Enabling Accessibility Fund 2026 Call for Proposals

• A CRA document showing a valid business number, if not already registered in GCOS.
• An external quote for each non-flat rate project activity.
• The PDF summary page from the EAF 2026 Calculator.
• At least one digital image for each project activity space, or screenshots for equipment or website accessibility work.

Who is eligible?

• Not-for-profit organizations
• For-profit organizations with up to 99 full-time equivalent employees
• Indigenous organizations
• Municipal governments with populations under 100,000
• Territorial governments

Who is not eligible

• Federal and provincial government organizations.
• Municipal governments with a population of 100,000 or more (per the 2021 census).
• Public schools, publicly funded health care institutions, and public hospitals.
• Crown corporations and entities controlled by a federal or provincial government (or entities located on land owned by a federal or provincial government).
• Residential housing organizations (for example, condo boards, co-op boards, and other not-for-profit organizations that manage residential housing).

Eligible expenses

• Accessibility-related construction, renovation, and retrofit costs.
• Professional fees and related project services.
• Information and Communication Technology (ICT) and accessibility equipment.
• Accessible website creation or remediation costs, up to 50% of quoted costs.

Ineligible Costs and Activities

• General construction costs (for example: new walls, roofs, ceilings, windows, or new plumbing/electrical/HVAC “rough-in”).
• Contingency funds.
• Salaries and benefits for the applicant organization’s employees.
• Professional accessibility-related services (for example: translation, converting content into accessible formats, or sign language interpretation).
• Computers, laptops, and tablets.

Eligible geographic areas

• Canada

• Project readiness to begin spending funding by December 1, 2026 (assessed as part of eligibility screening).
• Project relevance (depending on applicant category): ability to clearly describe the accessibility barriers being addressed and how the project will remove them; for workplace projects, ability to demonstrate current employment of one or more persons with disabilities at the time of application (required for non-Indigenous organizations) and to describe future hiring plans; for Indigenous community projects, ability to provide the estimated number of persons with disabilities expected to benefit.
• Project activities and results: clarity that activities will eliminate infrastructure and technology-related accessibility barriers; activities broken down into clear, measurable, realistic steps with timelines; and a plan to gather, measure, and report on results achieved.
• Organization’s capacity (assessed on a short list by an external contractor): feasibility of the proposed construction, adherence to building codes, budget accuracy (including quotes where required), and realistic timelines.
• Geographic distribution (may be considered to select a diverse range of projects to fund).

• Step 1: Apply through GCOS
  • Use the Grants and Contributions Online Services (GCOS) portal to submit the application.
  • Complete the online form and upload the required supporting documents.
• Step 2: Submit by the deadline
  • Send a complete application package by March 16, 2026, at 3:00 pm EDT.
  • If GCOS cannot be used, contact ESDC by March 10, 2026, at 3:00 pm EDT and explain why.
• Step 3: After submission
  • Finalize your GCOS account after submission if needed.
  • Wait for the funding decision expected in Summer 2026.

• ESDC screens your application for eligibility (including being received by the deadline, being complete, your organization’s eligibility, accessibility-only activities, and readiness to begin spending by December 1, 2026); incomplete applications may be screened out.
• If eligible, ESDC assesses the project’s relevance, activities and expected results, including how you will measure and report results.
• Based on funding priorities, ESDC may have an external contractor (with construction and accessible design expertise) conduct a feasibility and cost review of shortlisted applications.
• ESDC expects to make funding decisions in Summer 2026; not all applications will be funded, decisions are final, and there is no appeal process.
• If approved, you should wait to start your project until a funding agreement is signed, as costs incurred before signing may not be reimbursed and the project may no longer be eligible for funding.

• The application period runs from January 16, 2026, to March 12, 2026, at 3:00 pm Eastern Standard Time (EST).
• Funding decisions are expected in Summer 2026.
• Your project must be ready to start spending funds by December 1, 2026, and be completed within 24 months of the project start date.
• Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) will host virtual information sessions on January 28–29 and February 11–12, 2026 (English and French options).