Funding

Women's Program

Funding Guidelines

• Introduction
• Mandate of the Women's Program
• Objective of the Women's Program
• What We Fund
• Who is Eligible?
• What is Eligible?
• Funding Duration & Mechanisms
• Limitations
• Applying for Funding
• Review Processes & Assessment Criteria
• Reporting Requirements
• Appendix A - Assessment Criteria
• Appendix B - Status of Women Canada Offices

INTRODUCTION

The Women's Program of Status of Women Canada was created in 1973 in response to a recommendation of the Royal Commission on the Status of Women. The Commission called for the creation of a federal mechanism of support for the direct participation of Canadian women in efforts to advance women's equality. In 1995, as a result of the federal government's consolidation of women's programs, the Women's Program was transferred to Status of Women Canada.

MANDATE OF THE WOMEN'S PROGRAM

To facilitate women's participation in Canadian society by addressing their economic, social and cultural situation through Canadian organizations.

The Women's Program supports women's participation by providing financial and non-financial (technical) assistance to organizations to carry out projects at local, regional and national levels. Technical assistance by Program staff includes information and referral:

• On resource people, materials, tools and funding sources;
• To identify project objectives and expected outcomes; and
• To foster partnerships and alliances among organizations that share common goals.

OBJECTIVE OF THE WOMEN'S PROGRAM

To achieve the full participation of women in the economic, social and cultural life of Canada. 

To do so, the Program supports projects that directly improve the situation of women in key areas such as women's economic status and violence against women and girls.

WHAT WE FUND

The Women's Program provides funding and technical assistance for projects that have a direct impact on women in their communities. To be eligible for funding, applicants must demonstrate how their projects contribute to the achievement of the full participation of women in the economic, social and cultural life of Canada. Priority will be given to projects addressing issues pertaining to the following:

• Aboriginal women
• Immigrant women and visible minority women
• Senior women

The following are examples of issues that may be addressed through Women's Program funded projects:  

• Entrepreneurship (self-employment, small business, micro-credit businesses, women's representation in corporate, trade and other boards, etc.)
• Increasing the representation of women in key or non-traditional professions
• Supporting the economic security of senior women
• Violence, such as elder or domestic abuse, human trafficking, etc.

WHO IS ELIGIBLE?

Incorporated not-for-profit and for-profit Canadian organizations whose mandates are consistent with the objective of the Women's Program.

To be eligible for Women's Program funding, an organization's mandate and objectives must reflect:

• Section 15 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, which stipulates,  "(1) Every individual is equal before and under the law and has the right to the equal protection and equal benefit of the law without discrimination and, in particular, without discrimination based on race, national or ethnic origin, colour, religion, sex, age or mental or physical disability" and "(2) Subsection (1) does not preclude any law, program or activity that has as its object the amelioration of conditions of disadvantaged individuals or groups, including those that are disadvantaged because of race, national or ethnic origin, colour, religion, sex, age or mental or physical disability"; and
• It functions democratically and demonstrates responsible governance;
• It demonstrates fiscal responsibility and organizational stability.

WHAT IS ELIGIBLE?

Funding is provided for activities related to a project that:

• Contributes to the objective of the Women's Program;
• Falls within one or more of the Program's funding areas (economic, social and cultural situation of women in Canada);
• Occurs within a specific time period;
• Articulates clear plans to achieve outcomes;
• Involves women who are affected by the issue in all aspects of the project (e.g. planning, implementation, follow-up, and evaluation); and
• Identifies other sources of financial and/or "in-kind" support that are confirmed in writing. 

Costs directly related to the project are eligible for consideration. These include but are not limited to:

• Travel costs within Canada;
• Travel costs outside of Canada for activities related to the United Nations (UN) or the Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW);
• Salaries and benefits;
• Honoraria/professional fees;
• Facility rental and utilities;
• Office equipment and furniture (up to a maximum of $10,000 per project);
• Materials and supplies;
• Publicity and promotion;
• Consultations; and
• Audit and evaluation.

Funding is not provided for 100 % of the total costs of any project.

FUNDING DURATION & MECHANISMS

Short-term funding, up to a maximum of 18 months and multi-year funding, up to a maximum of 36 months, is available.

All funding applications must meet the Program's eligibility criteria and will be reviewed using the Assessment Criteria outlined in Appendix A. In addition, to be eligible for multi-year funding, recipients must demonstrate experience in sound financial management, as well as planning, implementing and evaluating projects with measurable outcomes.

Projects may be funded using one of two funding mechanisms: grant or contribution.  By using various assessment factors, the Women's Program determines whether a project should be funded using a grant or a contribution.

A Grant is a transfer payment made to a recipient and is not subject to being accounted for or audited but for which eligibility and entitlement may be verified or for which the recipient may need to meet pre-conditions.

A Contribution is a conditional transfer payment for a specified purpose pursuant to a contribution agreement that is subject to being accounted for and audited. Recipients must meet and continue to meet the specific terms and conditions of the Contribution Agreement prior to payments being made. Payments are linked to satisfactory interim and final reports. 

LIMITATIONS

Who is not eligible?

The Women's Program does not provide funding to:

• Individuals, unions or cooperatives;
• Municipal, provincial, territorial, federal, First Nations, Inuit and Métis governments and their agencies;
• School boards, hospitals and other organizations whose mandate was created by governments; and
• Universities and colleges, including university and college-governed institutes.

What is not eligible?

Ineligible activities are those which:

• Have already taken place or duplicate other existing projects to serve the same group in the same location;
• Are taking place outside of Canada
• Capacity building for organizations unless related to a clearly articulated need in order to carry out a project that will result in an outcome that would improve directly the situation of women;
• Research and polling activities not directly tied to a project that will result in an outcome that would improve directly the situation of women; and
• Domestic advocacy activities and lobbying of federal, provincial and municipal governments.

What costs are not eligible?

• Capital expenditures (such as land, buildings, vehicles and other major capital costs);
• Travel and other expenses incurred outside of Canada; and
• Costs incurred before a funding decision is made.

APPLYING FOR FUNDING

Assistance in applying for funding is available from Status of Women Canada's national and regional offices.  It is recommended that you contact Women's Program staff who can provide information, discuss issues, determine eligibility, assist in developing the project, assess its potential for funding and provide an Application Form. The Application Form is also available on the Status of Women Canada website at http://www.swc-cfc.gc.ca. The work that goes into preparing an application is recognized and efforts have been made to design a process which is as straightforward as possible.

Proposals that are national in scope should be discussed with Program staff at Women's Program Headquarters.  A project is considered national if it involves at least three of the five regions of Canada.  All other proposals should be submitted to the nearest Status of Women Canada regional office.

Funding decisions may take up to 12 weeks, starting from the receipt of a completed application by the Women's Program. All funding decisions are made by the Minister of Canadian Heritage and Status of Women.

REVIEW PROCESSES & ASSESSMENT CRITERIA

The Women's Program review process concentrates on ensuring accountability for use of public funds by linking expenditures to expected outcomes. The outcomes of the Women's Program are:

Short-term Outcome

• The economic, social and cultural situation of women is directly improved through projects directly impacting women in their communities.

Intermediate Outcome

• Increased opportunities for women to participate fully in the economic, social and cultural life of Canadian society.

Long-term Outcome 

• Women fully participate in the economic, social and cultural life of Canadian society.

The assessment criteria are made up of a comprehensive list of factors which are used to review applications for financial assistance. The list of factors is applied by Program staff, taking into account those factors that are appropriate to the nature and scope of each application. The assessment criteria are listed in Appendix A.

REPORTING REQUIREMENTS

Reporting requirements are different based on whether you are funded through a grant or a contribution. Discuss your project's reporting requirements with Program staff.

Appendix A - Assessment Criteria

The project proposal and applicant organization will be assessed using the following criteria, taking into account those factors that are appropriate to the nature and scope of each application:

Relevance of Project

1. Project clearly describes the issue to be addressed and how the need for the project was identified.
2. Project defines clearly how women will directly benefit from the project in the short-term, intermediate and/or long-term.
3. Project is aligned with government and Status of Women Canada priorities.
4. Project does not duplicate other projects funded by Status of Women Canada or others.

Feasibility of Project

1. Project identifies a reasonable goal, objectives and outputs.
2. Project identifies the expected short-term, intermediate and/or long-term outcomes and describes how these outcomes will be measured (evaluation plan).
3. Project identifies the potential risks and explains how those risks will be addressed.
4. Project provides clear timelines and a detailed work plan.
5. Project provides a detailed budget that is clearly linked to the project activities and includes a description of each budget item. Project provides written confirmation of other financial sources, requested or received, and includes your organization's contribution and "in-kind" contributions to be donated to the project valued a fair commercial market value.

Governance and Accountability of Organization

1. Organization demonstrates that its mandate is consistent with the objective of the Women's Program and reflects the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
2. Not-for-profit organizations show that they function democratically, are governed by an independent Board of Directors and demonstrate responsible governance. For-profit organizations provide corporate structure and show that they have an internal process to manage and direct the project.
3. Organization demonstrates clearly the direct participation of women affected by the issue in all aspects of the project (planning, implementation, follow-up, evaluation, etc)
4. Organization's funding history shows accountability for funds and successful completion of projects.

Organizational Capacity of Organization

1. Organization demonstrates knowledge of the issue to be addressed.
2. Organization demonstrates capacity to develop, implement and monitor the project.
3. Organization demonstrates the capacity to manage human and financial resources.
4. Organization demonstrates the capacity to evaluate and report on outcomes.

Appendix B - Status of Women Canada Offices

There will be a new regional structure effective April 2007. This website will be updated to reflect changes as they are made.

HEADQUARTERS

McDonald Building
123 Slater Street, 10th Floor
Ottawa, Ontario
K1P 1H9 (613)995-7835
Fax (613)947-0761

ATLANTIC REGION

New Brunswick
109-1045 Main Street
Moncton, New Brunswick
E1C 1H1
(506)851-3970
Fax (506)851-3610

Newfoundland and Labrador
Sir Humphrey Gilbert Building
165 Duckworth Street
6th Floor
St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador
A1C 1G4
(709)772-5655
Fax (709)772-8252

Nova Scotia
Willowtree Towers
104-6009 Quinpool Road
Halifax, Nova Scotia
B3K 5J7
(902)426-1795
Fax (902)426-6371

Prince Edward Island
Dominion Building
97 Queen Street, Room 327
Charlottetown, PEI
C1A 4A9
(902)368-0926
Fax (902)566-7578

QUEBEC/NUNAVUT REGION

1564 St. Denis Street
Montréal, Quebec
H2X 3K2
(514)283-3150
1-888-645-4141
Fax (514)283-3449

1141 route de l'Ēglise
Suite 205
Sainte-Foy, Quebec
G1V 3W5
(418)648-3109
1-888-645-4141
Fax (418)648-4830

ONTARIO REGION

4900 Yonge Street, PH Level
Willowdale, Ontario
M2N 6A4 (416)952-2182
Fax (416)952-2183

425-150 Main Street West
Hamilton, Ontario
L8P 1H8
(905)572-4169
Fax (905)572-4345

214 Red River Road 3rd Floor
Thunder Bay, Ontario
P7B 1A6
(807)346-2902
Fax (807)345-9731

PRAIRIES/NWT REGION

Alberta/NWT
Suite 1001 Highfield Place
10010-106 Street NW
Edmonton, Alberta
T5J 3L8
(780)495-3839
1-866-966-3640
Fax (780)495-2315

Manitoba
700-310 Broadway Avenue
Winnipeg, Manitoba
R3C 0S6
(204)983-5486
1-866-966-3640
Fax (204)983-8093

Saskatchewan
920-410 22nd Street East
Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
S7K 5T6
(306)975-5321
1-866-966-3640
Fax (306)975-5844

BRITISH COLUMBIA/YUKON REGION

Sinclair Centre
430-757 West Hastings St
Vancouver, British Columbia
V6C 1A1
(604)666-3465
1-800-811-1511
Fax (604)666-0212