Introduction

All project applications must be received by April 30, 2001

GENERAL INFORMATION

a) Project Eligibility

Pilot Projects are meant to encourage community-based solutions to help improve the quality of life for Canadians living in rural and remote areas. As such, Pilot Project applicants must be:

• rural residents
• local, municipal, provincial or national rural stakeholder organizations and/or associations
• community development associations and/or
• not-for-profit rural organizations

Pilot Projects must be undertaken on a partnership basis.

b) Priority Areas

As part of Canadian Rural Partnership's Rural Dialogue, eleven priority areas were identified. Each project must demonstrate that it addresses one or more of the following priority areas:

1. Improve access to federal government programs and services for rural Canadians;

2. Improve access to financial resources for rural business and community development;

3. Provide more targeted opportunities/programs and services for rural youth, including Aboriginal youth;

4. Strengthen rural community capacity building, leadership, and skills development;

5. Create opportunities for rural communities to maintain and develop infrastructure for community development;

6. Connect rural Canadians to the knowledge-based economy and society and help them acquire the skills to use the technology;

7. Strengthen economic diversification in rural Canada through more targeted assistance;

8. Work with provincial/territorial governments to examine and pilot test new ways to provide rural Canadians with access to health care at reasonable cost;

9. Work with provincial/territorial governments to examine and pilot test new ways to provide rural Canadians with access to education at reasonable cost;

10. Foster strategic partnerships, within communities, between communities and among government(s) to facilitate rural community development; and

11. Promote rural Canada as a place to live, work and raise a family recognizing the value of rural Canada to the identity and well-being of the nation.

c) Funding

Approximately $2.2 million is available to support Pilot Projects for 2001-2002.

The Canadian Rural Partnership's funding is not meant to replace normal core funded activity of the applicant's organization or participating government departments.

Canadian Rural Partnership funds are intended as a catalyst to encourage partners to come together to test creative, innovative approaches which are clearly incremental to activities already being supported by other government programs.

In order to encourage as much project activity as possible across a broad geographic area and include as many projects as possible, funding from Canadian Rural Partnership will not normally exceed one third (33%) of the total project costs, and will generally not exceed $50,000.

d) Eligible Costs (see 8.1 Costs eligible for Canadian Rural Partnership funding)

e) Proposal Assessment

In order to meet the objectives of the Canadian Rural Partnership, proponents seeking funding will be assessed according to the following criteria:

Proposals should be innovative:

• projects should promote self-sufficiency and independence through creative, sustainable solutions that do not result in an ongoing reliance on federal support.
• projects should demonstrate innovation by testing new approaches and/or models for rural development, that are not currently in practice elsewhere. Consideration will be given to proposals where the application of a tried and tested approach in a different environment/region could be shown to lead to new and additional results.

Proposals should demonstrate local impact:

• projects should show the degree of community support by working together with, but not be limited to, existing rural networks to build greater grassroots participation in community-based development.
• projects should show potential long and/or short term benefits for the community.

Proposals should contribute to the priorities adopted by the government after consultation with rural citizens:

• projects should be designed to address at least one of the eleven priority areas.
• projects should be consistent with sustainable development considerations.

• preference will be given to projects with potential for broad application in other communities throughout Canada.

Proposals should demonstrate a multi-partner approach, including shared contributions:

• proposals need to be done on a partnership basis, often including a federal department, as well as other partners, such as a province, the private sector or an NGO. Preference will be given to multi-stakeholder and/or multi-sectoral projects with broader implications at a regional or provincial level.

f) Evaluation Framework

Since Canadian Rural Partnership activity is meant to model best rural practices, evaluation of project activities is critical. A detailed evaluation plan is required as an integral part of each project proposal. This plan must clearly outline how evaluation issues will be handled, including the short-term and long-term project outcomes and success indicators.

Please note: Some projects will be selected for evaluation following the completion of your project, in order that communities may learn from your successes, challenges and disappointments. Your project may have some valuable lessons to offer. In the event that your proposal is successful in your request for Canadian Rural Partnership funding, your project may be selected for post-project evaluation. This post-project evaluation will consist primarily of responding to a set of questions, via interview or survey.

g) Deadline for Proposals

Complete project applications MUST BE RECEIVED BY APRIL 30, 2001. We will not be in a position to accept applications after the due date. "Letters of Intent" to apply received by the deadline will not be considered as an application.

APPLICATION PROCEDURE

a) Methods for applying to the Canadian Rural Partnership Pilot Projects Initiative are:

1. Go to ON-LINE APPLICATION.

The information that you provide is collected for the purpose of the administration of the Canadian Rural Partnership Pilot Projects Initiative. The information collected will be subject to the Access to Information Act.

2. Alternatively, proposals can be sent electronically to: crppilot@agr.gc.ca

3. Or, you can send your Canadian Rural Partnership Pilot Project Proposal by fax or mail to the office in your province/region.

b) How to complete your proposal when not using the On-Line Application.

The following will guide you through the pilot project application procedure. Project proposals should not exceed five (5) pages in length (additional supporting documentation can be attached). You must also complete and submit the one page summary provided in Appendix "A". Information provided in the summary must be consistent with the information provided in the proposal. Please use the headings and instructions below to complete the application. ALL SECTIONS MUST BE COMPLETED.

1.0 Project Title (Maximum five or six words)

2.0 Legal name, address, telephone number, fax number, e-mail address and contact person.

3.0 Project Summary

Provide a clear, concise description of the project. It should be no more than one page.

4.0 Purpose of the Project

Provide a brief statement outlining the objectives of the project.

5.0 Project Description

This section provides an overview of your project:

5.1 Brief overview of your organisation, who you are, how long have you been operating, your main activities and accomplishments. Provide a brief description of the characteristics specific to your community or region, such as economic profile, social issues, and geographic and demographic information.

5.2 Who is the specific target audience for the project? Are project results likely to be broad-based and/or national in applicability?

5.3 Indicate the potential long and short-term benefits for the community as well as the degree of community support and/or involvement.

5.4 Outline the proposed work plan for the project, including time frames. Projects should be completed in 12 months or less. Please provide a tentative start date. Will an analysis of best practices or a literature review be required? Will a model be tested, and if so, over what period, at how many sites, in what settings, and with how many participants?

6.0 Evaluation

Ensure that the project objectives are focussed and measurable.

6.1 Describe overall expected impact and outcome. Goals and outcomes should be specific, clearly defined, attainable and measurable. A clear evaluation plan should be included which indicates the measures that will be established to monitor success indicators, any data/information that will be collected and whether there will be follow-up questionnaires, surveys or other processes to collect impact information.

6.2 Provide a dissemination plan to describe how project results could be shared with other audiences. For example, will findings be shared at workshops/seminars/conferences, submitted to journals, newsletters etc., disseminated to appropriate organisations?

7.0 Partners

The Canadian Rural Partnership provides funding on a cost-shared basis. Applicants must ensure that the costs of projects are shared, and are strongly encouraged to seek partners to share costs and broaden expertise to maximize the potential impact of project results. (Commitment letters from partners must be attached).

7.1 Identify your partners (organisation, contact name and phone number) and ensure that they are confirmed for the project. What are the roles of your partners in the project? How and what will they contribute to the project (e.g. capital, equipment, software, expertise, facilities)? A reasonable financial value should be assigned to support in-kind items.

7.2 Provide details on other funding sources sought particularly with other federal or provincial programs.

8.0 Budget

Provide a detailed breakdown of total project expenditures, and clearly indicate which items Canadian Rural Partnership funds will be used for, (partnership's share of the total) and which costs or services your organisation and/or partners are contributing to the project.

8.1 Costs eligible for Canadian Rural Partnership funding:

• Costs for labour, salaried services and related employment expenses, incremental to ongoing business of the organization, for each person to be employed on the project. Please indicate the function/relationship each will have to the project.

• Consultants who generally provide expertise that is not available within the applicant's organisation. Identify the services they will provide and the costs associated with those services.

• Direct materials and supplies related to the project. (Purchase of electronic equipment such as computers, monitors, scanners, video cameras cannot exceed 10% of the total Partnership approved funding.)

• Costs associated with the evaluation of the project by a third party contractor.

• Costs associated with printing, information technology and communication services.

• Travel expenditures must be accompanied by details and a rationale. Please keep in mind they must also be in line with the Treasury Board Travel Directive (See Appendix B).

8.2 Costs not covered by the Canadian Rural Partnership:

• Capital expenditures related to the construction/renovation of structures and/or buildings, including the purchases of furniture and furnishings.

• Expenditures related to the acquisition and/or development and preparation of land for any purpose (eg. Park and/or trail development, including purchases of tractors and other similar equipment, fertilizers, shrubbery, etc.)

• Regular on-going operational activities of the institution or organisation.

• Any costs which cannot be directly tied to the project as incremental to ongoing operations.

• Feasibility studies

• Costs of international travel.

• Costs related to the development and testing of commercial products for private benefit.

• Organisation and/or sponsorship of conferences and workshops.

• Legal fees associated with the incorporation of an organization.

• Costs being reimbursed under an existing federal or provincial program.

8.3 Indicate if it is anticipated that the project will generate revenue.

What is the source? Provide details on the total revenue expected and information on how it will be used.

9.0 Key Project Personnel

Identify the name, title, phone number and qualifications of the person(s) responsible for the project and other key project personnel (attach resumes as appendices), including the names, and phone number of consultants/researchers to be contracted by the project proponent(s).

10.0 Canadian Rural Partnership Pilot Project Proposal submission

Alternatively, proposals can be sent electronically to: crppilot@agr.gc.ca

or by hard copy to:

Canadian Rural Partnership Pilot Projects
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada
Rural Secretariat,
Building #74,
Central Experimental Farm
960 Carling Avenue,
Ottawa, Ontario
K1A 0C6
Fax: (613) 759-1204

REVIEW PROCESS

Your project proposal will be reviewed to ensure the basic eligibility criteria are met, and that the proposal follows the application format outlined in the guidelines. Please use the checklist on the following page to ensure you have adequately addressed all of the key elements. A letter of acknowledgement will be sent to the contact person identified on the cover sheet within 30 days.

Provincial and Territorial Rural Teams will review and prioritise eligible proposals based on the assessment criteria outlined in this guide. These projects will then be forwarded to the Selection Advisory Committee, an independent body of rural Canadians, which will provide a national perspective to the review process and recommend projects for consideration to the Secretary of State (Rural Development)

Applicants will be notified in writing of the final results.

APPROVED PROJECTS

Financial assistance to applicants will normally be provided by means of a Contribution Agreement with the Rural Secretariat. Agreements will identify the specific terms and conditions of the contribution and the obligations and responsibilities of the federal government and the recipient.

INQUIRIES

For further information on the Canadian Rural Partnership Pilot Projects Initative contact:

Patricia Moore (613) 759-7041
Allen McGuire (613) 759-7993
Fax: (613) 759-1204
E-mail: crppilot@agr.gc.ca

Mailing Address:
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada
Rural Secretariat
Building #74,
Central Experimental Farm
960 Carling Avenue,
Ottawa, Ontario, K1A 0C6

Or contact one of our Regional Advisors.

For more information, contact:

The Rural Secretariat
Room 4112, Sir John Carling Bldg.
Ottawa, Ontario, K1A 0C5
Tel: (613) 759-7112
Fax: (613) 759-7105
E-Mail: rs@agr.gc.ca

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