Enabling Accessibility Fund 2026 Call for Proposals

• A Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) document showing your valid business number (not more than 2 years old; not required if you are already a registered GCOS user).
• An external quote for each non-flat rate project activity.
• The PDF summary page from the EAF 2026 Calculator (“Total estimated eligible costs for your project”) for all project activities.
• At least one digital “before” photo per project activity space and/or images/screenshots of accessible items/equipment to be purchased and/or website screenshots for web accessibility work (as applicable).

• The applicant must be a not-for-profit organization (including social enterprises), an Indigenous organization, a territorial government, a municipal government with a population under 100,000 (2021 census), or a for-profit organization with up to 99 full-time equivalent employees.
• The project must make workplaces and/or communities more accessible for persons with disabilities by removing infrastructure and/or technology-related accessibility barriers.
• The project must be a workplace accessibility project (for non-Indigenous organizations) or a workplace/community accessibility project (for Indigenous organizations).
• For non-Indigenous workplace projects, the applicant must currently employ one or more persons with disabilities at the time of application, and describe future hiring plans to support persons with disabilities.
• The project must be ready to start spending funds by December 1, 2026, and be completed within 24 months of the project start date.

Who is eligible?

• Not-for-profit organizations (including social enterprises)
• For-profit organizations with up to 99 full-time equivalent employees
• Indigenous organizations
• Municipal governments where the population of the municipality is less than 100,000 (2021 census)
• 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

• Professional fees (for example, architects, engineers, construction consultants, and contractors).
• Accessibility-specific construction, renovation, or retrofit costs, including materials, supplies and labour (excluding salaries/wages for your organization’s employees).
• Purchase or rental of tools, equipment, or machinery required to complete the project.
• Taxes (only the portion not eligible for a rebate).
• Shipping costs when items are not available locally.
• Information and Communication Technology (ICT) and accessibility equipment designed to reduce or eliminate barriers for persons with disabilities (for example, accessible software, adapted ICT equipment, audio induction loop systems, noise-cancelling headphones, adaptive and accessible sports/recreational equipment for community use, universally accessible furniture/accessories, sensory tools/equipment).
• 50% of quoted costs for the creation of a new accessible website or remediation of an existing website to be accessible (including accessibility audits/assessments only when part of a website project and accompanied by accessibility improvements).
• Other costs approved as part of the funding agreement with Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC).

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 (projects in workplaces and communities across 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: Eligibility self-check
  • Complete the online eligibility self-assessment questionnaire to determine whether your organization and project may be eligible.
• Step 2: GCOS access and setup
  • Create a Grants and Contributions Online Services (GCOS) account as early as possible (if you do not already have one).
  • Create your GCOS profile and register your organization so you can access the call for proposals and begin an application.
  • If you submit an application before your GCOS account is fully finalized, complete the GCOS registration steps afterward to become a fully registered user.
• Step 3: Gather required supporting documents
  • Prepare a CRA document showing your valid business number (required if you are not already a registered GCOS user; the CRA document must not be more than 2 years old).
  • Obtain an external quote for each non-flat rate project activity.
  • Complete the EAF 2026 Calculator for all project activities (flat rate, non-flat rate, or a mix) and download/print the PDF summary page titled “Total estimated eligible costs for your project.”
  • Prepare at least one digital photo/image, as applicable, of each project activity space and/or images/screenshots of the accessible items/devices/equipment to be purchased and/or screenshots of the website pages to be improved (for web accessibility projects).
• Step 4: Prepare the project narrative and workplan
  • Draft clear project objectives linked to the program objectives.
  • Prepare a project workplan (activities and timelines) in chronological order, including flat rate activities and non-flat rate activities, readiness, risks and mitigation, and costs in Canadian dollars.
  • Define expected results (outputs and outcomes) and how you will gather, measure, and report results.
• Step 5: Complete the online application in GCOS
  • Log into GCOS and start the Enabling Accessibility Fund (EAF) 2026 Call for Proposals application.
  • Complete the online form (questions are not numbered, but follow the same order as the “Prepare to apply” guidance).
  • Enter the total amount of funding requested from the EAF 2026 Calculator where prompted in the GCOS funding/budget section.
  • Upload the required supporting documents (including the EAF 2026 Calculator PDF summary and any required quotes and images).
  • Review the application to ensure it is complete and accurate.
• Step 6: Submit by the deadline (GCOS submission)
  • Submit the complete application package in GCOS by March 12, 2026, at 3:00 pm Eastern Standard Time (EST).
  • Keep in mind GCOS is scheduled to disallow applications after 3:00 pm EST; applications still in progress after that time will not be accepted.
• Step 7: Request an alternate submission method if GCOS is not possible
  • If you are unable to apply through GCOS, email ESDC.ATL.PD.EAF.GD-BG.FA.EP.ATL.EDSC@servicecanada.gc.ca and clearly explain why you cannot apply through GCOS.
  • Send this email by March 10, 2026, at 3:00 pm EST.
• Step 8: Confirmation and tracking
  • After submitting in GCOS, receive an acknowledgment receipt by email that includes a tracking number.
  • Retain the tracking number for your records.
• Step 9: Post-submission follow-up and decision timeline
  • Be prepared to respond within 5 business days if ESDC requests missing mandatory information.
  • Wait for ESDC’s funding decision (ESDC expects to make funding decisions in Summer 2026).
  • Do not start the project until a funding agreement is signed, as costs incurred before the agreement is signed may not be reimbursed and the project may no longer be eligible for funding.

• 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).