Grant and Funding Programs Offered by Canadian Olympic Foundation (COF)

The Canadian Olympic Foundation (COF) is the charitable arm of Team Canada and works in close partnership with the Canadian Olympic Committee. It channels donations from individuals, families, companies and other foundations into concrete financial support for high‑performance and Next Gen athletes, national sport organizations and community sport projects across Canada. Since 2016, the COF has helped hundreds of Team Canada athletes and thousands of Next Gen athletes train and compete at the highest international level.

The Foundation focuses its investments on four main pillars of impact, which include direct support to athletes on the road to the Olympic Games, development of the next generation of podium hopefuls, support to under‑represented communities and recognition of medal performances. Through these pillars, it operates and co‑funds a portfolio of bursaries and awards, such as the Team Canada Indigenous Awards, the Future Olympians Fund Awards, the Great to Gold program, the Murphy Family Awards, Olympians Supporting Olympians bursaries, the Team Canada Podium Awards and various discipline‑specific prizes like the Toller Cranston Memorial Awards.

Many of these programs provide multi‑year bursaries to individual athletes and their coaches, covering training expenses, equipment, travel to international competitions and basic living costs. Others, such as Level the Playing Field and Next Gen initiatives, channel resources to national sport organizations and grassroots programs to broaden participation, especially for newcomer, marginalized or Indigenous youth. A significant share of funding is also directed to Olympic and Paralympic medallists, who can receive fixed amounts per medal through dedicated award schemes.

While selection criteria are administered program by program, the common focus is on demonstrated podium potential, financial need, and alignment with the broader objective of building a diverse, inclusive and successful Team Canada. Impact reports and audited financial statements published by the Foundation highlight the number of athletes and coaches reached each year, the total value of grants disbursed, and stories showing how these investments remove financial barriers and improve performance conditions.

The Canadian Olympic Foundation maintains a high level of transparency through annual and quarterly impact reports, as well as audited financial statements available to the public for multiple years. These documents outline revenue sources, grant expenditures and program results, giving donors and stakeholders a clear view of how contributions are translated into bursaries, awards and program funding that directly benefit Canadian athletes and the wider sport system.