Applicant Guide

Status of Women Canada is pleased to invite eligible organizations to submit an application for funding through the Capacity-building Fund of the Women’s Program.

1. Overview

We recommend that you read the following guide in its entirety before you start completing your application for funding. This guide contains important details on the information and supporting documentation that we require to assess your application.

The call for proposal (CFP) is a competitive process and not all applications for funding submitted will be selected. Funding is limited and subject to Status of Women Canada’s (SWC) yearly budget considerations and allocation of funds by Parliament.

We reserve the right to give consideration to factors such as geographic and population group representation, sector needs, official languages requirements, an organization’s current SWC funding, and coverage of SWC’s priority areas.

Purpose of this Guide

The purpose of this guide is to help you complete the application for funding. The guide provides important information about this CFP; indicates how best to respond to questions in the Application for Funding form; and, provides a checklist of the supporting documents you are required to submit. If you have enquiries about this CFP process, please contact an SWC office. Note that this CFP closes on December 11, 2018, at 11:59 a.m. PST.

Objective of the Women’s Program

Through funding for organizations, the Women’s Program (WP) supports action to advance equality between women and men in the economic, social and democratic life of Canada.

Objectives of the CFP

The objective of this CFP is to fund proposals that will increase the capacity of eligible women’s organizations and Indigenous organizations whose initiatives contribute to a viable women’s movement in Canada to advance gender equality. Funding will increase organizational capacity and help organizations work collectively to address gender equality issues.

2. Eligibility information

For the purpose of this CFP, funding will be provided to successful applicants based on the eligibility of the project, recipient, activities, and expenditures.

Eligible projects

To be considered eligible, the project must meet each of the following requirements:

• Organizations must submit all required documents with the Application for funding form. For a list of required documentation, please consult the checklist;
• The project must aim to increase the capacity of eligible women’s organizations and Indigenous organizations whose initiatives contribute to a viable women’s movement in Canada to advance gender equality;
• All projects must end by March 31, 2023; and,
• The total amount of funding requested of SWC for the project must not exceed $50,000 per year for a maximum of five years for a local organization^{Footnote 1} , $150,000 per year for a maximum of five years for a provincial/territorial organization^{Footnote 2}  and $200,000 per year for a maximum of five years for a national organization^{Footnote 3} . Note that additional consideration can be given to organizations operating in remote communities^{Footnote 4} .

Eligible recipients

Under this CFP, organizations eligible for funding are legally constituted not-for-profit organizations in Canada, and must be:

• women’s organizations^{Footnote 5}  whose primary objective is to advance gender equality for women in Canada; or,
• Indigenous organizations^{Footnote 6}  whose work has a significant focus on advancing gender equality for Indigenous women in Canada.

Eligible activities

The following is a non-exhaustive list of activities eligible for funding under this CFP:

For the purpose of this CFP, ineligible activities include, but are not limited to:

• Provide direct service delivery (e.g. hiring additional staff to work in a shelter);
• Undertake capital renovations and construction; and
• Undertake activities that take place outside of Canada.

Eligible expenditures

Eligible expenditures are costs considered necessary to support the project. For this CFP, eligible expenditures include, but are not limited to:

Ineligible expenditures

Ineligible expenditures include, but are not limited to:

• Capital expenditures, such as land, buildings, vehicles and other major capital costs, with the exception of computer equipment such as desktops, portables, and small peripherals required to carry out the project;
• Salaries, allowances, and benefits for members of a board of directors or other decision-making body;
• Canada Revenue Agency or payroll penalties;
• Budget deficits, debt reduction, organizational reserves or endowment funds; and
• Costs incurred before a funding decision is made.

3. Developing your application

SWC recommends that you consult this section while filling in the application for funding, as it provides important details on the information and supporting documentation required to assess applications. Provide your answers in the application form and attach only the documents requested (see Apply/Checklist).

The main sections of the application for funding are:

• Section A – Organization Information
• Section B – Detailed Project Information
• Section C – Budget Form
• Section D – Declaration and Undertaking

All required documents must be uploaded; otherwise, your application will be considered incomplete and screened out. You are required to submit your application in one submission by the closing date of the CFP.

Section A – Organization information

SWC uses the information you provide in this section to establish your organization’s identity and to help assess your organization’s capacity to effectively manage a project. SWC reserves the right to conduct reference checks with your funding partners.

Question 1 – Legal name

Please provide the legal name of your organization; that is, the name shown on the Certificate of Incorporation or Registration.

Question 2 – Operating (common) name

Please provide the operating (or common) name of your organization if it is different from the legal name.

Question 3 – Legally constituted not-for-profit Organization

Please indicate if your organization is incorporated or registered as a not-for-profit and at which level of government. Note that your organization must be a legally constituted not-for-profit organization to be eligible for funding.

You must provide your incorporation or registration number (e.g. 111111-0). You will find this number on your certificate of incorporation or registration. Please indicate the year your organization was registered.

Please provide your 15-digit CRA registration number, if applicable (e.g. 111111111RC0001). You will find this number on your CRA documentation (e.g. payroll deductions, GST/HST).

Question 4 – Type of eligible organization

Please indicate whether you organization is:

• a women’s organizations whose primary objective is to advance gender equality for women in Canada; or,
• an Indigenous organizations whose work has a significant focus on advancing gender equality for Indigenous women in Canada.

Only these two types of organizations are eligible under this CFP. Others will be screened out at this stage.

Please select only one option.

Question 5 – Scope of the organization

Please indicate the scope of your organization:

• Local: Organization whose mandate covers one or multiple communities.
• Provincial/territorial: Organization whose mandate covers an entire province or territory.^{Footnote 8} 
• National: Organization whose mandate is pan-Canadian.

Select only one option.

Question 6 – Priority area

Please indicate the SWC’s priority area on which your organization primarily focusses:

• increasing women’s economic security and prosperity;
• encouraging women’s leadership and democratic participation; and
• ending violence against women and girls.

Please select only one priority. It is understood that some organizations work on more than one priority, but for the purpose of this CFP, select the main priority of your organization.

Question 7 – Organization’s main target population

Please indicate your organization’s main target population. Select only one main target population. It is understood that some organizations work with more than one main target population, but for the purpose of this CFP, select only one.

Question 8 – Organization’s secondary target population

Please indicate your organization’s secondary target population (if applicable). Select only one secondary target population. It is understood that some organizations work with more than one secondary target population, but for the purpose of this CFP, select only one.

Question 9 – Organization mandate

Please describe your organization’s mandate which should, for the purpose of this CFP, demonstrate how your organization meets the following requirements:

• For women’s organizations: that your primary objective is to advance equality for women in Canada; or,
• For Indigenous organizations: that your work has a significant focus on advancing equality for Indigenous women in Canada.

Please describe your organization’s role and expertise on gender equality issues in the community or sector over and above service delivery.

Please also describe how your organization’s mandate or work is aligned with the objective of the Women's Program, which is to support action to advance equality between women and men in the economic, social and democratic life of Canada.

Please provide concrete examples of how your organization has successfully addressed gender equality issues in your community, province/territory or sector.

Questions 10 to 13 – Organization address

Please indicate the address of your organization.

Questions 14 – Confidential address

Indicate whether this information is confidential (i.e. address of a women’s shelter).

Questions 15 to 18 – Mailing address (if different from organization address)

Please indicate the mailing address if it is different from the organization’s address.

Questions 19 to 22 – Organization contact information

Please indicate the telephone number, fax number (if available), email address of the organization, and website for the organization.

Question 23 – Preferred official language of communication

Please indicate the preferred official language for both written and spoken communication:

• English; or,
• French.

Questions 24 to 29 – Main Contact for the Organization and their Coordinates

Please provide a main contact for the purposes of communicating with your organization about this proposal. This could be a project manager, an executive director, or someone else. Typically, the person responsible for the proposal and/or someone with signing authority is identified here.

Please provide the title of the main contact. Example: President or Executive Director.

Please indicate the telephone number of the main contact, as well as their email address. Please note that this is where all emails will be sent.

Questions 30 to 39 – Name and coordinates of signing authority for the organization

Please provide the name and coordinates of the person with signing authority for the organization. Please indicate their mailing address if it is different from the organization’s address.

Question 40 – Previous funding

Please indicate if your organization previously received funding from government (federal, provincial, territorial, municipal) or a private foundation. If yes, please provide information about your most recent funders, excluding Status of Women Canada, their contact information and the amount of funding received. Please also indicate if this funding was project funding, program funding, or core funding. You are encouraged to prioritize prior funding that further demonstrates that your organization’s primary objective is to promote equality for women in Canada. Note that results of past SWC-funded projects are taken into account during the assessment process.

SWC reserves the right to conduct reference checks with your funding partners.

Question 41 – Organization’s Most Recent Financial Statements

You must upload your organization’s most recent financial statements. These statements should be audited financial statements or, at a minimum, include all sources of revenue.

Section B – Detailed project information

Question 42 – Project title

Please provide a brief, descriptive project title.

Question 43 – Project duration

Please indicate the project duration in months. Note that all projects must end by March 31, 2023.

Question 44 – Exception to project maximum amount

Project maximum amounts may be adjusted where organizations identify a need to consider increased costs due to remoteness^{Footnote 9} . Please indicate if this is the case for your project. If yes, the budget form will need to reflect these costs.

Question 45 – Needs to be addressed

Please check all boxes that apply, indicating the categories of need your project will address. If you check “other”, you will be prompted to provide a brief description.

Question 46 – Project objectives

Objectives are statements of desired change that describe what should be accomplished, and provide a context in which progress can be monitored and success can be measured.

Please describe the project objectives. They should be clear and achievable objectives described in terms of measurable goals to be achieved through the project. The objectives should provide more information about the needs identified in the previous question.

For this CFP, the proposal must show how the project will build the organization’s capacity to respond to the objectives of the Women’s Program, which is to support action to advance equality between women and men in the economic, social and democratic life of Canada.

Question 47 – Project key activities (must be broken down into clear steps)

Project activities are the steps that will be taken to meet the objectives of the project. Activities should be specific, measurable, realistic and relevant to the project objectives.

Outputs are the products, goods or services stemming directly from the activities of a project such as action plans, protocols, policies, and other tools.

Please refer to the Eligibility information section for examples of eligible activities.

You must include the following details:

• Please provide a description of each activity and explanation of how each is clearly linked to the objective(s) of the project (see question 46);
• Please provide detailed descriptions of how each activity will be undertaken, including a description of the involvement of partners and stakeholders (e.g. unions, municipalities, private sector), if applicable;
• Please provide a description of the outputs associated with each activity, if applicable;
• Please list the project activities in a logical sequence and include feasible timelines or duration of the various activities;
• Please establish clear linkages between the project activities and the project costs outlined in the budget form. Costs associated with all identified activities should be reflected in Table 1, Part 1 on direct delivery expenditures; and,
• For provincial/territorial and national scope organizations only: Priority will be given to projects that enhance sector capacity as a result of the proposed organizational capacity building activities (e.g. partnership development, networking, sharing lessons learned). As such, if your project includes activities that will support other organizations in the sector, please ensure this is described in your activities.

Question 48 – Short project description

Please provide a short project description that includes a summary of the project duration, objectives, and key activities. (1 paragraph maximum)

Question 49 – Sustainability of capacity supports

Please describe how your organization will sustain the capacity supports developed and implemented during this project, after project funding ends. This question is intended to ensure that capacity supports are formally integrated in the operations of the organization. For instance, if your organization intends to work on strategic planning, it is important that lessons learned, tools, and activities related to strategic planning are integrated in the yearly planning process for the organization. This could include formally adding the responsibilities for these in the organization’s by-laws or other guiding documents of the organization.

Question 50 – Official language minority communities

SWC is committed to enhancing the vitality of the English and French linguistic minorities in Canada by supporting and assisting their development and fostering the full recognition and use of both English and French in Canada. Official language minority communities are English-speaking communities established within the province of Québec and French-speaking communities established outside the province of Québec.

If your project is designed to improve your capacity to support official language minority communities, please answer ‘yes’ to this question and ensure to list and describe your approach or related activities in your answer to question 47 – Project activities. Please also identify the linguistic profile of the beneficiaries targeted by the project, document any special needs of the official language minority communities, and indicate whether or not they were consulted in the development of this proposal.

Answering ‘no’ to this question will not invalidate your application.

Section C – Budget form

Applicants must provide an estimate of the project’s costs. SWC will use the information provided in this section to assess the overall cost of the proposed project, as well as the general nature of the expenditures to be covered by all anticipated sources of funding.

The budget form is part of the application for funding form. You must use the form provided for your application to be considered complete.

The budget form is divided into two tables:

• Table 1: Budget Form
  • Part 1: Direct delivery expenditures
  • Part 2: Administrative expenditures (up to a maximum of 20% of the total amount for direct delivery expenditures requested from SWC);
• Table 2: Other sources of revenue.

Table 1 - Budget Form – Part 1: Direct delivery expenditures

Direct delivery expenditures are related to the implementation of a project and are defined as costs that can be easily traced to a specific project.

Please provide a brief description of proposed expenses in each budget line. Here are some examples:

All budget costs must be rounded to the nearest dollar.

If your project extends over more than one fiscal year, you must also break down the estimated expenditures by fiscal year (2018-2019, 2019-2020, 2020-2021, 2021-2022, 2022-2023). Fiscal years start April 1 and end March 31.

Table 1 - Budget Form – Part 2: Administrative expenditures

Administrative expenditures are a necessary part of an organization’s operations as part of the delivery of a project and as such are eligible. Administrative expenditures are defined as costs related to an organization’s ability to carry out its central administrative functions and support project activities. These costs must not exceed 20% of the total amount for direct delivery costs requested from SWC. Administration expenditures could include, but are not limited to, salaries and benefits specifically pertaining to administration and managerial supervision; professional fees (e.g. accounting); office equipment (e.g. photocopier and computer equipment); telephones; IT maintenance and other related costs.

Include all administrative expenditures in this table. Listing Administrative Expenditures under direct delivery expenditures (Table 1, part 1) could automatically result in cuts to the amounts requested under both categories. Therefore, please ensure that descriptions are clear and detailed enough to avoid confusion.

Please describe and provide a breakdown of each budget item. The description and breakdown should be presented in point form. Here are some examples:

SWC will use this information to obtain an overall picture of your budget. It is also used to ensure you have respected the maximum for administrative expenditures of up to 20% of the total amount for direct delivery costs requested from SWC. For example:

• If you have requested $200,000 in total from SWC; $180,000 in direct delivery costs and $20,000 in administrative costs, you have respected the 20% maximum.
• If you have requested $200,000 in total from SWC; $150,000 in direct delivery costs and $50,000 in administrative costs, you have not respected the 20% maximum.

Table 2: Other sources of revenue

These sources of revenue are cash and/or in-kind contributions from organizations other than SWC.

Cash contributions are financial contributions provided directly to the project to offset costs. Cash contributions can be fundraising money, other funding provided by other levels of government and/or private sector.

In-kind contributions are non-monetary goods or services provided instead of cash. For your project budget, a reasonable monetary value should be applied to these contributions. In-kind contributions may include staff and volunteer time, services, programs, office space and administrative services necessary for the proposed project that would otherwise have to be purchased. Organizations cannot request re-imbursement for these contributions.

If you requested administrative costs, the requested amount cannot be counted as in-kind. For example, if you requested 5% of the Executive Director’s salary in the administrative costs with regards to the supervision of the project, this 5% cannot be counted towards your organization’s in-kind contribution.

Sources of revenue

Your Organization: Indicate the cash or in-kind goods and services directly related to the project that your organization will donate.

Other sources: List contributions from other sources such as governments and private sector partners and specify whether the contribution is cash or in-kind.

4. Review process

This section outlines the assessment process and criteria used to review and assess applications for funding.

Eligibility requirements

This section indicates what information is needed to complete an eligible application. The eligibility requirements are considered during the screening process. If an application does not meet all the eligibility requirements, it will not be assessed and therefore, will not be eligible for funding.

1. Complete application for funding

1.1 The completed Application for Funding was received no later than the stated closing date/time for the CFP: December 11, 2018 at 11:59 a.m. Pacific Standard Time (PST).

1.2 The Application for Funding was electronically signed by the legally authorized representative(s) of the organization (see Developing your application, Section D – Declaration and undertaking).

1.3 All required documents are attached to the application for funding:

• Completed budget form;
• The most recent financial statements for the organization; and,
• The organization’s incorporation or registration number and their CRA business or registration number.

2. Eligible recipients

2.1 The organization is a legally constituted, Canadian, not-for-profit organization.

2.2 The Application for funding was submitted by an eligible recipient. Under this CFP, organizations eligible for funding must be:

• women’s organizations whose primary objective is to advance equality for women in Canada; or,
• Indigenous organizations whose work has a significant focus on advancing equality for Indigenous women in Canada.

3. Eligible project duration

3.1 The project will end by March 31, 2023.

4. Budget

4.1 The total amount of funding requested of SWC for the project does not exceed $50,000 per year for a maximum of five years for a local organization^{Footnote 10} , $150,000 per year for a maximum of five years for a provincial/territorial organization^{Footnote 11} and $200,000 per year for a maximum of five years for a national organization^{Footnote 12} .

4.2 The total amount of administrative expenditures does not exceed 20% of the total amount for direct delivery costs requested from SWC.

Assessment criteria

This section indicates how a variety of elements in an application are considered in the evaluation of its overall quality in comparison to other projects submitted in this competitive process. The application will be assessed only if all of the eligibility requirements have been met.

A – Organization and project relevance in the community or sector

A1. Understanding the relevance of the organization and the overall relevance of the proposed project (refer to question 9)

A1.1 The proposal shows how the organization is aligned with the objective of the Women’s Program, which is to support action to advance equality between women and men in the economic, social or democratic life of Canada.

A1.2 The proposal explains the organization’s role and expertise in addressing gender equality in its community or sector.

B – Project management and results

B1. Experience in delivering similar activities and achieving positive results (refer to question 9)

B1.1 The proposal includes information about recent funders that demonstrate that:

• The applicant has previous experience in delivering projects related to gender equality; and,
• The applicant has successfully delivered past projects and achieved positive results.

B2. Project activities, timelines and feasibility (refer to questions 46, 47 and 49)

B2.1 The proposal provides a clear description of each activity. Activities are detailed and measurable.

B2.2 Timelines for each activity are clearly established and feasible.

B2.3 Activities and outputs are relevant to the project objectives.

B2.4 The proposal identifies feasible measures for the sustainability of the developed and implemented capacity supports beyond the duration of the project.

C – Project budget

C1. Project costs (refer to Section C – Budget Form)

C1.1 The proposal demonstrates that the project costs are effectively itemized (i.e. adequate budget details for each requested project cost).

C1.2 The proposal demonstrates that the project costs are reasonable.

C1.3 The proposal demonstrates that the project costs support the project activities.

Expected results

SWC's capacity-building funding will help women's organizations and Indigenous organizations to improve organizational and sector capacity at the national, provincial/territorial, and local levels. Over time, the sector will be better equipped to address systemic barriers slowing down women's progress and advancement.

Funding recipients will be required to identify and report on qualitative and quantitative indicators during the project lifecycle. SWC is currently developing a tool to guide successful applicants in determining relevant indicators to measure planned project results, in advance of signing funding agreements.

In addition, funding recipients will be required to do a pre and post funding self-assessment (developed by SWC) to determine the specific impact the funding has had on strengthening the capacity and sustainability of their organization. Note that SWC may require organizations to participate in an overall evaluation of projects funded under this call.

Section D – Declaration and undertaking

In order to be eligible for funding, your application must be completed and signed electronically by the official representative(s) of the applicant organization in accordance with the organization’s by-laws or other constituting documents. People with signing authority are normally one or more of the executive members of the board of directors (president, vice president, secretary or treasurer) and employees of the organization (chief executive officer, executive director, chiefs of finance or human resources). The signatory must include their title and date of signature.

5. Apply

Before submitting your completed application for funding, please ensure that you have included all of the following documents in your application package.

Required documentation – Checklist

• Application for funding form: Filled out in its entirety. Please see Developing your application for detailed instructions.
• The budget form is part of the application for funding form. You must use the form provided.
• The organization’s most recent financial statements must be uploaded.
• Please note that all applicants based in Quebec must complete Form M-30 concerning Bill M-30, An Act Respecting the Ministère du Conseil exécutif, R.S.Q., c. M-30.

Submit your application

Your application, and other required documents, must be submitted no later than December 11, 2018, at 11:59 a.m. PST. Applications received after this deadline will not be considered.

6. Follow-up

When you submit your application through FluidReview, you will receive an acknowledgement immediately. If you do not receive an automated acknowledgement, please contact Support Help Services.

Please note that not all applications submitted under this CFP will be approved. Funding is limited and subject to Status of Women Canada’s (SWC) yearly budget considerations and allocation of funds by Parliament.

Decisions are final and there is no appeal process.

If you have enquiries about this CFP process, please contact your SWC office. Note that this CFP closes on December 11, 2018, at 11:59 a.m. PST.