OTF — Organizational Mentors

• Signed OM–Grassroots Group Collaborative Agreement
• Corporate registration details (e.g., business number and year of incorporation) where applicable
• Registered charity number and year of registration where applicable
• Financial statements meeting OTF requirements (most recent fiscal year, with comparative prior year)
• Governance information (e.g., board member list and bylaws)

Who is eligible?

• Registered charitable organizations
• Organizations incorporated as not-for-profit corporations without share capital in a Canadian jurisdiction, including a Chartered Community Council operating under the Métis Nation of Ontario and Inuit organizations that are registered as not-for-profit corporations without share capital in Canada
• First Nations
• Municipalities with a population of 20,000 or less, and their cultural and recreational agencies, including public libraries and museums

Who is not eligible

• For-profit organizations or businesses
• Individuals applying in their personal capacity
• Universities, colleges, schools, hospitals, and their affiliated agencies
• Religious institutions or organizations
• Organizations with less than 5 years as a registered not-for-profit, or organizations that do not have a minimum of $250,000 in annual revenues in each of the last 2 fiscal years

Eligible expenses

• Overhead and administrative costs (15% of the grant budget retained by the Organizational Mentor)

Ineligible Costs and Activities

• Expenses incurred prior to being notified of grant approval

Eligible geographic areas

• Ontario

• Step 1: Plan application
  • Review Organizational Mentor eligibility criteria and upcoming deadlines.
  • Use the Organizational Mentor application questions to prepare required information.
  • Ensure your organization has an OTF account to access the Grant Portal (create an account if new).
• Step 2: Submit organization information for eligibility review
  • Provide required organization details for OTF to assess eligibility.
• Step 3: Complete Organizational Mentor application
  • Submit the Organizational Mentor application when invited.
• Step 4: Partner with a Grassroots Group
  • Work with the Grassroots Group to complete, review, and sign the OM–Grassroots Group Collaborative Agreement.
  • Ensure the signed collaborative agreement is included with the Grassroots Group’s grant application (Youth Innovations or Family Innovations streams, when invited).

• OTF reviews and assesses eligibility based on the submitted “Organization Information.”
• Eligible organizations are invited to complete the Organizational Mentor application.
• If the grant application is approved, the Organizational Mentor must enter into a formal, legally binding grant agreement with OTF.
• Final report is reviewed by OTF staff; once approved, holdback funds are released and the grant is closed.

• Organizational Mentors (OMs) assume legal and financial responsibility for project deliverables and funds as the OTF grantee.
• Intellectual property developed through the project by the Grassroots Group remains the property of the Grassroots Group.
• If the OM–Grassroots Group relationship ends during the grant term, the grant may be rescinded and cannot automatically be transferred to a new OM.
• Grassroots groups must choose an OM; each OM may have its own partnership selection process.