Funding portal user guide: Women and Gender Equality Canada

Getting started with the funding portal

This step-by-step user guide provides instructions to help new and existing users prepare, submit, and track funding applications through the Women and Gender Equality Canada (WAGE) funding portal. It also explains how to manage your user profile and organization account, and how to navigate key portal features.

Technical requirements

• Supported web browsers: Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge (Windows and macOS)
• Session timeout: A warning message appears after 12 minutes of inactivity before your session expires at the 15-minute mark
• Upload restrictions: The total size for each uploaded document cannot exceed 15 MB
• Copy-paste limitations: If you are working in a Word document and copying text into the WAGE funding portal, please note that the portal counts characters, not words. Exceeding the portal’s character limits for a field may cause some text to paste incorrectly or be cut off

Account and access

• Registration: New users should register early; processing may take up to 2 business days
• Sign-in options: 
  Users can access the portal using one of the following options:
  • GCKey
  • Sign-In Partner (for example, your online banking credentials)

Email and communication

• Add no-reply-aucune-reponse@fegc-wage.gc.ca to your contacts to prevent important messages from being directed to your junk or spam folders

User roles

• Contributor: Can complete funding applications, upload documents, sign applications and manage their user profile
• Administrator: Has full access to applications, upload documents, sign applications, manage organization accounts and users

Note: The user who creates the organization profile is automatically assigned the administrator role for the organization. This can be changed later, if needed.

Contact persons

• Primary contact: May be contacted regarding the application and must be knowledgeable about the project
• Secondary contact: Contacted if primary contact is unavailable; must also be familiar with the project

1. Register for an account

1.1 Access the WAGE funding portal

To create your account:

1. Navigate to the Access the WAGE funding portal webpage

2. Under the New user section, click Registration request

1.2 Complete the registration request form

1. Complete all the required fields 

2. Click Submit request

1.2.1 View the confirmation message

• A confirmation message will appear on screen confirming your request has been received
• New users should register early; processing may take up to 2 business days

1.3 Check your email for confirmation instructions

You will receive an email with instructions to complete your registration. 

1.4 Activate your account

1. Click the link provided in the confirmation email

2. You will be redirected to the page Redeem your invitation link

3. Click Continue to proceed

1.5 Choose your preferred sign-in option

Please select the sign-in option you want to use for your account:

• Sign in with your banking information (Sign-in partner)
• Sign in with your GCKey user ID and password

1.5.1 Sign in with your bank

This option allows you to sign in using your existing online banking credentials. It offers a secure and convenient way to access government services without needing to create or remember new login information.

1. Click Sign in with your bank

2. You will be redirected to the Select Sign-in Partner page

3. Select your Sign-In Partner by clicking your bank’s logo

4. Enter your online banking username and password (the same credentials you use with your financial institution)

5. You will be redirected to the WAGE funding portal Welcome page. Reviewing the Privacy notice and Terms of use and checking the acknowledgement box is mandatory to gain access to the portal

1.5.2 Sign in with GCKey

This option allows you to sign in using a GCKey user ID and password.

1. Click Sign in or create an account with GCkey

2. You will be redirected to the GCKey page

3. Enter your GCkey credentials and click Sign in or click Sign up for a new GCKey if you do not already have one

4. You will be redirected to the WAGE funding portal Welcome page, where you must review the Privacy notice and Terms of use, and provide your consent to proceed to complete your profile page

1.6 Review the Privacy notice and Terms of use

Before accessing the portal, you must:

1. Review the Privacy notice and Terms of use

2. Select the checkbox stating: I acknowledge having read and understood the Privacy notice and I agree to these Terms

3. Click Continue

4. You will be redirected to the My user profile page

1.7 Complete your user profile

To finalize your registration for the WAGE funding portal, you must complete your user profile before accessing funding opportunities.

1. Complete all the required fields

2. Click Submit

3. You can now access the Home page and navigate through the different pages under the drop-down-menu

2. Sign in to your account

2.1 Access the WAGE funding portal 

To access your account in the WAGE funding portal:

1. Go to the Access the WAGE funding portal webpage

2. Under Existing user, click Access WAGE funding portal

2.2 Select your sign-in method

Please select the sign-in method you chose when you registered your account:

• Sign in with your banking information (Sign-in partner)
• Sign in with your GCKey user ID and password

2.2.1 Sign in with your bank

1. Click Sign in with your bank

2. You will be redirected to the Select Sign-in Partner page

3. Select your Sign-In Partner by clicking your bank’s logo

4. Enter your online banking username and password (the same credentials you use with your financial institution)

5. You will be redirected to the WAGE funding portal Home page

2.2.2 Sign in with GCKey

1. Click Sign in or create an account with GCKey and enter your login credentials

2. You will be redirected to the GCKey page

3. Enter your GCkey credentials and click Sign in

4. You will be redirected to the WAGE funding portal Home page

2.3 Update your sign-in method

This option is for users who need to change the sign-in method for their existing WAGE funding portal account. To do this, you must re-submit a new registration request using the same email address associated with your account.

1. Go to the Access the WAGE funding portal webpage

2. Under New user, click Registration request

3. Complete the registration request form using the same email address associated with your existing account

Note: To update your sign-in method, you must complete a registration request using the same process as for registering for an account.

3. Access the portal Home page

Once signed in successfully, you will be directed to the Home page, where you can access the main navigation menu.

You can also access the Privacy notice and Terms of use from this page. We encourage you to review them regularly for any updates or changes.

4. Register your organization’s profile

4.1 Access the My organizations page

The My organizations page allows you to manage your organizations within the portal. It allows you to:

• register or edit your organization’s profile
• share access with collaborators
• view applications

You can access the page by clicking Menu, then My organizations.

4.2 Register your organization’s profile

Before applying for funding, you must register your organization’s profile on the portal.

Steps to register:

1. Click + Register an organization (See figure 22)

2. You will be redirected to the Information about the organization page

3. Complete each of the tabs shown on this page (See figure 23)

For each tab:

• Complete all required fields
• Click Validate and Save
• Click Next to proceed to the next page

4. Once all sections have been completed, navigate to the Summary and submission page and click Submit to finalize the registration

After registration:

• Registered organizations will appear in the list of Applicant organizations at the bottom of the page
• Each organization is displayed within its own individual tile

Each tile includes four clickable options:

• View/Edit option—you will be redirected to the Information about the organization page to modify the organization’s profile
• Share—you will be redirected to the Share organization page where you can add collaborators to the organization
• View sharing—you will be redirected to the Manage organization access page where you will see a list of shared users of the organization
• View application—you will be redirected to the My applications page where you will see a list of funding applications associated with the organization

4.3 Edit your organization’s information

To update the information for a registered organization:

1. Select the View/Edit button on your organization’s tile

2. You will be redirected to the Information about the organization page

3. Use the left-side menu to navigate to the section(s) you want to update

4. For each section:

• Make your changes
• Click Validate and save

5. When all updates are complete, navigate to the Summary and submission page

6. Click Submit to save and confirm your changes

4.4 Share organization access

The Share organization access page allows you to manage who can access your organization within the portal.

You can invite collaborators and assign them roles related to managing applications and documents.

To add collaborators:

1. Click Share on your organization’s tile

2. Enter the collaborator’s information and assign them a role:

• Contributor: Can complete funding applications, upload documents, sign applications and manage their user profile
• Administrator: Has full access to applications, upload documents, sign applications, manage organization accounts and users

3. Click Submit to send the invitation

4.5 View organization access

The Manage organization access page allows you to see who has access to your organization and what roles they have been assigned.

This is useful for managing permissions and tracking collaborators.

To view sharing details:

1. Click View sharing on the organization’s tile

2. You will be redirected to the Manage organization access page, where all collaborators and their assigned roles are listed

4.6 View organization applications

The My applications page provides access to all funding applications associated with your organization.

You can view the status of applications, edit drafts, or review submitted forms.

To access applications:

1. Click View applications on the organization’s tile

2. You will be redirected to the My application page

3. Any submitted or in-progress applications for the selected organization will be displayed on the My applications page

5. View funding opportunities

The Funding opportunities page displays available funding opportunities from Women and Gender Equality Canada (WAGE) that are open for applications. 

From the Funding opportunities page, you can:

• View all active funding opportunities your organization could be eligible for
• Click Details on a funding opportunity tile to view the details of the opportunity
• Click Apply to start an application

Steps to to submit an application:

1. Select Funding opportunities from the main menu

2. If you have more than one registered organization, select the appropriate organization

3. Browse the list of available funding opportunities

4. Click Apply to the relevant funding opportunity tile to start your application

6. View your funding applications

The My applications page allows you to view and manage all funding applications linked to your organization’s user profile.

On this page, applications are organized by status:

• In progress
• Submitted
• Under review
• Approved or not retained

From the My applications page, you can do the following:

• Create a new application
• Edit or delete applications in progress
• View submitted applications
• Track the status of applications
• Access submitted documents and communications

To view a previously submitted application or edit or delete a draft application, find the application in the list and select the option from the Actions column.

7. Edit your user profile

You can edit your profile at any time by accessing the My user profile page.

To edit your profile:

1. Click on the Menu

2. Select My user profile

3. On the My user profile page, update your existing information

4. Click Submit

After submitting:

• You will be redirected to the Home page
• The email address you provide will be used for all official communications related to your account and application

8. Start a new funding application

Once your organization is registered and your user profile is complete, you can begin applying for funding through the WAGE funding portal.

You have three options to start a new application:

8.1 Option 1: From the My organizations page

1. Navigate to the My organizations page

2. Locate the List of applicant organizations

3. Click View applications on the tile of the organization for which you want to create an application

4. You will be redirected to My application page

5. Click the New application button

6. You will be redirected to the Funding opportunities page

7. Select the funding opportunity you wish to apply for and click Apply

8. You will be redirected to the Create an application page to begin your application

8.2 Option 2: From the Funding opportunities page

1. Go to the Funding opportunities page

2. Browse the list of funding opportunities displayed in separate tiles

3. From the drop-down list, select your registered organization

4. Funding opportunities currently accepting applications and for which your organization is eligible will have the Apply button visible in their tile. Refer to the deadline information displayed on each tile

5. Click Apply to start a new application for the selected funding opportunity

6. You will be redirected to the Create an application page to begin your application

8.3 Option 3: From the My applications page

1. Navigate to the My application page

2. Click the New application button

3. You will be redirected to the Funding opportunities page

4. From the drop-down list, select your registered organization

5. From the list of funding opportunities, click Apply next to the funding opportunity you want to apply for

6. You will be redirected to the Create an application page to begin your application

9. Complete your funding application

On the Create an application page, you will enter the project details.

9.1 Organization validation

Before proceeding, ensure your application is linked to the correct organization.

1. Select your organization

2. Click Validate and save to confirm the name of your organization

3. Click Next to continue to the next page

If the displayed organization is incorrect, use the Menu to go back to My organizations, choose the appropriate organization, and begin a new application.

9.2 What

On this page, provide key details about your project.

Be sure to check the application deadline and project eligibility criteria on our website before completing this section.

Once all required fields are completed: 

1. Click Validate and save

2. Click Next to continue to the next page

9.3 Where

On this page, provide information about the reach and location of your project. 

Once all required fields are completed:

1. Click Validate and save

2. Click Next to continue to the next page

9.4 Who

On this page, provide information about the population your project will serve. You can choose multiple options where it is allowed.

Once all required fields are completed: 

1. Click Validate and save

2. Click Next to continue to the next page

9.5 Other

On this page, indicate whether your project involves funds being redistributed to other ultimate recipients and whether it includes matching funding or cost-sharing.

Once all required fields are completed:

1. Click Validate and save

2. Click Next to continue to the following page

9.6 Workplan

Your workplan outlines your project’s key activities and related sub-activities. These should clearly align with your project objectives and the budget costs.

Steps to complete the Workplan page:

1. Navigate to the Workplan tab, then click Add a key activity

2. Enter key activity, then click Submit

3. After clicking Submit, the key activity now appears under Key activity on the Workplan page

4. Repeat these steps to add all of the project’s key activities

5. The next step is to create sub-activities that you must link to one of the key activities that you have just created

6. Click Add a sub-activity

7. Select the related key activity, enter the sub-activity, then click Submit

8. The sub-activity now appears under Sub-activity on the Workplan page

9. To identify the quarters associated with your sub-activity, you must click Edit next to the related sub-activity

10. Once you click Edit, a pop-up window will open to indicate the quarters for the activity

11. Check all applicable boxes to identify a timeline for when the sub-activity will take place during your project

12. Once complete, click the Submit button

13. Repeat these steps to add all the project’s sub-activities

14. When all the projects key activities and sub-activities are entered, click on Validate and save, then click Next to continue to the next page

9.7 Budget—Direct costs

This section is for direct costs related to the implementation of the project and easily traced to specific activities.

1. Carefully read the instructions on the Budget—Direct costs online portal page

2. To add a cost for each category, click Add Cost item

3. For each cost category, you must:

• Include a description
• Select the appropriate fiscal year
• Enter the amount (numbers only)
• After each entry, click Submit

4. The cost added will be listed on the page. If you need to edit or delete an entry, you can do so by clicking the Edit or Delete buttons next to the related cost.

5. Repeat these steps to add all the direct costs for the project

6. Once all the direct costs for the project are entered:

• Click Validate and save to save your information
• Click Next to proceed to the next section

9.8 Budget—Administrative costs

This section is for administrative costs related to an organization’s ability to administer and support project activities.

1. Carefully read the instructions on the Budget—Administrative costs online portal page

2. WAGE offers two options for administrative costs. Read the information provided below before selecting. This information can also be found in the portal

• Up to 20%: By making this selection, you are requesting up to 20% of the total funding requested from WAGE. In this case, provide details on these costs. See the information provided in the examples of eligible costs for the level of detail required
• Up to 15%: By making this selection, you are requesting up to 15% as a fixed rate of the total funding requested from WAGE. In this case, you do not have to provide details on these costs. Simply write “fixed rate of up to 15% of the total amount requested from WAGE” in the description of one of the cost categories. Also provide the amount per fiscal year

3. Click on Select, then select Up to 15% or Up to 20% from the drop-down menu. For both options, you continue to be responsible for the accounting of your organization’s funds

4. To add an expense for each cost category, click Add a cost item

5. For each cost item, you must:

• Include a description
• Select the appropriate fiscal year
• Enter the amount (numbers only)
• After each entry, click Submit

6. The cost added will be listed on the page. If you need to edit or delete an entry, you can do so by clicking Edit or Delete next to the related cost

7. Repeat these steps to add all the administrative costs for the project

8. Once all the administrative costs are entered:

• Click on Validate and save
• Click Next to continue to the next page

Once your application has been submitted, an Excel sheet of the completed budget will be available to download on the Summary and submission page. Please note, the Excel document may take a couple of minutes to generate after submission.

9.9 Budget—Detailed summary

On this page, you will find the Budget—Detailed summary, which outlines both direct costs and administrative costs by:

• Cost category
• Fiscal year

Before moving forward:

1. Review the numbers to ensure all amounts are entered and reflected correctly

2. Click Validate and save

3. Click Next to continue to the next page

9.10 Other sources of revenue

This page is used to list the sources of revenue for your project, apart from WAGE. These may come from your organization or others. Take the time to read the instructions carefully.

1. To add a source of revenue, click Add a source of revenue

2. For each addition in this section, enter the source of revenue, a description, and an amount in either cash and/or
in-kind

3. Click Submit

4. Repeat these steps to add all of the other sources of revenue for the project

5. Click Validate and save

6. Click Next to continue to the next page

9.11 Application checklist

The application checklist will help you submit a completed application.

1. Please review each item before submitting

2. Ensure all required fields in the application are completed

3. Review all entries for accuracy and consistency

To save your input and proceed:

1. Click Validate and Save to save the information you have entered

2. Click Next to move to the next page

9.12 Declaration

To be eligible for funding, the application must be completed and signed electronically by the official representative of the organization.

To sign and submit:

1. Click I agree, then click Validate and save

2. Once you validate and save, the name of the official representatives and the date of signing will be displayed

3. Click Next to continue to the next page

9.13 Summary and submission

This page displays the status of each section of your application based on the information you’ve entered.

• If all the required fields in this section are filled out, the section name will appear green, and the status will be shown as complete
• If any required fields are missing, the section name will appear in red, and the status will be shown as incomplete
• Once you have verified that everything has been completed properly, click Submit to submit your application
• After successful submission, you will see a confirmation message and a confirmation email will be sent to you
• After submitting your application, you can download the application summary PDF and budget worksheets

Please note that both files may take a few minutes to generate. Once ready, download links will appear on the page.

Notification center

The Notification center page is where you’ll find updates related to your funding applications, including requests for additional information or other important messages.

To view a notification:

1. Select the Notification center from the menu

2. Click the icon in the Action column to open a notification

Help center

The Help center page allows you to create a Service request if you need support.

To create a request:

1. Click the + Create

2. Complete the required fields

3. Select a Request type from the drop-down list

4. Add a brief description

5. Click Submit

Your service request will be displayed on the page.

You will receive email and portal notifications about request status. Be sure to check both your inbox and the Notification center.