OTF — System Innovations Grant

• Most recent completed financial statements and surplus or deficit information, if required.
• Board of Directors list and By-laws.
• Signed Collaborative Agreement with all collaborative members.
• Documentation detailing the work completed in the groundwork phase, if applying for implementation only.
• An explanation, deficit reduction plan, and current year’s operating budget if your organization has an accumulated surplus greater than 12 months or an accumulated deficit greater than 10%.

Who is eligible?

• Charitable organizations and public foundations registered as charities by the Canada Revenue Agency.
• Organizations incorporated as not-for-profit corporations without share capital in a Canadian jurisdiction.
• First Nations.
• Municipalities with a population of 20,000 or less, and their cultural and recreational agencies, including public libraries and museums.
• Chartered Community Councils operating under the Métis Nation of Ontario.

Who is not eligible

• Collaborative leads or members with a mandate or history of political or advocacy activities, such as furthering the aims of a political party, promoting a political doctrine, or persuading the public to adopt a particular political view.
• Collaborative leads or members that engage in discriminatory activities.
• Applicants with an active System Innovations grant until the current grant is closed, including final report and evaluation.

Eligible expenses

• Personnel costs directly tied to the project
• Purchased services, equipment, supplies, and materials
• Meetings, convenings, travel, and knowledge-sharing event costs
• Honorariums and evaluation costs
• Project-related overhead and administration up to 15%

Ineligible Costs and Activities

• Extended service or program delivery
• Ongoing operating costs of the lead organization
• Direct therapy, counseling, legal, or accounting services
• Capital renovations and infrastructure projects
• Political, religious, fundraising, bursary, scholarship, and contingency costs
• Taxes eligible for rebate

Eligible geographic areas

• Ontario

• People: 30%
• Strategy and impact: 45%
• Process: 25%
• Youth have a meaningful role in the project
• Project strategy is feasible and aligned with systems change

• Complete the required pre-application coaching call for lead organizations.
• Submit Organization Information.
• Only lead organizations that are eligible for funding will be invited to complete the grant application.

• Lead organization eligibility is assessed after Organization Information is submitted.
• Only lead organizations that meet eligibility criteria are invited to complete the grant application.
• If approved, the organization must enter into a formal, legally binding agreement with the Ontario Trillium Foundation.
• OTF will not reimburse any expenses incurred before grant approval is communicated.
• 10% of awarded funding is released after OTF staff approve the final report.

• Applicants will receive news on the status of their grant application approximately three months after the grant application deadline.
• Collaborative agreements must be completed and signed by the grant application deadline and may be reviewed during assessment.
• For each goods and services valued above $5,000, a minimum of one quote or estimate is required; OTF prefers two or more.
• All documentation needs to be prepared by a third-party professional, dated and obtained within 6 months prior to the application deadline, and completed with vendor or supplier information.