COMMUNITY GRANTS

HOW WE GIVE

COMMUNITY ACTION GRANT EXpressions of interest are Closed.


Our grant funds are dedicated to supporting Ontario-based organizations who are using sport and recreation to build a more equitable tomorrow. Community Action Grants  enable us to grant up to $50,000 to organizations that are creating positive outcomes for youth in physical health, mental health, academic achievement, and work readiness.

View our 2023 Community Action Grant recipients here.
WHO WE FUND
Governed by the Income Tax Act, MLSE Foundation is only able to grant funds to organizations that are classified as a Qualified Donee by the Canadian Revenue Agency as follows:
○ a registered charity
○ a registered Ontario amateur athletic association
○ a registered housing corporation in Ontario
○ a registered Ontario municipality
○ Metis, Inuit or First Nation community/Band

Organizations that do NOT have Qualified Donee status are still eligible to apply in partnership with a Trustee Organization who has Qualified Donee Status. Schedule a call (closed) with MLSE Foundation staff to review your options


MLSE Foundation prioritizes the following demographics:

○ Youth who face socio-economic barriers
○ Black youth
○ First Nations, Inuit and Metis youth
○ Newcomers/Refugee youth
○ Girl-identified youth (in the case of gender-specific programming)
○ 2SLGBTQ+ Identified youth
○ Youth who identify as having a disability- intellectual or physical

Read more about what we fund in the Grant Guidelines 2024.

APPLICATION PROCESS INSTRUCTIONS

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Step 1: Once you confirm your organization is eligible, follow the prompts to register and create an Organization Profile in our Online Portal.
If you have applied for a Community Action Grant in the past, your login information should be unchanged and you can skip directly to the Expression of Interest.
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Step 2: Once your Organization is accepted (1-2 days), complete the short Expression of Interest questions that will become available in your Online Portal.
Read the Grant Guidelines to help in completing your application. It has valuable information about how applications are evaluated.

Register here for regular drop-in style webinar sessions where MLSE Foundation staff will offer grant writing support and answer questions.
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Step 3: Once submitted, a diverse Selection Circle will evaluate every Expression of Interest and short-list top applicants.
Learn more about how we evaluate applications in the Grant Guidelines 2024

Organizations not shortlisted can sign up for a feedback call after April 30th here (closed) and will be provided feedback to improve their application for next year
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Step 4: Shortlisted Organizations will be contacted to complete a Full Application that will become available in your online portal.
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Step 5: Full Applications will be evaluated by the Selection Circle.
Organizations not selected for a grant can schedule a call (closed) to review comments from the Selection Circle



KEY DATES

NOV 24th, 2023: EXPRESSION OF INTEREST PORTAL OPENS

JAN 12th, 2024: EXPRESSION OF INTEREST PORTAL CLOSES

JAN 12th - JAN 31st, 2024: SELECTION CIRCLE REVIEWS EXPRESSION OF INTERESTS

FEB 8th - FEB 29th, 2024: SHORT LIST NOTIFIED AND FULL APPLICATIONS OPEN

FEB 29th - March 14th, 2024: SELECTION CIRCLE REVIEW FULL APPLICATIONS

APRIL 13th, 2024: CONTACT SUCCESSFUL ORGANIZATIONS

APRIL 19th, 2024: GRANT DISBURSED