Sport Canada Funding Programs

Athlete Assistance Program

Sport Support Program

Hosting Program

The Department of Canadian Heritage, as the entity within the federal government responsible for sport, works to advance sport within the context of Government of Canada priorities. Moreover, the Department is striving to establish Canada as a leading sport nation at home and abroad, where all Canadians and their communities enjoy, value and celebrate the benefits of active participation and excellence in sport.

The mission of Sport Canada is to enhance opportunities for all Canadians to participate and excel in sport. This is achieved by enhancing the capacity of the Canadian sport system, encouraging participation in sport and enabling Canadians with talent and dedication to achieve excellence in international sport.

The Government of Canada, in collaboration with its provincial/territorial partners, has confirmed the broad directions of the Canadian Sport Policy (CSP). The policy embodies four goals, each of which is accompanied by an associated goal statement:

Enhanced Participation
That by 2012 a significantly higher proportion of Canadians from all segments of society are involved in quality sport activities at all levels and in all forms of participation.

Enhanced Excellence
That by 2012 the pool of talented athletes has expanded and Canadian athletes and teams are systematically achieving world-class results at the highest levels of international competition through fair and ethical means.

Enhanced Capacity
That by 2012 the essential components of an ethically based, athlete/participant-centred development system are in place and are continually modernized and strengthened as required.

Enhanced Interaction
That by 2012 the components of the sport system are more connected and coordinated as a result of the committed collaboration and communication amongst the stakeholders.

To achieve the CSP goals, Sport Canada provides financial support through the following three programs, two of which include separate sub-components:

• Sport Support Program
  • National Sport Organization (NSO) component;
  • Multisport Service Organization (MSO) component; and
  • Project Stream component.
    
    
• Hosting Program
  • International Major Multi-Sport Games component;
  • International Single Sport Events component;
  • International Strategic Focus Events component; and
  • Canada Games component.
    
    
• Athlete Assistance Program (AAP)

Due Diligence

In delivering the funding programs and exercising accountability, government officials must apply the principles of due diligence. As defined by the Office of the Auditor General, due diligence is a term used to refer to the practice of ensuring “that funding decisions take all of the criteria set by the Treasury Board and a department into account and are based on reliable information.”

On behalf of the Government of Canada, Sport Canada’s Program Officers are responsible for ensuring that decisions are based on complete, accurate, reliable and quality information.

In addition, in order to demonstrate that due diligence has been effectively exercised when reviewing the applicant’s funding requests, Sport Canada’s Program Officers seek to ensure that the following key principles of due diligence are met and applied:

• Sound Justification
  In order to demonstrate sound justification, there must be:
  • confirmation of the eligibility of the applicant and project;
  • an explanation of why funding is needed; and
  • clear linkage between the applicant’s proposed activities and the objectives and priorities of the program.
    
    
• Reasonable Analysis
  To demonstrate a reasonable level of analysis, there must be:
  • a rationale for the level of funding provided;
  • demonstrated evidence that the applicant is capable of performing the proposed activities; and
  • evidence/indication of the financial viability of the applicant (as appropriate).
    
    
• Accountability
  To demonstrate accountability, there must be:
  • files that satisfy basic project management requirements, such as establishing deliverables, milestones, payment schedules and reporting requirements; and
  • expected results/outcomes and identified ways of measuring them.

To contact Sport Canada:

For more information, see the list of Sport Canada Contributions and Recipients.

DID YOU KNOW THAT ...? More Canadians watched amateur sporting events in 1998 than in 1992. The number of spectators increased from 5 million or 24% of adult Canadians in 1992 to 7.6 million or 32% in 1998. Find out more in Sport Participation in Canada, 1998.