Springboard for innovation

Who is eligible?

• FEEP member schools.

Who is not eligible

• Businesses and organizations that are not FEEP member schools (the fund is made available to schools that are members of the Federation).

Eligible expenses

• Costs to replace teachers participating in the project (teacher release time).
• Fees and daily allowances for external consultants.
• Partial reimbursement of travel costs within Québec for team members who must travel more than 50 km to meet the rest of the team.

Ineligible Costs and Activities

• Construction expenses
• Furniture purchases
• Computer equipment and software
• Internet connection costs
• Administrative costs

Eligible geographic areas

• Quebec (travel expenses eligible only for trips of more than 50 km within Quebec).

• Compliance with the program’s eligibility requirements (projects are first screened by an initial selection committee for conformity).
• Merit-based assessment by a second committee (including a recommendation on the funding amount, within the total funds available and according to the funding rules).
• Priority consideration for projects aligned with the fund’s priority topics (e.g., school model transformation; student mental and physical health; support for students with special needs; student engagement/joy of learning; socio-emotional skills; French language quality; transitions between education levels; learning assessment; staff onboarding and continuing professional development).
• Project quality factors that may negatively affect selection: unclear objective; weak/absent evaluation method; missing information or poor description of planned activities; budget that is vague or inflated and shows limited cost-optimization; project depends entirely on the grant and cannot continue beyond the funded year; limited potential benefits for other schools (lack of transferability/exportability).
• Project quality factors that may positively affect selection: clear improvement to teaching/learning or student support practices; novelty (or meaningful new elements vs. a prior project) and demonstrated leadership; strong staff participation and engagement; well-described expected results; at least one method to evaluate outcomes/impact; activities grounded in research on best practices; alignment with the Federation’s work plan; detailed budget maximizing local resources; sustainability beyond the funding period; results/products usable by other schools.

• Step 1: Complete the application form (online submission)
  • Complete the online application form: Application Form 2026–2027.
  • Submit the form no later than March 20, 2026.
• Step 2: Prepare the required project presentation content (project description, workplan, budget)
  • Provide the project title.
  • Write a clear project description, including the issue addressed, the objective, and the final deliverable/output.
  • Include the implementation timeline and how results will be evaluated.
  • Explain the project’s outreach/spin-off potential (“rayonnement”).
  • Provide a detailed budget.
• Step 3: Receive the selection decision (committee response)
  • Wait for the committee’s response regarding whether your project is selected.
  • Expect to receive the decision before May 6, 2026.
• Step 4: If approved, receive the first grant instalment (initial payment)
  • After acceptance, receive an initial payment equal to 66% of the approved funding amount.
• Step 5: Submit the final report to obtain the second instalment (reporting and final payment)
  • Complete and submit the final report via the applicable online form to receive the remaining 33% of the funding.
  • For the 2025–2026 cohort: submit by September 1, 2026 using Final Report 2025–2026.
  • For the 2026–2027 cohort: submit by September 1, 2027 using Final Report 2026–2027.

• A first selection committee reviews submitted projects to confirm they meet the eligibility requirements.
• Eligible projects are then assessed by a second committee (FEEP pedagogy and special needs education members), which also recommends a funding amount within the available budget and funding rules.
• Applicants are notified of the decision in June.
• If approved, the grant is paid in two instalments: 66% upon acceptance and 33% after the final report is submitted.
• Approved projects must submit a final report to receive the last payment.

• The fund was previously known as the Fonds d’aide au développement éducatif (FADÉ).
• An annual envelope of $60,000 is available, including $5,000 dedicated to regional initiatives.
• Selected projects are highlighted at the Innovation Awards Gala held at the National Assembly in Québec City (announced for May 6).