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CFAs: Youth Innovations Scale Grant (Canada)

Deadline: 9-Apr-25

The Youth Opportunities Fund (YOF) invites applications for the Youth Innovations Scale Grant to scale successful project with a proven model to expand your reach or enhance your impact on young people.

YOF believes that grassroots leaders with at least two years of experience running community-based projects have the skills to expand and improve them for the communities they serve. By scaling these proven initiatives, they can further improve the social and economic well-being of youth in their communities. A Youth Innovations Scale grant is designed to help groups:

  • Enhance their existing project to create a deeper impact, or
  • Expand their project to reach more youth.
Funding Information
  • Amount awarded (per year): Maximum $150,000
  • Term length: Minimum 2 years, Maximum 3 years
Outcomes
  • Empowering girls and young women to lead, including women’s economic empowerment initiative
  • Supporting Indigenous, Black, and/or newcomer youth to enter the labour market and transition to sustainable career pathways
  • Supporting youth in and/or leaving care and/or involved in the justice system to navigate and access resources for wellbeing
    • Note: For this outcome, core group members can be up to 35 years of age
  • Addressing racism and its impacts on youth in urban, rural and/or Northern communities
  • Creating safe spaces for Indigenous and/or Black youth to build strong community and cultural connections
Who is eligible to apply?
  • YOF supports projects led by youth who share identities, experiences, and face the same systemic barriers as the people who will benefit from the project.
  • Youth are defined as individuals aged 12 to 25, or 12 to 29 for youth living with special needs and/or disabilities, mental health needs and/or addictions.
  • Eligible groups 
    • A grassroots group that is not registered as a charity or as an incorporated not-for-profit.
      • The work of a youth-led grassroots group or youth-adult partnership is community-led and community-inspired. Grassroots group means that core group members share identities and lived experiences with the young people who will benefit from the project.
      • If you are a grassroots group from a First Nation, you are eligible to apply. Your group cannot have more than 50% of its members as part of the band office or band council.
    • An organization incorporated as a not-for-profit corporation without share capital in a Canadian jurisdiction.
      • This includes a Chartered Community Council, operating under the Métis Nation of Ontario, or Inuit communities that are registered as not-for-profit corporations without share capital in Canada.
      • The organization cannot have more than $50,000 in gross revenue in each of the last two fiscal years. Revenue also needs to be independently managed.
      • Board members and day-to-day management must also meet youth-led group and youth adult-partnership definitions.
    • Note 
      • Groups can only apply for one Youth Opportunities Fund grant at a time.
      • If your group has an active Youth Opportunities Fund grant, you can only apply for funding if you are in the last year of your active grant.
  • Group requirements
    • Groups need to meet the following requirements to be eligible for funding.
      • Core group
        • Youth must make up more than 50% of the core group. Youth are defined as individuals aged 12 to 25, or 12 to 29 for youth living with special needs and/or disabilities, mental health needs and/or addictions.
        • The group has at least three core group members.
        • More than 50% of core group members are at arm’s length relationship to each other. An ‘arm’s length’ relationship means board members and group members are not married or related to each other, do not work as business partners or are otherwise in a relationship where interests may be compromised.
        • The group is based in Ontario and the work will benefit youth in Ontario.
        • The group exists independently of a larger organization (other not-for-profit), charitable organization or municipality, university, school, religious institution and/or hospital.
        • The group agrees to work with an Organizational Mentor and has autonomy to choose their Organizational Mentor, design the project, identify group members, and plan for the future.
      • Reflect communities served
        • Core group members (including board members, where applicable) reflect the identities and experiences of the youth they are working with and for.
        • The proposed project will benefit young people between 12-25, and/or 12-29 for youth living with special needs and/or disabilities, mental health needs and/or addictions.
        • The group serves youth over 12 years of age as its primary mandate.
        • YOF prioritizes projects led by and for Indigenous (First Nation, Métis, Inuit) and Black youth.
      • Leadership structure
        • There are two types of eligible leadership structures:
          • A youth-led group
            • The project is managed by youth, from planning and implementation to evaluation
            • Governance and decision-making roles are held entirely by youth.
          • A youth-adult partnership
            • This is a group that has young people as its primary audience and where youth and adults share power. This looks like:
              • Shared responsibility for decision-making about the project and the group.
              • Shared responsibility for planning and delivery of activities and the budget.
              • Shared responsibility for planning for the future of the project and the group.
Ineligible Groups
  • The following are not eligible to apply:
    • Registered charities
    • Religious entities established for the observation of religious beliefs, including, but not limited to, churches, temples, mosques and synagogues
    • Municipalities
    • Groups who are largely or entirely composed of adults, aged 30 or older
    • Groups with all adult board of directors, aged 30 or older (only applicable for registered not-for-profits)
    • Groups/projects of an existing organization (only applicable for not-for-profit or for profit)
    • Groups specifically designed to serve young people through committees or clubs of institutions, including municipalities, universities, schools, and hospitals
    • For-profit organizations and businesses
    • Individuals

For more information, visit OTF.