Funding

Women's Program

Women's Community Fund - Call for Proposals - 2007-2008

INTRODUCTION

The mandate of the Women's Program (WP) is to facilitate women's participation in Canadian society by addressing their economic, social and cultural situation through Canadian organizations. To fulfill its mandate, the Program provides financial and non-financial (technical) assistance to organizations to carry out projects designed to directly benefit women in their communities. The WP funding is, therefore, an important investment to bring about real and demonstrable change in the lives of women. 

The WP objective is to achieve the full participation of women in the economic, social and cultural life of Canada. The WP uses its grants and contributions to facilitate the achievement of this objective.

PRIORITY ISSUES FOR 2007-2008 SECOND CALL FOR PROPOSALS

SWC supports projects that encourage action to bring about the advancement of all women in Canada.

The following issues have been identified as priorities for the 2007-2008 Second Call for Proposals:

• women's economic security and prosperity
• women's health (non-medical/clinical)
• women's safety
• eliminating all forms of violence and discrimination against women

BACKGROUND

WP Renewal

• In September 2006, the WP Terms and Conditions were renewed for five years, to 2011. The renewal process provided opportunities to streamline the mandate, objectives, outcomes, as well as the eligibility criteria for recipients, activities and associated costs.

Reinvestment of Efficiency Savings

• In March 2007, the Government of Canada announced the investment of an additional $5 million in the WP, with $4.5 million in grants and contributions, effective in the 2007-08 fiscal year. The new resources have increased the grant and contribution level from $10.8 million to $15.3 million, representing an increase of 42%. The WP Terms and Conditions were subsequently modified to reflect the creation of the following two components:

Women's Community Fund

• The Women's Community Fund is a grant and contribution fund of $12.3 million to support projects at a local, regional and national level. The objective of this component is to address the economic, social and cultural situation of women through projects that directly support women in their communities.The expected short-term outcome of this component is: "increased direct impact on the economic, social and cultural situation of women through funded projects".

Women's Partnership Fund

• The Women's Partnership Fund is contribution funding of $3.0 million for collaborative projects that involve non-governmental organizations in partnership with public institutions and other levels of government. The objective of this component is to build partnerships between SWC, eligible non-governmental recipients and public institutions in addressing the economic, social and cultural situation of women. The expected short-term outcome of this component is: "increased engagement by other federal departments, levels of government, NGOs and the private sector through partnership projects that directly impact the economic, social and cultural situation of women".

APPLICATION AND ASSESSMENT PROCESS

Key Timelines

Step 1: Submitting an Application

• Applicants must submit a funding application by the due date indicated in this call for proposals. (See application form and associated documents). Application forms must be completed and submitted by mail, as original signatures are required. Please also include an electronic version of the application form, proposal, work plan, evaluation plan and budget sheet(s), on CD or floppy disk. A complete funding application consists of the following:
  
  
  • a duly completed and signed application form (obtained from the SWC website or regional offices);
  • a full proposal (maximum of 5 pages, not including required attachments);
  • names and contact information of references;
  • required attachments; and
  • other supporting documents (if applicable).

• Prior to preparing funding applications, applicants are encouraged to read the WP Funding Guidelines (available at www.swc-cfc.gc.ca) and familiarize themselves with the eligibility requirements.
  
  
• Applications that fail to meet the WP eligibility requirements will not be considered further.
  
  
• Proposals that are national in scope must be submitted to the SWC office in Ottawa. A project is considered national if it involves the active participation of women and other partners in its development and implementation, in at least three regions of the country. All other proposals should be submitted to the nearest SWC regional office. (See List of SWC Regional Offices)
  
  
• All funding applications must be postmarked on or before the deadline date. SWC will not accept: applications post marked after the deadline date, incomplete applications or those submitted by fax or e-mail. Confirmation of receipt of applications will be sent to all applicants.

Step 2: Assessment of Funding Applications

• SWC will be using a two-level review process to determine whether a funding application qualifies for funding from the Women's Community Fund.
  
  
• Assessment for Eligibility: In the first level assessment, all funding applications will undergo a comprehensive review process in order to determine whether they meet the eligibility requirements for recipient organizations, proposed activities and associated costs.
  
  
• Project Assessment Factors: All applications that meet the eligibility requirements will proceed to the second-level review, which assesses the extent to which the following project assessment factors are addressed:
  
  
  • The organization's capacity
  • Project alignment with Women's Community Fund requirements, expected results and feasibility/effectiveness
  • Project budget
  • Business case for SWC support
  
  
• This information will be used to determine the relative merit of the submissions (please see Project Assessment Factors for more information).

Step 3: Approval

• This notice of call for proposals is intended to solicit information necessary for the assessment of potential eligibility and relative merit of proposed projects. It does not guarantee funding.
  
  
• The final outcome of the review process will determine whether an application is recommended for final consideration by the Minister of Canadian Heritage and Status of Women.
  
  
• Applicants will be informed, in writing, about the decision regarding their proposals. 
  
  
• Not all eligible applications will be funded. The number of projects selected for funding will be based upon the availability of funds.

FUNDING TYPE, LEVEL AND DURATION

• Approved applications may receive funding in the form of a grant or contribution. Recipients of a contribution will sign a contribution agreement, a legal contract outlining the respective responsibilities of SWC and of the recipient. SWC reserves the right to audit recipients of contribution funding. 
  
  
• Projects may be short-term (up to a maximum of 18 months) or multi-year (up to a maximum of 36 months). Given that funding priorities are time limited, short-term projects that can be completed within the timelines of identified priorities will be given priority. 
  
  
• The scope of a project can be local, regional or national.
  
  
• SWC generally provides funding to a maximum of 60% of the cost of any project. It does not provide funding to cover ongoing administration costs or core funding. Applicants are required to have written confirmation of all other confirmed funding sources. The WP provides up to a maximum of $500,000 per fiscal year to approved projects. 

REPORTING REQUIREMENTS

• Reporting requirements differ based on whether funding is provided in the form of a grant or a contribution. Information outlining specific reporting requirements will be provided in writing, upon notification of project approval.

Annexes

• Application Form including Work Plan and Evaluation Plan and Budget templates.
• Application Guide, including glossary of terminology, sample project proposal, and project assessment factors.
• List of SWC Regional Offices