Ontario Trillium Foundation Grow Grants (2022) -

Comments on Funding:

Funding ranges from $50,000 to $250,000 per year. The project term is 2 to 3 years.

When It Ends:

Currently Closed

Deadline:

Next deadlines to be determined

Eligibility:

Applicants must be:

be a charitable organization or foundation registered as a charity with the Canada Revenue Agency,
be an organization incorporated as a not-for-profit corporation;
be a First Nation or a First Nation library, a Metis, Inuit or other Indigenous community,
be a municipality with a population of 20,000 or less, or their cultural and recreational agencies for initiatives in the Inspired or Active People action areas,
be County Library Boards and Local Services Boards serving populations of 20,000 or less are also eligible to apply for funding in the Inspired People or Active People Action Areas;
be a collaboration of two or more organizations may be eligible, where the lead organization is an eligible organization. In addition, all organizations participating in the collaboration must not be organizations engaged in political activity supporting or opposing any political party, elected representative, or candidate for public office, or organizations whose major activities or major resources are used to bring about change in law or government policy.
have a presence and reputation in Ontario;
have a primary purpose of delivering community programs and services to benefit people in Ontario;
have a demonstrable capacity to manage and complete the project an OTF grant would support;
a demonstrable ability to generate additional resources from the community and other sources; and
the ability to demonstrate that it is an appropriate organization to carry out the proposed project.

Additionally, Grow Grants applicants must:

be organizations that adhere to OTF’s Anti-Discrimination Policy, Eligibility Policy, and Financial Need and Health Applicants Policy;
provide the appropriate financial statements based on the organization’s total revenues and fiscal year end date;
submit an explanation if there’s a surplus/deficit;
have a Board of Directors that meets OTF requirements:

Organization has a minimum of three board members with active terms;
At least 50% of the board must maintain an arm’s length relationship to each other. An ‘arm’s length’ relationship means board members and organization executives are not married or related to each other, do not work as business partners or are otherwise in a relationship where interests may be compromised;

(If applicable) The organization has past applications, either approved or declined, and OTF has no concerns with the organization’s granting history.

Applications Steps:

Applicants must:

are encouraged to spend some time looking at past and current OTF grants and to read about the Investment Strategy, to understand how OTF invests.

should strongly align with a Grant Result based on the end goal of their project in order to receive funding.

must submit their application once the online application portal opens.

Applicants may submit no more than one (1) application to this program per calendar year.

Successful applicants:

take part in a mandatory orientation session with their OTF Program Manager.

are sent an email with their OTF Contract.

Documentation:

internally prepared financial statements for the two most recent fiscal years for organizations with an annual revenue of $99,999 or less;
financial statements for the most recent fiscal year end, which must include comparative information for the prior fiscal year for organizations with an annual revenue between $100,000 and $249,999. These statements must be prepared by a licensed public accountant and need to include a Notice to Reader on the financial statements and accompanying notes.
financial statements for the most recent fiscal year end, which must include comparative information for the prior fiscal year organizations with an annual revenue between $250,000 and $499,999. These statements must be prepared by a licensed public accountant external to your organization and need to include a Review Engagement Report on the financial statements and accompanying notes.

Please note:

The organization’s most recent completed financial statements, must have been completed within one year of the fiscal year end. For example, if the organization’s year end is March 31, please provide statements for the year end March 31, 2019 or March 31, 2020, whichever is most recent.
Consolidated statements are required for organizations who have or belong to subsidiary companies.
Audited statements are preferred for all revenue levels.
Organizations less than two years old are required to provide a complete set of financial statements for at least one completed fiscal year.
Financial statements must be Board approved (draft statements are not accepted).

At the end of each year grantees complete a Progress Report. Grantees also submit a final report when the project is completed. This covers the achievement of the project, metric, and learnings. Completion: After OTF staff approve a final report, the grant hold-back funds are released and the grant is closed. Grantee compliance: A random sample of grants are subject to a Grantee Compliance Audit. Grant files can be audited for compliance at any point within the grants life, or after the grant has been closed.

Other Things to Note:

No upcoming deadlines.