Financial Support Program for Government Orientations in Community and Volunteer Action — Rights Promotion Stream

• Board resolution supporting the request and designating the signatory of the subvention agreement.
• Board resolutions adopting the latest financial report and the latest activity report.
• Copy of the organization's articles of incorporation and general bylaws, unless already provided and unchanged.
• Latest activity report, latest financial report, annual budget forecast, action plan, list of board members, and minutes or extract of the last annual general meeting.
• Standard indicators, and for organizations not already funded, an additional form presenting the financial situation for the last completed fiscal year.

Who is eligible?

• Non-profit organizations incorporated under the third part of the Companies Act of Quebec.
• Non-profit organizations incorporated under the Canada Not-for-profit Corporations Act if they carry out the majority of their activities in Quebec.
• Organizations active at the international level if they have their head office in Quebec and hold their board meetings and annual general meeting in Quebec.
• Community organizations, research centres, and institutions working in research on community action and volunteer action.
• National umbrella organizations with a formal interlocutor mandate, as well as community organizations already supported or referred under the program's multisectoral or specific administrative arrangements.

Who is not eligible

• Organizations incorporated for less than 12 months.
• Foundations mainly engaged in fundraising and redistribution of funds, and organizations whose mission or activities are political partisan, religious, union, or professional in nature.
• Organizations seeking funding to cover an accumulated deficit or to acquire, renovate, or repair real estate or transport vehicles.
• Organizations listed in the Register of Enterprises Ineligible for Public Contracts (Registre des entreprises non admissibles aux contrats publics).
• Organizations that failed to respect their obligations after being duly served notice within the two years before the application, in connection with a previous financial assistance granted by the Ministry.

Eligible expenses

• Operating costs such as premises, telephony, internet, office supplies, technological infrastructure, travel, and lodging.
• Salaries linked to core operations and alternative services.
• Costs related to social mission activities, associative life, concertation and representation, support and supervision of volunteer action, and popular education.
• For approved specific activities or projects, necessary and directly related costs such as travel, professional fees, materials, training, accompaniment, and directly related salaries.

Ineligible Costs and Activities

• Accumulated deficits.
• Acquisition, renovation, or repair of real estate or transport vehicles.
• Activities or projects completed before acceptance.
• Debt financing, repayment of loans already concluded or to come, and expenses reimbursed by another program.
• Cost overruns, salaries or other expenses directly related to the regular activities of the beneficiary organization, and fines and related legal fees for civil or criminal offences.

Eligible geographic areas

• All regions of Quebec

• Community reach and activities carried out in collective rights defence or the relevant field of action.
• Realism of the budget forecast.
• Unrestricted net assets not exceeding 50% of total expenses.
• Healthy financial management, including the absence of deficits and judgments against the organization.
• Availability of FAACA, territory covered, population density, remoteness from decision-making centres, equity between comparable organizations, and efforts to diversify funding sources.

• For renewals and subsequent years of an existing convention, complete and return the application form to the Ministry with the required accountability documents listed in section 1.4.
• Organizations not already supported must send the application form and all required documents to the Ministry before the annual deadline and according to the yearly modalities.
• For subventions supporting specific activities, research and studies, and governance support, the Ministry initiates the request and there is no deadline.

• The Ministry informs an organization declared ineligible of the reasons for that decision.
• An organization found ineligible under the Promotion of Rights stream may request a review of the decision.
• A review request must be sent in writing within 30 working days after the date shown on the decision letter.
• The request must include the organization's and the responsible person's contact details, the board resolution supporting the request, the Ministry file number, the precise reasons for the review, supporting documents, and proof that the 30-working-day deadline was respected.
• There is no appeal of a decision rendered after review.

• An eligible organization must be incorporated for at least 12 months.
• Self-assessment grids are available to help confirm eligibility.
• An organization may need to submit annual accountability documents.
• Funding is subject to the program’s normative framework and available funds.