Grid Innovation Fund

• Completed Proposal Templates Part A, Part B, and Project Brief Template
• Certificate of incorporation
• Most recent audited financial statements
• Signed letters of support from all project partners
• Project team CVs and, if applicable, proof of no duplicate funding for the same tasks

Who is eligible?

• Non-profit incorporated entities
• For-profit incorporated entities
• Local distribution companies
• Technology companies and consulting firms
• Fleet owners/operators, academic institutions, and public sector organizations

Who is not eligible

• Individuals, including incorporated individuals
• Sole proprietorships
• Trusts
• Joint ventures
• Most electricity generation, transmission, and distribution technology projects

Eligible expenses

• EV charging equipment, bi-directional chargers, smart inverters, and related infrastructure upgrades
• Heat pumps with thermal storage, project-specific materials, and other necessary equipment
• Software integration, licensing, telemetry, monitoring, verification, and data analysis
• Direct labour and professional, engineering, scientific, technical, management, and contracting services
• Participant incentives, training and communications, and other project implementation costs

Ineligible Costs and Activities

• Personal-use light-duty EVs, uni-directional EVSE, stand-alone residential heat pumps, smart thermostats, and fossil-fuel heating equipment
• Supplementary generation assets, including stationary storage
• System Impact Assessment and Connection Impact Assessment costs
• Costs incurred before approval or after project completion, budget deficits, and real estate purchases
• Overhead, hospitality, travel, incidental or food expenses, and consultant or contractor work over C$50,000 without a competitive process

Eligible geographic areas

• Ontario

• Project purpose, outcomes, and grid flexibility (25 points)
• Demand-side program design and innovation (20 points)
• Project design and implementation plan (20 points)
• Project funding and team capacity (20 points)
• Emissions reductions and sector evolution (15 points)

• Step 1: Review the guideline
  • Check the targeted call requirements, project streams, and submission rules.
  • Contact the GIF team in advance if project discussion is needed.
• Step 2: Prepare the proposal package
  • Complete Proposal Templates Part A, Part B, and the Project Brief Template.
  • Gather all required supporting documents.
• Step 3: Submit by email
  • Send the proposal to gridinnovationfund@ieso.ca.
  • Use Electrification and Demand Management Targeted Call in the subject line.
  • Submit within the official submission window.
• Step 4: Receive confirmation
  • IESO confirms receipt by email within two business days.
• Step 5: Review and approval
  • Eligible proposals are screened, scored, and ranked by the Review Committee.
  • High-ranking proposals may be refined with the committee before executive approval.
• Step 6: Agreement and funding
  • Successful applicants sign the Contribution Agreement Template.
  • Funding is disbursed on a milestone basis.

• Applications are first screened for eligibility
• Eligible proposals are reviewed and scored by an internal Technical and Financial Review Committee, with external experts as needed
• Highly ranked applicants may be invited to refine their proposals with the committee
• Final recommendations are brought forward for IESO executive approval, with applicants likely notified in Q4 2024
• Successful applicants sign the non-negotiable Contribution Agreement and receive funding on a milestone basis

• The OEB Innovation Sandbox may provide regulatory guidance or temporary relief support for selected projects.
• The IESO may share submitted proposals with the OEB on a non-confidential basis for regulatory support.
• Successful applicants may be included in IESO communication activities and public announcements.
• Project deliverables and public materials must comply with accessibility requirements.