Grant and Funding Programs Offered by New Horizons for Seniors Program (NHSP)

The New Horizons for Seniors Program (NHSP) is a federal grants and contributions initiative delivered by Employment and Social Development Canada. It provides financial support to organizations across Canada for projects that improve the quality of life and social inclusion of seniors. Through its funding streams, the NHSP supports both small community-based projects and larger pan-Canadian initiatives that address the evolving social needs of older adults.

The community-based stream offers grants of up to $25,000 for one-year projects designed by and for seniors in their local communities. These projects typically promote volunteerism, mentoring between generations, awareness of elder abuse, social participation, and small-scale capital improvements that make community spaces and programs more accessible to seniors.

The pan-Canadian stream funds larger, often multi-year projects, generally between 4 and 5 years in duration, with budgets ranging from $1 million to $5 million per project. These initiatives are expected to generate measurable improvements in the social inclusion of vulnerable seniors and frequently use collective impact approaches. Funded organizations may act as backbone intermediaries, coordinating networks of partners to test and scale innovative models of support.

Across its streams, the NHSP focuses on several recurring objectives: building seniors’ leadership through volunteer roles, strengthening intergenerational connections, expanding access to information and services, addressing social isolation and systemic barriers, and raising awareness about elder abuse, including financial abuse. Capital assistance for community facilities or equipment can also be funded when it clearly benefits seniors’ participation and inclusion.

Eligible applicants include not-for-profit organizations, some for-profit organizations whose proposed activities are non-commercial, municipal and Indigenous governments, and, under certain conditions, post-secondary and public health or social service institutions. All applicants must be based in Canada and hold a Canada Revenue Agency business or charitable number. Through these flexible eligibility rules, the program can support a wide range of community centres, seniors’ organizations, municipalities, Indigenous communities, and institutional partners.

The NHSP follows the Government of Canada’s standard grants and contributions practices, including public calls for proposals, clearly defined intake periods, published eligibility criteria and objectives, and formal assessment of applications. Larger pan-Canadian projects may be solicited in multi-step processes, starting with concept calls followed by invited full proposals. Information on funded projects is available through the federal proactive disclosure portal, supporting transparency and public accountability for how funds are allocated to benefit seniors across the country.