Ontario Trillium Foundation launches Capital Grant Program (Canada)

Deadline: 5-Mar-25

The Ontario Trillium Foundation (OTF) has launched the Capital Grant Program to provide funding over one year to help organizations respond to the capital needs of Ontario’s communities.

In the Capital grant stream, OTF funds projects that update buildings, enhance physical spaces, and purchase fixed and non-fixed equipment so people and communities can thrive.

Funding Information

• Minimum $10,000
• Maximum $200,000

Duration

• Term length: Maximum 12 months

Funding Priorities

• OTF invests in projects that help build healthy and vibrant communities. OTF’s funding priorities focus on areas that identify the types of change OTF invests in. Select the funding priority that best meets the goal of your project:
  • Foster physically active lifestyles
  • Help people build stronger connections and a deeper sense of belonging in their community
  • Enrich lives through arts, culture and heritage
  • Support youth to develop stronger social, emotional and leadership skills
  • Support participation in the conservation and restoration of the environment
  • Enable economically vulnerable people to meet their basic needs and/or strengthen their financial stability

Eligibility Criteria

• OTF grants support the work of non-profit organizations, small municipalities and Indigenous communities to help them deliver direct community-based programs and services in Ontario.
• Interested applicants must:
  • deliver programs and services in one of four sectors: sports and recreation, arts and culture, environment, and human and social services.
  • have a primary purpose, presence, and reputation for delivering community-based programs and services with direct community benefit in one of OTF’s 16 geographic catchment areas in Ontario.
• In addition to these requirements, applicants must be one of the following:
  • Non-profit organizations
    • The following types of organizations may be eligible for funding. They are required to have at least one full year of registration and/or incorporation and operating.
    • A charitable organization registered with the Canada Revenue Agency
    • An organization incorporated as a not-for-profit corporation without share capital in a Canadian jurisdiction
  • Indigenous communities
    • The following Indigenous communities may be eligible for funding:
      • A First Nation
      • First Nations seeking funding for their libraries must apply on behalf of the library.
      • A Chartered Community Council, operating under the Métis Nation of Ontario
      • An Inuit community
  • Municipalities, libraries and local services boards
    • A municipality with a population of 20,000 or less, county library boards and local services boards serving populations of 20,000 or less are only eligible to apply for funding in two of OTF’s Funding Priorities:
      • Foster physically active lifestyles; or
      • Enriching lives through arts, culture and heritage
  • Religious entities 
    • An organization that is a religious entity or a faith-based group and is a registered charity or not-for-profit corporation may be eligible for funding.

Ineligibility Criteria

• The following are not eligible for OTF grants:
  • organizations that do not have a primary purpose, presence, and reputation for delivering community-based programs and services with direct community benefit in Ontario.
  • a person applying as an individual.
  • municipalities with populations over 20,000 and their affiliated agencies.
  • universities, colleges, schools and hospitals, and their affiliated agencies.
  • organizations that have a primary healthcare mandate – hospital or physician-led patient healthcare (e.g., family health teams, dental clinics, medical clinics, Ontario Health atHome (formerly LHIN)).
  • organizations that have a primary education mandate – school or home-based curriculum-based education (privately or publicly delivered).

For more information, visit OTF.