Court Challenges Program (CCP)

• For an appeal application: a copy of the decision being appealed, or a copy of the decision if it is not available
• If court documents have already been filed for the appeal: copies of those documents and a copy of any decision rendered by the court of appeal to date
• For the budget form, all other sources of funding or contribution received or expected for the appeal must be declared

Who is eligible?

• A person whose human rights may have been violated
• A group whose human rights may have been violated
• A non-profit organization representing a person or group whose human rights may have been violated

Who is not eligible

• An organization for profit
• Claims or challenges based only on provincial or territorial language rights laws or codes
• A case concerning an issue already funded by the Court Challenges Program, the former Court Challenges Program of Canada, or the former Language Rights Support Program

Eligible expenses

• Legal research and drafting
• Community consultation
• Evidence development
• Legal fees
• Accessibility-related expenses

Ineligible Costs and Activities

• Costs associated with preparing an application for funding
• Public education
• Community development
• Promotional activities
• Lobbying, political advocacy, or media

Eligible geographic areas

• All regions within Canada

• Requests are evaluated by independent expert committees according to specific criteria for each component (official languages rights or human rights).
• The national importance of the issue submitted (focused on the clarification or advancement of constitutional or quasi-constitutional rights).
• The relevance of the application in connection with the fields of competence of the program (eligible constitutional rights).
• The potential impact of the issue on the advancement and clarification of the rights covered by the program.

• Read the eligibility criteria.
• Complete the relevant application form.
• For appeal requests, complete the budget form for appeal and authorization to appeal.
• Submit the application by the relevant deadline.

• If the applicant has already received PCJ funding for a trial or appeal in a lower instance for the same case, this must be indicated in the application.
• If the applicant has a related appeal file, the budget form asks whether documents have already been filed with the appeal court.
• Applicants must declare all other sources of funding or contribution for the appeal.

• Join our virtual information sessions on applying for funding: Human Rights Branch on July 7, 2026 from noon to 1 p.m. EDT, and Official Language Rights Branch on July 9, 2026 from noon to 1 p.m. EDT.
• For more information on these events, including how to join the sessions, please visit the Applying for Funding – Human Rights and Applying for Funding – Official Language Rights pages.