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, 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, as per the 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

• 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.

• Project relevance, including a clear description of the accessibility barriers being addressed and how the project will remove them; for workplace projects, this includes demonstrating current employment of one or more persons with disabilities for non-Indigenous organizations and describing future hiring plans.
• For Indigenous community projects, the application is assessed on the estimated number of persons with disabilities expected to benefit.
• Project activities and results, including clear, measurable, realistic activities with timelines and a plan to gather, measure, and report on results achieved.
• Organization capacity, including feasibility of the proposed construction, adherence to building codes, budget accuracy, and realistic timelines; shortlisted applications may be reviewed by an external contractor.
• Geographic distribution may be considered to support a diverse range of funded projects.

• Apply through the Grants and Contributions Online Services (GCOS).
• Complete the online form and upload the required supporting documents in GCOS.
• Submit a complete application package by March 16, 2026, at 3:00 pm Eastern Daylight Time (EDT).
• If you are unable to apply through GCOS, contact ESDC.ATL.PD.EAF.GD-BG.FA.EP.ATL.EDSC@servicecanada.gc.ca by March 10, 2026, at 3:00 pm EDT and clearly explain why.

• 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.

• GCOS allows applicants to track application status online, sign agreements, manage documents, and review past projects submitted through the system.
• After a GCOS submission, the applicant immediately receives an acknowledgment email with a tracking number.
• Virtual information sessions are offered for organizations interested in applying for funding.
• Certain application and agreement details may be posted on the Open Government website, including the organization name, business number, funding amount, project title, agreement number, agreement dates, and location.