Understanding the Early Years - 2005 Call for Proposals - Application Guide

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. INTRODUCTION
   
   
2. GUIDELINES FOR COMPLETING THE APPLICATION TEMPLATE 
   • Section 1: Applicant Information
   • Section 2: SDPP Mandatory Funding Requirements
   • Section 3: UEY Mandatory Funding Requirements
   • Section 4: UEY Project Description
   • Section 5: Budget Forecast & Workplan
   • Section 6: Legal Signatures
   • Section 7: Accounting Practices
   • Section 8: Amounts Owing In Default To The Government Of Canada
   • Section 9: Signatures And Certification
     
     
3. APPENDIX A – Eligible Expenses
   
   
4. APPENDIX B - Required Documentation Checklist

Background Information: The ABC's of UEY

• ABC #1 - A Brief History of UEY
• ABC #2 - What is UEY and How does it Work?
• ABC #3 - What is Readiness to Learn?
• ABC #4 - Data Collection
• ABC #5 - Products, Reporting, and Resources
• ABC #6 - Results and Accountability

Application Template

The Application Template is available for download in either of these formats:

Microsoft Word (.DOC)  
         Rich Text (.RTF) - For people who cannot open Word Documents.

1. INTRODUCTION

For context information and background documents on UEY, please visit the Social Development Canada (SDC) website at: http://www.sdc.gc.ca/en/hip/sd/300_UEYInfo.shtml .

It is strongly recommended that interested parties refer to these documents prior to deciding whether to apply for UEY funding. It is also recommended that applicants familiarize themselves with these documents and refer to them as they complete the application package.

Application Submissions

The deadline for receiving applications is 4:00 p. m. Eastern Standard Time, April 11, 2005. Consideration will not be given to applications received after this deadline.

Emails or faxed copies of proposals will not be accepted.

One (1) electronic copy (CD or disk) in Rich Text Format (RTF) and five (5) paper copies of your application must be sent to:

If you have any questions concerning any aspect of this Call for Proposals, please contact André Bordeleau, Manager, Understanding the Early Years by telephone at 613-948-8378 or by email at andre.bordeleau@sdc-dsc.gc.ca .

Information on the Assessment Process

The following is an overview of the assessment process SDC will use to select successful applicants from this Call for Proposals.

1. Initial Screening

Social Development Canada personnel will screen applications to ensure that they meet all of the mandatory funding requirements found in Sections 2 and 3 of the Application Template. Applications that do not meet all of the requirements will not be considered further. For example, if an organization submitting a proposal is a for-profit organization, the application will be withdrawn from further consideration at this phase of the selection process.

The mandatory criteria are as follows.

Applicant organizations must be:

• non-profit

• actively pursuing social development issues.
  
  

For the proposed UEY site, the Community must:

• be place-based, having continuous or contiguous geography

• have an existing community coalition

• have the support of all participating school boards for the UEY project

• have suitable potential candidates for the position of UEY coordinator

• have at least 300 five-year-old children entering senior kindergarten (or equivalent) in the up-coming school year.
  

2. Internal Review

The Internal Review is an evaluation of proposals carried out by SDC, comprising of representatives from the UEY team and the SDC’s regional offices. Staff will evaluate pre-specified components of each proposal and assign each component with a numerical score. The score of the proposal (for purposes of the Internal Review) is the total of the scores of all components.

Sections 2 and 3 of the Application Template are not assessed and scored; they are both only reviewed for screening. Sections 4 and 5 will be assessed and reviewed. Every element of Section 4 and 5, and all required supporting documentation will be subject to assessment and scoring. When assessing and scoring Section 4, the required supporting documentation from Section 3 will also be used.

For the assessment of Section 4, reviewers will assess how thoroughly the applicant addresses each of the required elements, demonstrating an understanding of the UEY initiative. The review will assess the extent to which the applicant presents the project at the community level (e.g., the project description should not merely reiterate the national UEY initiative, but describe the local UEY community project). Assessment and scoring will consider the degree to which (a) the five elements of the Description of Community and Key Partners are likely to lead to a successful UEY community; and, (b) all five elements of the Project Description are logical and rational, community-focussed, and with clear and reasonably attainable benefits to the community.

For the assessment of Section 5, reviewers will assess how thoroughly the applicant addresses each of the required elements, demonstrating a clear and reasonable budget and community level workplan. Assessment and scoring will consider the degree to which (a) the budget is complete and reasonable, and reflective of the workplan; and, (b) the workplan is logical and rational, shows an understanding of the UEY initiative, and is community-focussed.

3. External Review

The target for this year's Call is approximately twenty-five new UEY sites. As a result, depending on the number of applications, only a portion of the top-scoring proposals may proceed to the External Review.

For each proposal, SDC staff will involve selected stakeholders from the applicant organization's province or territory in the assessment process by means of a questionnaire separate from the internal review process (e.g., a stakeholder may be an expert in community social development or an expert within the provincial/territorial government working in social development or early childhood development).

The questionnaires will guide the external reviewers to focus on Sections 4 and 5 of the Application Template to assess the degree to which the applicant community is prepared for a UEY project and likely to successfully complete the project and achieve positive outcomes.

The external reviewers will provide supplementary input to augment, but not supplant, the internal assessment scores and rankings. As noted below, SDC will make final recommendations.

4. Final Recommendations

The Internal and External Review results will be combined to develop final rankings.

SDC will recommend UEY project funding for approximately twenty-five top-ranking applicants. The Minister of Social Development Canada will make the final determinations/decisions on the basis of this recommendation.

5. Expected Timelines

2. GUIDELINES FOR COMPLETING THE APPLICATION TEMPLATE

Section 1: Applicant Information

Please complete this section in full, as indicated on the application template.

Section 2: SDPP Mandatory Funding Requirements

The program delivery component of the UEY initiative is supported by the Social Development Partnerships Program (SDPP) Terms and Conditions.1 The Terms and Conditions are available on the Social Development Canada website at:http://www.sdc.gc.ca/en/home.shtml .

In order to be eligible for funding under the SDPP Terms and Conditions your organization must be non-profit and must be pursuing activities in the area of social development. If these requirements are not met, your proposal will not be considered further.

You must declare yes or no to both questions (1) & (2) on the application.

Required Supporting Documentation:

• Evidence of your organization’s non-profit status, such as the letters patent or corporate charter.

• Evidence of your organization’s mandate such as a copy of your official mission statement.

• If your organization is in Quebec, you must complete the form M-30 Supporting Documentation provided with this Call for Proposals (Appendix A of Application Template) and submit it with your application.

Section 3: UEY Mandatory Funding Requirements

In order to help ensure the success of the initiative, mandatory UEY criteria have been developed. These criteria will help identify communities that are demonstrably ready for a UEY project.

In order to be eligible for funding under the UEY Initiative, your organization must meet the following five UEY mandatory funding requirements. If these funding requirements are not met, your proposal will not be considered further.

You must declare yes or no to questions (1) through (5) on the Application Template, and you must provide the supporting documentation listed under each of the following explanations or your application will not be considered further.

Additional descriptive information on these elements is requested in Section 4 of this application.

Further information concerning the five questions is provided below.

1. Place-Based Community

While the word “community” has many meanings and is understood in different ways by different people, there are some specific requirements for a UEY project site.

It is understood that communities may take many forms, including neighbourhoods, virtual communities, or communities of interest. While a UEY community is in some ways a community of interest in that the people involved are all concerned with children’s readiness-to-learn, this is not the meaning of community for the purpose of UEY.

A UEY community is place-based: it is located in and within a certain geographical location, defined by boundaries understood by residents. The geography is continuous or contiguous. People within this geography share a sense of belonging or ownership, and identify with all or parts of the geographic community. For instance, parents will share affiliations to social landmarks like parks, to social groups such as their children’s sports teams, and/or to social institutions like the school that their children attend and the school board in charge of their school.

A UEY community may be large or small, urban or rural. A UEY community may be what is commonly understood as a neighbourhood within a larger community, as happens within cities for example. This might be thought of as “a community within a community.” For example, in the UEY pilot projects, the Dixie Bloor section of Mississauga and North York in Toronto are two existing UEY pilot projects. A UEY community may also be a large region where there are many towns linked by geography. This might be thought of as “a community of communities.” For example, the province of Prince Edward Island and a large portion of Southwestern Newfoundland are UEY pilot project communities.

What matters most is that residents identify with the community. UEY participants (e.g., parents, teachers, schools, school boards, the community coalition, social service partners, public sector) will need to have a sense of ownership and community involvement around the issue of children’s readiness-to-learn. The data generated from the UEY research has to make sense to community members so that they can take the initiative to develop evidence-based action plans for their children. The community action plan is a key UEY product, and a quality action plan depends on clear understanding of the data from a local perspective.

As well, a UEY community could be a special part or sub-set of a community. This sub-set of a community could be defined along linguistic lines or diversity lines. For example, the proposed UEY project could focus only on children entering French language senior kindergarten (or equivalent) in a geographic area. If so, then the proposed UEY is really a sub-set of a larger geographical community that includes other children and other schools / school boards – i.e., in this example, only the French language children and the schools / school boards that serve these children. As such, a UEY community could be a sub-set of a larger geographical community focussing on some of the children in that community.

Finally, the underlying reason for flexibility in the definition of a UEY community ( urban and rural; community within community; community of communities; sub-set community) is to provide flexibility in order to have a sufficient number of eligible children entering kindergarten in the coming school year (see below). However, as noted above, it is important that the community be geographic in order to advance shared responsibility, belonging, and identity such that the UEY data will make sense and lead to community ownership, community innovation, and community action.

In summary, a UEY community must be geographical (that is, not a virtual community or simply a community of interest), with recognizable boundaries. There is no predetermined limit (large or small) to the meaning of community, such that the proposed UEY site could be a “community within a community” or a “community of communities.” Depending on the focus, a UEY site could also be a sub-set of a geographical community that only looks at children sharing a common characteristic such as language. What matters is that residents identify with the community, so that UEY participants (parents, teachers, schools, school boards, the community coalition, social service partners, public sector) have a sense of ownership and community involvement around the issue of children’s readiness-to-learn.

Required Supporting Documentation:

• Evidence that your community is place-based:

  • a map of your community, including boundaries / borders that define your proposed UEY community.

2. Existing Community Coalition

In each UEY community, the community coalition is a key player in the UEY project.

The community coalition refers to a group of committed individuals (for example parents, teachers, schools, school boards, social service partners, the public sector), working to advance social issues. This group does not have to refer to itself as a coalition, and may come in many forms.

The coalition, however, does need to exist prior to the UEY project and must have a mandate and experience in social issues (such as early childhood development; poverty; homelessness). The group should bring together a mix of individuals or organizations that touch upon the range of programs, services, and agencies involved in social development issues such as early childhood development.

The existing coalition should have experience and a record of accomplishment in dealing with social issues. Membership will include a range of members, including parents, teachers, school trustees, social service providers, health service providers, and representatives of other civic services (such libraries, municipalities, or police services).

If the existing coalition does not have membership from groups necessary for a UEY coalition (schools/school boards; program and service providers), these types of coalition members will need to be recruited for the UEY project.

Required Supporting Documentation:

• Evidence of an existing community coalition that addresses social issues:

  • a list of organizations represented on the coalition (if unaffiliated individuals are on the coalition, please also list individuals); and,

  • other supporting evidence that shows that the concern is with social issues, such as the mandate statement of the group, minutes from recent meetings, proof of projects undertaken, etc. Supporting evidence could include a letter of support from the coalition describing some of their recent projects and achievements.

3. Participating School Boards

In each UEY community, school boards play a key role in facilitating the collection of data on children’s readiness to learn. Teachers, principals, schools, and school boards may also be members of the community coalition.

In your UEY community, it is essential that all participating schools or school boards (or equivalent) be identified in advance, and that they understand their role and provide evidence that they are willing to participate. This is essential because school boards are the means for identifying children and their parents for the purposes of data collection on readiness-to-learn, and much of the data collection will occur in schools.

As noted above, the proposed UEY site may be a sub-set of a geographical community looking at only some of the children within that area (only children entering French language senior kindergarten (or equivalent)). As such, the proposed UEY site may only involve some of the schools or school boards within an area, and only these participating school boards need to be involved.

The purpose of a UEY project is to include all senior kindergarten (or equivalent) children in the data collection process. Since schools are the source for identifying the children, all participating school boards are important partners and must agree to facilitate the collection of data with the children and their parents, and to allow the collection of data in their schools.

Required Supporting Documentation:

• Evidence that you have the support of participating school boards:

  • Letters of support from each participating school board involved in the UEY project indicating willingness to (i) cooperate with the UEY project by providing lists of the children and contact information for their families, and (ii) facilitate the collection of UEY data in their schools with their senior kindergarten (or equivalent) children.

4. Community Coordinator

In each UEY community, the community coordinator is a key player in the UEY project.

The UEY coordinator is a full-time position, covering many tasks ranging from managing data collection activities; developing community interest and buy-in; participating in and helping build the UEY knowledge network; and developing and completing a range of reports and products (such as financial and activity reports, research reports, community reports, and other communications products). Thus, the community coordinator needs to have a variety of skills, including strong leadership, an understanding of social research and community development, and strong oral, written, and internet communication skills. It is not necessary that the coordinator have every one of these skills, but the more skills a coordinator has the better.

At this stage, with the start of the new UEY projects approximately eight or nine months away, you do not need to conduct job interviews or offer possible jobs to potential community coordinators. What matters is that there are individuals within your proposed UEY community that could fill the position of UEY community coordinator. As such, while you could attach one or more résumés, it is not necessary. We need to know that there are individuals with appropriate skill sets and leadership qualities in your community that could fill the role of community coordinator.

Please note that it is not important that you have more than one candidate for the UEY coordinator job. The number of candidates you have will depend on the likelihood of hiring the person or people under consideration in order to ensure a fair and transparent process and to avoid a project hinging on the availability of a sole candidate.

Required Supporting Documentation:

• Evidence that experienced individual(s) are being considered for the role of community coordinator:

  • the name(s) of the person(s) under consideration, and descriptions of their qualifications and skills, as well as some indication of the likelihood that the person or people would take the job of UEY community coordinator.

5. Number of Children

In each UEY community, the minimum number of children (300) is a key to the quality and utility of the research data.

For each UEY community, the research requires a minimum of 300 children who will be in senior kindergarten programs (or equivalent) in the up-coming school year (2005-06) within your participating school boards. In practice, this means that the children start the school year at five years of age and the great majority will be five or six when we collect data later in the school year (allowing that there are always exceptions to entering senior kindergarten at five years of age, but these are fairly rare and shouldn’t be a concern). These minimum numbers will form the basis necessary for sound and reliable data.

Required Supporting Documentation:

• Evidence of a minimum number of 300 children who will be in senior kindergarten (or equivalent) in the up-coming school year:

  • documentation that supports the minimum number of children (census data, school registration lists, birth rates from five years ago, etc.)

Section 4: UEY Project Description

Please complete this section as a separate document from the Application Template. It should be clearly labelled as “Section 4: UEY Project Description,” identify the applicant organization, and it must use the following headers and sub-headers:

• 1.   Executive Summary
  
• 2.   Description of Community and Key Partners
• 2.1 Your Community
• 2.2 Existing Community Coalition
• 2.3 Participating School Boards
• 2.4 Community Coordinators
• 2.5 Number of Children
  
• 3.   Project Description
• 3.1 Project Objectives
• 3.2 Products or Outputs
• 3.3 Beneficiaries
• 3.4 Intended Results
• 3.5 Knowledge Dissemination

You may augment your project description by including further headings and sub-headings at the end of this list, but you must follow this format and use these headings.

Before completing this section, you are required to read related information about UEY (such as  ABCs of UEY: Backgrounders; reports from the UEY pilot sites, etc.) that can be found on the Social Development Canada website: http://www.sdc.gc.ca . You should also refer back to Section 3 for terms used in this section.

The following provides a guide on what to include in each section of your project description. You should focus on the local or community level, not on the work that will be conducted by Social Development Canada. You should also indicate, where relevant, any existing or planned activities in your community that are similar to UEY activities (e.g., research similar to UEY, the existence of other community coalitions or other relevant projects such as Success by Six).

1. Executive Summary

The executive summary should be in narrative format. You should provide a brief summary of your project, up to a maximum of 500 words, including at least the following components:

• your community, including a description of the applicant organization’s mandate and role as well as leadership role in the community; the community coalition; and the schools and school boards therein.
  
  

• main objectives of your UEY project.
  
  

• main products and/or outputs of your UEY project.
  
  

• intended beneficiaries of your UEY project.
  
  

• intended results of your UEY project.
  
  

• how your UEY project will work with existing community early childhood development initiatives ensuring the best use of resources.

Typically, the Executive Summary is prepared after the full project description is completed.

2. Description of Community and Key Partners

The description of community and key partners should be in narrative form, augmenting the information provided in Section 3. You should provide a more complete description of your community and your key partners, and you should focus on showing why your community is ready for, and will benefit from, a UEY project.

2.1 Your Community

Further to the map of your community, provided in compliance with Section 3, the description of your community should include the following elements:

• a description of the sponsor agency (i.e., applicant organization), including mandate, purpose and objectives; experience with government projects and contribution agreements; experience with UEY-like projects in social development, social issues, and children’s issues; leadership role within the community; and, ties and connections to UEY partners such as school boards, community groups, etc.
  
  

• a description of the community, including reference to the map to identify boundaries, as well as descriptive material to show why the geographical community is also a community of belonging, with shared identification and a sense of ownership among residents.
  
  

• a description of the community in terms of it being rural/urban, and other characteristics such as composition of the population (e.g., socio-economic mix; ethnocultural makeup, etc.).
  
  

• a declaration with explanation of what the “community” is: the entire community; a community within a community; a community of communities; or a sub-set of the community (see above in Section 3 for a discussion of these terms).

You may also add other information such as why you think that your community is unique and uniquely suited to a UEY project, why you think that your community is a good choice for your proposed UEY project, etc.

2.2 Existing Community Coalition

Further to the evidence provided in Section 3, the description of your existing community coalition should include the following elements:

• the length of time the coalition or group has been working together and stability of the group over time.
  
  

• the mix of individuals and groups represented on the coalition.
  
  

• whether this coalition or group represents the same geography as your UEY community, and explain any differences.

• a history of the kinds of projects the group has been involved with, the group’s role in these projects, and some of the coalition’s main successes in the recent past.

• strengths of the coalition in terms of fitting a UEY project, and gaps (if any) in representation on the coalition that would need to be addressed for a UEY project and how you intend to address these gaps.

• how the existing coalition is linked to, and aware of, early childhood development activities in your community.

You may also add any other facts that you think are pertinent concerning the existing community coalition.

2.3 Participating School Boards

Further to the evidence in Section 3, the description of your participating school boards should include the following elements:

• a list and description of all school boards that operate within your UEY community, including the “participating” school boards as well as those that may not be participating, as well as reasons for non-participation.
  
  

• a list and description of all independent schools with kindergarten classes operating in your UEY community, as well as an explanation for why they are or are not participating in the UEY project.
  
  

• a description of the extent of the participating school board’s understanding of and commitment to the UEY data collection exercises.

• a description about the participating schools’ usual practices regarding research, including whether they have and use an ethics committee for research; whether they intend to contact parents for permission to conduct research with the children and their families prior to contact from the researchers (i.e., do they intend to use active or passive consent); and, whether or not the school boards intend to (a) sit on the UEY community coalition, and (b) have access to and use the UEY data collected in their schools (if so, please include their intended purpose).

• where there are plans to collect data on children in these school boards in the near future, a description of these activities.

You may also add any other facts that you think are pertinent concerning the school boards’ participation in your proposed UEY project.

2.4 Community Coordinators

Further to the information provided under Section 3, the description of your potential community coordinator(s) should include the following elements:

• an explanation of why you think the candidate(s) is an excellent choice to manage and run your proposed UEY project.
  
  

• a description of the skills and talents that the potential candidate(s) brings to the job.

• a description of the potential candidate’s links to the community, role in relation to community projects and community development in the past, and leadership ability within the proposed UEY community.

• a brief explanation of where you are with each candidate in terms of discussions concerning the job of UEY coordinator.

You may also add any other information about the possible candidate(s) and/or your process in finding a suitable candidate, as you feel necessary.

Please note that it is not important that you have more than one candidate for the UEY coordinator job. The number of candidates you have will depend on the likelihood of hiring the person or people under consideration and other factors.

2.5 Number of Children

Further to evidence provided in Section 3, the description of the children involved in the UEY data collection in the next school year should include the following elements:

• a description of the children in your community in terms of matters like mix of socio-economic and ethno-cultural background, first language and language of schooling, etc.
  
  

• a description of any known gaps / issues / problems, in general, concerning the children’s readiness-to-learn and/or services to families with young children, and the source(s) of this knowledge.

You may also add any other information you think is pertinent about the children that would participate in your proposed UEY project.

3. Project Description

The project description is about your local community project and should be in narrative form. Each UEY project involves Social Development Canada and local community roles, responsibilities and deliverables. In this section, while it is fine for you to show that you understand the role and objectives of Social Development Canada as well as our expectations of the local community, you should focus on showing what you intend to do at the local level, what the uniqueness of the UEY project will be in your community, and what your community intends to get out of a UEY project.

3.1 Project Objectives

Describe your project objectives for your community. Objectives are different from activities. Objectives refer to what you would like to achieve in your proposed community UEY project. For example, an objective of a UEY project is to increase the community coalition’s understanding of children’s readiness to learn in their community.

3.2 Products or Outputs

Describe your main products and/or outputs. Products or outputs are not the same as outcomes. For example, some of the products are required in the UEY project (e.g., the reporting requirements to Social Development Canada, and the production of reports such as the community action plan). Other products and outputs may be useful at the community level, such as meetings, brochures, new relationships, documents for community consumption. Please describe what your plans are for community level products and outputs that, for example, will help inform the community coalition, families and other interested parties; garner support for the UEY project and its purpose; inform decision makers about children’s readiness-to-learn; and, advance your objectives and intended results.

3.3 Beneficiaries

Describe the beneficiaries of your proposed UEY project. A range of people will be involved in your proposed local UEY project, many of these will to some degree benefit from the UEY project, as may others who are not involved in the project. Building on your objectives and products/outputs, describe how and why different people and/or organizations will benefit locally from your proposed UEY project, both immediately and in the longer-term.

3.4 Intended Results

At the local level, your proposed UEY project should have intended results that flow from your objectives, products/outputs, and beneficiaries. Describe the main intended results or impact at the community level, including how you intend to help ensure that these results are attained. For example, results may include things such as clearer community understanding of the factors that affect children’s readiness to learn; improved understanding among senior kindergarten teachers of their role in children’s readiness to learn; buy-in to the UEY action plan by the public sector; or, implementation of parts of the community action plan by some specific date.

You must also identify risks that may prevent attaining these intended results and how you intend to address these risks should they arise.

Also, include in your description a plan for tracking results and impacts for the purposes of undertaking results-based reporting on your proposed UEY project. All successful applicants will be required to undertake results-based reporting on their local UEY community project, and cooperate with researchers conducting an evaluation of the UEY initiative on behalf of Social Development Canada.

3.5 Knowledge Dissemination

At the local level, and even wider, knowledge dissemination is a key element of the success of UEY projects and the UEY initiative. An effective knowledge dissemination plan has two or three clear objectives that link to the project objectives, to ensure the results of the project have a broad and long-lasting impact.

Please describe your knowledge dissemination plan, including the target audiences, the likely products to be used, and the methods of communication to be used for each audience, as well as timelines for the knowledge dissemination activities.

Section 5: Budget Forecast & Workplan [2]

Before completing this section, it is highly recommended that the applicant read related information about UEY (Such as the ABC’s of UEY: Backgrounders, reports from the UEY pilot sites, etc.) that can be found on the Social Development Canada website: http://www.sdc-dsc.gc.ca.

1. Budget Forecast

You must provide a budget forecast for your entire proposed UEY project, using the table provided in the application template. In the new UEY sites, the project will run for three years. UEY projects approved in this Call for Proposals are expected to start at the beginning of September 2005 and end around August 2008. While exceptions to this three-year limit are possible, they will only be considered in special circumstances, and the applicant must provide a rationale for any difference.

Project funds must be spent in the fiscal year for which they are allocated (i.e. service rendered or goods received between April 1st & March 31st). Please provide your budget forecast using the Government of Canada’s fiscal year, which begins on April 1st and ends on March 31st of the following year. You must complete one budget forecast for each fiscal year over the duration of your project, which would normally involve four fiscal years (i.e., September 2005 to March 2006, fiscal year 2006-07, fiscal year 2007-08, and April to August 2008).

Please keep the following in mind when completing the budget forecast(s):

• the budget must be broken down by fiscal year, based on your anticipated need for the funds.

• you must provide a budget forecast for your entire proposed UEY project, using the table provided in the application template.

• the budget forecast should be based on locally spent money (i.e. community budget only).

• “ in-kind” contributions refer to facilities and accommodation contributed to the project, for which you will need to show evidence of the contributions.

• the budget must include only eligible expenses (see Appendix A of this document) and must cover all activities in the work plan.

• the costs related to wages must be broken out on the basis of an hourly rate. Budgets based on per diem rates for salaried employees will not be accepted. Please estimate the number of hours each person will be contributing to the project and the hourly rate of pay.

• costs for implementation of the knowledge dissemination plan, as well as a results-based reporting plan must be included in your budget (add additional lines to the budget template if you wish). Although you are not required to present a results-based reporting plan in your proposal, you do need to consider the cost of carrying out the components of a plan. This cost is to be included in your budget estimates. Successful applicants will develop and implement a results-based reporting plan in consultation with Program officials. Both your knowledge dissemination plan and results-based reporting plan must be more fully explained in your workplan description.

Please note that where the purchase of capital assets costing $500.00 or more are approved for the fulfillment of the project objectives, Social Development Canada retains the right to approve the disposal of such assets at the end of the project. Successful applicants will need to justify and receive prior approval for capital assets of $500 or more (e.g., the purchase of 12 chairs at $100 each represents assets of $100 each, not $1200), at the time of agreement negotiations.

2. Workplan

You must provide a workplan in narrative form on separate, clearly marked paper. The narrative may include tables and other graphic displays. Your workplan must include the activities or steps that will be followed to achieve your proposed UEY project’s objectives and intended results, must cover the entire period of your proposed UEY project, and should coincide with your proposed budget.

In developing the workplan, please include:

• activities in chronological order, including key milestones to indicate progress towards intended results.
  
  

• the sequence of tasks for each activity.
  
  

• approximate start and end dates for each activity.
  
  

• human resources requirements for each activity.
  
  

• anticipated dates of progress reports and the final report (for successful applicants, these dates will be refined in consultation with program officials).
  
  

• an explanation of your knowledge dissemination intentions and budget needs.
  
  

• an explanation of your results-based reporting intentions and budget needs.

Required Supporting Documentation:

• A budget forecast (using the budget template in the Application Template) for the duration of the UEY project

• A workplan for the duration of the UEY project

Section 6: Legal Signatures

Please complete this section in full, as indicated on the application template.

Section 7: Accounting Practices

Please complete this section in full, as indicated on the application template.

Section 8: Amounts Owing In Default To The Government Of Canada

Please complete this section in full, as indicated on the application template.

Section 9: Signatures And Certification

Please complete this section in full, as indicated on the application template.

APPENDIX A – Eligible Expenses

Eligible Expenses

Expenditures may be reimbursed based on eligible costs incurred. In order to be eligible, expenditures must be project-related and must be incurred during the agreement period. 

Financial assistance may be provided to cover such costs as wages and employment-related costs for staff; fees for professional service; disbursements for research or technical studies; disability supports for staff of the recipient; utilities; materials; supplies; travel (including international travel where consideration will be based on the reasonableness of the request, program priorities and the availability of funds); insurance; rental of premises; leasing or purchasing of equipment and supplies; costs of audits; evaluations and assessments; performance monitoring and reporting costs; data collection; communication; and other administrative costs reasonably associated with a non-profit organization.      

The costs related to accommodating the special needs of program participants will be approved on a case-by-case basis.

The purchase of real property is not an eligible expense for funding support.

Direct Expenses

• Actual new (incremental) costs incurred directly to carry out the activities described in the work plan;

• Actual new (incremental) costs incurred to provide the required operational support to personnel directly involved in delivery of the project. (e.g., necessary office facilities, equipment, and supplies for the direct program personnel identified in the work plan).

Indirect Expenses

• Expenses incurred by the organization's administrative functions and infrastructure to support the delivery of the project, but not related directly to the execution of the project work plan, or to the direct project personnel. Examples include communications (telephone or fax) and other office expenses. The basis for determining an appropriate allocation of such costs must be supported by a reasonable methodology.

Please note that indirect expenses that were not negotiated prior to signing the contribution agreement will not be approved or reimbursed.

Include the following explanations to supplement the information in the Budget Template(s):

Revenues

Explain whether you anticipate receiving any revenues because of your proposed project. If yes, explain the nature of these revenues and how much you expect to receive. Note that the project costs detailed in your Budget Template(s) should be total project costs that have not been adjusted for any expected revenues. The amount funded by Social Development Canada will take into account expected revenues.

Allocation of Project Costs

Indicate the estimated costs included in your Budget Template(s), by fiscal year, that have been allocated to the Knowledge Dissemination Plan and to the Results-based Reporting Plan.

The in-kind and/or cash contributions must be detailed for each cost category (wages and benefits, project activity costs and general project costs) and identify who will be making the in-kind and/or cash contribution (applicant or partner).

Calculation of Costs: “Wages and Benefits”

Explain how you calculated each amount in your budget(s). The cost related to wages must be broken out based on an hourly rate. Also, clearly indicate which costs represent “in-kind” contributions.

Calculation of Costs: “Project Activity Costs”

Explain how you calculated each amount in your budget(s). Also, clearly indicate which costs represent “in-kind” contributions.

Calculation of Costs: “General Project Costs”

Explain how you calculated each amount in your budget(s). Also, clearly indicate which costs represent “in-kind” contributions.

APPENDIX B - Required Documentation Checklist

Application Submission

• Completed application template (1 electronic (CD or disk) and 5 hard copies).
  

Section 2: SDPP Mandatory Funding Requirements

• Evidence of your organization’s non-profit status, such as the letters patent or corporate charter.

• Evidence of your organization’s mandate such as a copy of your official mission statement.

• If your organization is in Quebec, you must complete the form M-30 Supporting Documentation provided with this Call for Proposals (Appendix A of Application Template) and submit it with your application.

Section 3: UEY Mandatory Funding Requirements

• Evidence that your community is place-based:

• Evidence of an existing community coalition that addresses social issues:

• Evidence that you have the support of participating school boards:

• Evidence that experienced individual(s) are being considered for the role of community coordinator:

• Evidence of a minimum number of 300 children who will be in senior kindergarten (or equivalent) in the up-coming school year:

Section 4: Uey Project Description

• Complete this section as a separate document from the Application Template. It should be clearly labelled as “Section 4: UEY Project Description” and identify the applicant organization.

Section 5: Budget Forecast & Workplan

• Provide a budge forecast for the entire UEY project using the table provided in the Application Template.

• Provide a workplan in narrative form as a separate document from the Application Template. It should be clearly marked as “Section 5: Workplan” and identify the applicant organization.