Grant and Funding Programs Offered by Children First Canada (CFC)

Children First Canada (CFC) is a national charitable organization dedicated to making Canada the best place in the world for children to grow up. Based in Ottawa and Calgary and active from coast to coast to coast, CFC serves as a strong, independent voice for the country’s 8 million children. It combines research, advocacy and youth empowerment with targeted financial support to advance children’s rights and improve policies that affect young people.

CFC leads several flagship initiatives, including the annual Raising Canada research report on the state of childhood, which tracks the top threats facing children and issues evidence‑based calls to action for governments and communities. It also convenes National Child Day activities and large‑scale campaigns urging federal action on child poverty, online safety, mental health, climate change, systemic racism and other systemic issues.

A core part of CFC’s work is to empower children and youth to participate directly in decisions that affect them. The Young Canadians’ Parliament (YCP) is a national program for children and youth under 18 that provides civic education, human‑rights training and structured opportunities to engage parliamentarians. The YCP generates formal recommendations to governments and is supported by public and private funders such as the Government of Canada, the Canadian Red Cross and corporate partners.

CFC also administers the Future is NOW! Awards, a national prize program celebrating 10 outstanding under‑18 changemakers each year. Around this awards gala, CFC hosts a Youth Summit that gathers 50 youth leaders for leadership development, workshops and networking. The program’s fundraising model ensures that 100% of funds raised through the awards directly support children and youth, including leadership training, mentorship opportunities and grants that accelerate youth‑led initiatives on urgent issues. This positions CFC as a discretionary funder of grassroots youth projects across Canada.

Across its portfolio, CFC focuses on equity‑deserving groups, including First Nations, Métis and Inuit children, racialized communities, 2SLGBTQIA+ youth and young people with disabilities. Its reports and youth recommendations are grounded in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and the UN Sustainable Development Goals. CFC works closely with a Youth Advisory Council, the Young Canadians’ Parliament, and a Council of Champions made up of leaders from health care, business, philanthropy and academia to guide priorities and review emerging needs.

CFC collaborates with children’s hospitals, research institutes, universities, government departments and corporations to design campaigns, publish data and co‑host events. Funders and partners include SickKids, CHEO, TD, TELUS, IG Wealth Management, Deloitte, KPMG, BMO and others. While detailed selection criteria for each award or grant stream are typically published in separate program documents, the website emphasizes that investments are directed to youth‑centered initiatives, leadership development and advocacy that advance children’s rights and well‑being across Canada.