet
• Assessment criteria: other requirements we use to evaluate the strength of your application. We will only assess eligible applications.

We have indicated the criteria in the instructions below. We will consider only the information we requested in the application form to assess your proposal.                                                            

My organization

The information requested in this section needs to be entered in the “My organization” section of the Women and Gender Equality Canada funding portal. We recommend you review the information before you apply to each funding opportunity. Also, you may need to update your contact information.

We have provided instructions below for more complex questions.

Organizations in Quebec

The Quebec National Assembly adopted the Act respecting the Ministère du Conseil exécutif (M-30). It sets out conditions for organizations that want to sign an agreement with the federal government. Organizations must comply with the Act.

If WAGE selects your project, you will need to determine if your organization is subject to the Act. If it is, you will need to get an authorization from the Government of Quebec. Only then can you sign an agreement with the department.

Organization structure

Experience

Explain your organization’s experience as it relates to the call for proposals. Describe how your organization has experience in advancing equality for women.

Eligibility criterion:

• The applicant demonstrates the required experience in advancing equality for women.

Supporting documents

You must provide proof that your organization is legally constituted. We will not assess your application without this proof.

There are two ways you can prove that your organization is legally constituted:

• a certificate of incorporation or letters patent issued by a provincial or territorial authority

OR

• a certificate of incorporation issued under the Canada Not-for-profit Corporations Act

Please note that the fact that your organization is a registered charity does not automatically mean that it is legally constituted.

We will not assess your application if the only proof you provide is your notification of registration as a charity.

Eligibility criteria:

• The applicant is an eligible organization.
• The application is complete and includes a valid certificate.

My application

What

Use this section to present your project. You must provide details such as the title, the objective, the need you identified, and a short project description.

GBA Plus

Before completing an application, we encourage you to take the free online course: Introduction to Gender-Based Analysis Plus (GBA Plus).

GBA Plus is a process used to assess how diverse people may experience policies and programs. The “plus” in GBA Plus acknowledges that GBA goes beyond sex and gender differences. We all have many identity factors that intersect to make us who we are. GBA Plus also considers many other identity factors, like ethnicity and age.

Describe how you incorporated GBA Plus in your project design.

Assessment criterion:

• The application shows the organization integrated the results of its GBA Plus in its proposed project.

Needs to be addressed

Describe how this project would meet the needs of the population that will benefit from it. Include evidence to support the existence of the identified need. Indicate the adjustments you made based on your GBA plus.

Assessment criteria:

• The application identifies needs that are relevant to the call for proposals.
• The application shows the organization considered the results of their GBA Plus.

Project objectives

The project objectives must align with the objective of this call for proposals.

Project objectives describe what you will do and how you will track progress and measure success. They should be clear and practical and describe measurable goals.

Indicate the project objectives:

• Provide details on how they contribute to the objective of this call for proposals.
• Include references to the issue or need the project will address.
• State how your organization will measure success.

Assessment criterion:

• The project objectives align with the objective of this call for proposals.

Project description

We will use your project description as a summary of your proposed project. It should help anyone understand your project. We may use your project description to identify projects for priority funding. We may also provide your project description to internal and external review committees.

Provide a short description of the objective and key activities. Include your organization’s name and the project duration in months.

Here is a template:

Through this [insert number of months]-month project, [insert organization name] will [insert project objective]. Specifically, the project will [insert key activities].

Where

Use this section to present information about your project’s reach and location.

Project reach

Indicate the project reach:

• Local: Project activities cover one community, such as a town, city, or regional municipality.
• Regional, provincial, or territorial: Project activities cover more than one community. They can also cover part of a province or territory, an entire province or territory, or a few adjacent provinces and territories. Projects that cover one of Canada’s three largest municipalities would qualify as regional: the Greater Toronto, Greater Montréal, and Greater Vancouver areas.
• Pan-Canadian: Project activities must have an impact in at least four WAGE regions and be carried out in both official languages. WAGE may waive this requirement for Indigenous organizations. It depends on the needs of the population involved in their project.

Assessment criterion:

• The total requested amount respects the maximum amount for the selected project reach.

Activity location type

Indicate if most of the project activities will take place in a rural or urban area, or both. A rural area is an area outside settlements with 1,000 people or more and has fewer than 400 people per square kilometre. See the Census Profile from Statistics Canada for more information.

Indicate if most activities will take place in a remote area. A remote area is an area that

• has infrequent flights
• has no roads in or out of the area
• only has a forestry truck road
• has road access only in winter

Indicate if some project activities will take place in a northern area. A northern area is one of the three territories or an area above the

• 50th parallel in Newfoundland and Labrador
• 54th parallel in Quebec or Ontario
• 53rd parallel in Manitoba
• 54th parallel in Saskatchewan, Alberta, or British Columbia

If there are extra costs, these assessment criteria apply:

• The application supports increased costs due to activities in a remote or northern area.
• The work plan includes activities in a remote or northern area.
• The budget includes costs for activities in a remote or northern area.
• The extra costs are only for activities that take place in a remote or northern area.

Who

Use this section to present information about the people involved in your project. You must provide details such as population groups, engagement, and partnerships.

Official language minority community

An official language minority community (OLMC) is a Francophone population outside of Quebec or an Anglophone population in Quebec. Consult the Official language minority communities lists for more details.

Indicate if the project will benefit or involve members of an OLMC. This applies to organizations that work in and around OLMCs. In such cases, it could be important to involve community members to have a more inclusive project.

Here are some examples of how your organization can involve OLMCs:

• include OLMCs in the project design and activities
• reserve a seat for an OLMC organization on your project advisory committee
• adapt project activities to OLMC needs

Translation of existing or new documents is not sufficient to benefit or involve an OLMC.

If the project will involve OLMCs, describe how your organization will do so.

Representation

Indicate whether your organization’s leadership reflects the population that will benefit from the project. This includes the governance body or others with the power to make decisions.

We may use this information to prioritize applications that

• are submitted by organizations representative of the population they serve
• address any other gap deemed a priority by the department

Engagement

Describe how you will engage and involve the community affected by the issue or need.

Engagement involves dialogue, which allows those affected by the issue to influence decisions. They may want to take part in the project in different ways. They may want to provide advice, help design the project, or work on some activities.

Assessment criterion:

• The application demonstrates that the population who will benefit from the project will be involved in the project.

Partners

Refer to the glossary for differences between a supplier and a partner.

If your project includes partners, give their organization type as well as the role they will play. If your organization has partnered with the organization in the past, describe the role it played.

Project partners are important in the context of systemic change projects. Before you apply, we encourage you to engage with the partners involved in the element of the system you will be working to change.

Work plan

The work plan provides information on the key activities and timelines. Organizations often rely on detailed work plans to manage projects. For this application, only include the steps that will help achieve your objectives. Do not include all the steps you will take to manage the project, such as hiring an employee or reporting on your project. If the project is approved, you will need to report on all activities to the department. Writing reports will be easier if you only include the important activities.

The key activities you propose need to

• be realistic given the available funding
• be well-defined
• be linked to project objectives and deliverables
• have timelines that are feasible for the proposed activities
• show how project outcomes will last after the project ends
• involve partners or stakeholders, if applicable
• show that they will take place in a northern or remote area, if applicable

Read the Activities section for more information on the activities we can support.

You may include cultural and emotional supports in your activities.

For activities that will take place across Canada, you may include translation or other supports.

Compare the work plan to your budget to ensure you have the resources required to carry out the activities.

Eligibility criteria:

• The application is complete, including the work plan.
• Work plan activities are eligible and aligned with the objective of this call for proposals.

Assessment criteria:

• The work plan and the application provide a clear description of each activity.
• The activities are eligible and measurable.
• The work plan and the application show how the activities are relevant to the project objectives.
• The work plan provides clear and feasible timelines that are in line with the project activities.
• The work plan and application show how the project outcomes will be sustained after the project ends.

Budget

The System user guide explains how to complete the budget.

We will use the information you provide in the budget to assess the total cost of the project.

Eligible costs are those that are necessary to support the purpose of the project. There are two categories of eligible costs:

• Direct costs: expenses related to the delivery of the project that are linked to specific activities. WAGE may cover 100% of these costs if necessary.
• Administrative costs: expenses incurred to manage and support the project. We only cover a portion of these costs.

Important tips for creating your budget:

• Only include the project costs requested from WAGE in the budget. If you include other costs, we will adjust the budget accordingly.
• Write clear and detailed descriptions for each cost so that they are easy to match to the activities. Use the examples of eligible costs provided below.
• Compare your budget to your work plan to ensure that it includes all required costs for each activity. We may remove costs that are not clearly linked to activities.
• It is important to list the costs in the proper category of either direct costs or administrative costs. If costs are not in the right category, we may have to remove them. This could impact the total amount.
• Costs must be reasonable and comparable to regional norms.
• Each fiscal year starts on April 1st and ends on March 31st. We may change the total amount per fiscal year during agreement negotiation.
• Include audit costs for projects above $300,000 in your administrative costs. The department requires the following on an annual basis:
  • externally reviewed statement of revenues and expenditures for projects between $300,000 and $999,999
  • audited financial statements for projects of $1,000,000 and above
• All recipients must have the appropriate liability insurance for their project. You may include a portion of insurance costs for the project in the administrative costs.
• We will only reimburse the net amount of GST or HST. We will not reimburse the portion that you can claim as rebates, refunds, or tax credits.
• There are often extra living and travelling costs in northern or remote areas. You may apply for an extra 35%, but only for activities in these areas. See question Activity location type for more information.
• NEW!WAGE supports the Government of Canada’s Buy Canadian Policy. We encourage the use of Canadian suppliers, content, and materials.
• NEW! Gift cards are not a traceable form of payment. WAGE will only allow the use of gift cards in exceptional circumstances. In such cases, WAGE will provide recipients with guidelines to follow to ensure their proper use.

NEW! What are excessive or unreasonable costs?

WAGE will fund as many projects as possible to have a greater impact. Please only include costs that are necessary to achieve objectives. Here are some tips:

• Think about what is critical to project objectives, versus nice additions. For example, gifts, such as t-shirts, hats, and other items, are not funded. They are excessive and do not have a direct impact on project objectives.
• Costs such as honoraria should be reasonable based on the level of involvement and in line with local norms.
• Look at the total cost of an activity to see if it is reasonable. For example, consider the percentage of the cost of the activity relative to the total cost of the project.
• Consider regional norms when you provide an estimate.
• WAGE only funds true costs. If you add extra funding to cover unexpected costs, they will not be funded.
• Every effort should be taken to research, get quotes, and provide a reasonable budget.

Eligibility criterion:

• The application is complete, including the budget.

Assessment criteria:

• The budget details and itemizes costs.
• Costs are eligible, reasonable, and comparable to regional norms.
• The budget shows that costs are directly linked to the activities described in the work plan.
• The budget includes the required resources to deliver the project.
• The administrative costs do not exceed the maximum percentage you selected.
• The total amount requested is below the stated maximum amount.

Budget: Direct costs

Direct costs are those that are linked to specific project activities. WAGE may cover 100% of these costs if necessary. This section presents what to include in your description and provides concrete examples.

Direct costs: Travel

WAGE only supports travel that is necessary to achieve project objectives. Costs cannot be higher than those set out in the National Joint Council Travel Directive. For each travel item, provide information on how many people would travel, where, how, and why. You may also include costs for accommodations and meals during travel.

Example: Project Coordinator, 1 round trip from Ottawa to Montréal for 2-day workshops. Train tickets: $114. Meal allowance: $90. Accommodation: $150. Total: $354.

Direct costs: Salaries and mandatory employment-related costs (MERCs)

WAGE supports salaries and MERCs for work directly related to the project. These should be in keeping with local rates for similar types of work. Provide information on the number of people that deliver project activities. Include the position title, the annual wage, and the percentage of time they will be working directly on the project.

Example: Project Coordinator, annual salary: $60,000; 100% of time working on the project; total: $60,000.

Direct costs: Honoraria and professional fees

Honoraria are payments made to an individual for a task performed or for knowledge contributed to the project. Professional services are payments for a specific activity, such as translation. These should be in keeping with local rates for similar types of work. You cannot pay organization members for professional services. Refer to the glossary for differences between a supplier and a partner.

WAGE supports honoraria and professional fees to persons who are involved directly in project activities. Provide information on the service purchased and its cost.

Example for honoraria: Elder to guide the project activities; $400 per half-day; 1 half-day workshop; total: $400.

Example for professional fees: External consultant linked to Activity 2; $500 per day; 5 days; total: $2,500.

Direct costs: Materials and supplies

WAGE supports materials and supplies needed during project activities. Provide information on the item, the number of items, and the cost per item.

Example: Workshop supplies worth $13 per person for 16 participants; 1 workshop; total: $208.

Direct costs: Facilities

These should be in keeping with local rates.

WAGE supports room rental for project activities, such as workshops. Provide information on the reason for rental, length, type of space, and any need for audiovisual equipment.

Example: Community consultation. Room rental: $400 per day. Audiovisual equipment rental: $75 per day. Total: $475.

Direct costs: Publicity and promotion

Provide information on the type of publicity, its cost, and frequency.

Example: Advertising space for 1 advertising campaign; $200 per campaign; total: $200.

Direct costs: Other

These are any other eligible costs not included in other categories.

Examples:

• Refreshments served during project activities: refreshments served during community consultation; 50 participants; $10 per participants; total: $500.
• Childcare or dependant care to support participants during community consultations; $40 per day per dependant; 10 dependants; total: $400.

Direct costs: Office equipment

WAGE does not support direct costs related to this category.

Budget: Administrative costs

Administrative costs are those needed to support and manage a project. These are often difficult to link to a specific project activity or output. We will only cover a portion of these costs. This section presents what to include in your description and provides concrete examples.

WAGE offers two options for administrative costs:

• You can ask for up to 20% of the total funding requested from WAGE. If you choose this option, you will need to provide details on these costs. See the information provided in the examples of eligible costs below for the level of detail required.
• You can ask for up to 15% of the total funding requested from WAGE. In this case, you do not have to provide details on these costs. Simply write “rate of up to 15% of the total amount requested from WAGE” in any line in the administrative costs section. Provide the total amount per fiscal year.

You can only choose one option.

With both options, you will still need to keep your own record of expenses. We will only request this information in cases where there is an audit or verification. It is your responsibility to keep financial records based on generally accepted accounting principles. The only difference if you choose the 15% is that you will not need to provide us with details in your application and other reports.

Administrative costs: Travel

WAGE does not support administrative costs related to travel.

Administrative costs: Salaries and mandatory employment-related costs (MERCs)

WAGE supports a portion of the salaries and MERCs of management and support staff. Provide the number of management and support staff, their annual wage, and the percentage of time they will work to support the project.

Example: Director General, annual salary $95,000; 3% of time supervising the project; total: $2,850.

Administrative costs: Honoraria and professional fees

WAGE supports a portion of professional fees that support the project. Provide information on the service, its cost, and the percentage attributed to the project.

Example: Accounting: $90 per hour; 13 days of 7 hours; 15% of time attributed to the project; total: $1,229.

Administrative costs: Materials and supplies

WAGE supports a portion of general office material and supplies that are not directly linked to specific project activities. Provide information on the item, the number of items, and the cost per item.

Example: Photocopying and printing services: $80 per month; 10% attributed to the project for 12 months; total: $96.

Administrative costs: Facilities

WAGE can pay a portion of office space costs, including utilities. Provide information on the total office space cost and the percentage attributed to the project.

Examples:

• Office space for the organization, $1,450 per month; 5% attributed to the project; total: $870 per year.
• Coworking space: $500 per month; 5% attributed to the project; total: $300 per year.

Administrative costs: Publicity and promotion

WAGE does not support administrative costs related to this category.

Administrative costs: Other

WAGE does not support administrative costs related to this category.

Administrative costs: Office equipment

WAGE can pay a portion of the costs to lease or buy office equipment and furniture for project staff. You cannot claim costs for office equipment that is already owned by the organization. Provide information on the item or service, their number, and their cost.

Examples:

• $800 purchase of laptop for Project Coordinator; total: $800.
• Internet services: $100 per month; 10% attributed to the project; total per year: $120.

Other sources of revenue

It is not mandatory to have financial or in-kind contributions from other sources. However, if other partners contribute to the project, you must complete this section.

A financial contribution is money that covers project costs. It could be from other levels of government, the private sector, or foundations.

An in-kind contribution is an alternative to money. It is a good or service provided instead of cash. For example, if a partner provides a room for a project activity but does not charge you, it is an in-kind contribution. Another example is the time a volunteer spends on your project. Assign a reasonable value to these contributions in keeping with regional norms. The department will not reimburse in-kind contributions.

We reserve the right to verify the provided information.

Checklist

The following checklist is also available in the application. It will help you submit a complete application:

• Have you read the How to develop your application section of the online material? There are instructions for key questions in the application. This is to help you develop a strong proposal.
• Have you demonstrated how you meet all eligibility criteria? This includes your organization type and the activities you proposed.
• Have you included an external project evaluation? It is a requirement for this call for proposals.
• Have you provided proof that your organization is legally constituted?
• Have you completed the application in full? Ensure all parts of the application are complete, including the budget and work plan.
• Have you provided enough details in your budget descriptions? Did you consult the examples provided in the budget section of How to develop your application?
• Did you include audit costs for projects of $300,000 and above in your administrative costs?
• If your project includes activities in northern or remote areas, did you identify their cost in the budget?
• Are all direct costs linked to activities in your work plan?
• Has a signatory for your organization signed the application?
• Did you submit the application?

Declaration

Only a person with signing authority can sign the application. To sign, enter the name and position of the signatory. By signing the application, the representative confirms that they have

• read and understood the guidelines for the call for proposals
• read and understood the declaration

Eligibility criteria:

• The application is complete.
• The application is electronically signed by an official representative of the organization.

Summary and submission

Review your application to ensure it is complete. Once you submit it, you cannot reopen it or make changes. You will be able to download a copy of your application shortly after you submit.