Ontario Trillium Foundation: System Innovations Grant (Canada)

Deadline: 24-Aug-22

The Ontario Trillium Foundation (OTF) is seeking applications for its System Innovations Grant to support collaboratives to better understand, strategize, and work collectively to strengthen systems so they work better for youth while prioritizing Indigenous and Black young people.

Project Type

The grant funds one or both of the following:
- Groundwork: Planning and preparing for systems change
- Implementation: Putting research, theories of change, and plans into action

Funding Information

Maximum $250,000
Minimum 2 years, Maximum 6 years

Priority Outcome

When choosing your YOF Priority Outcome, think about:
- What are the key issues and/or challenges your selected YOF youth face in accessing and interacting with the system you are focusing on? Issues and challenges could include those related to policy frameworks, ideologies, culture, service design, or integration of service delivery
- What results are you hoping to achieve in the long run?
- How will young people experience the system your collaborative is focused on strengthening?
- Creating safe spaces for Indigenous and/or Black youth to build a strong community and cultural connections
- Addressing racism and its impacts on youth in urban, rural, and/or Northern communities
- Supporting Indigenous, Black, and/or newcomer youth to enter the labor market and transition to sustainable career pathways
- Supporting youth who are not connected to education programs, employment programs, and training programs (i.e. NEET) to exit poverty and social assistance
- Empowering girls and young women to lead, including women’s economic empowerment initiatives
- Providing mentorship opportunities for youth in and leaving care and/or youth involved in the justice system

Eligibility Criteria

Eligible Collaboratives
- Collaboratives eligible to apply to the System Innovations grant:
- Must reflect the communities and populations served. This means that partnering organizations reflect communities served in terms of both mandate, leadership, and staff teams.
- Must include young leaders in both groundwork and implementation as the intended beneficiaries of the systems change work
- Have the capacity to lead culturally responsive youth-centered systems change
- Can be newly formed or have been working together for some time
- Include partners from diverse sectors and backgrounds relevant to the system in focus and vision for change. This includes, but is not limited to Indigenous and Black organizations, organizations led by and serving specific communities, grassroots groups, youth-led groups, system partners, and community networks. They recognize that collaboratives will enter this process in different stages of readiness. If there are collaborative members missing that you consider essential to the work, you will have the opportunity to describe how this collaborative will secure their engagement as part of the application.
- Have clearly defined roles, responsibilities, and accountabilities
- They prioritize projects led by and for Indigenous (First Nation, Métis, Inuit) youth and Black youth. Read the definition of a Black- or Indigenous-led grassroots group.
What do They look for in a collaborative lead?
- Each collaborative will select one organization to be the lead. The lead organization accepts responsibility for the funded project and plays a key role in bringing key stakeholders to the collaborative table. The lead must meet all requirements to be an OTF funded organization.
- Additionally, they must:
  - Bring strong community connections, a strong reputation, and the respect of community stakeholders. They invite Indigenous organizations and Black organizations to assume the role of leadership in the collaboratives that are working to improve systems for Indigenous and Black youth in Ontario.
  - Be a registered charity with the Canada Revenue Agency, or an organization incorporated as a non-profit corporation without share capital in a Canadian jurisdiction, or a First Nation, and a Métis, Inuit, or other Indigenous community.
Project eligibility
- Your project may be eligible if it:
  - Submitted a complete application
  - Has a collaborative agreement in place, which is available to be shared with YOF if requested
  - Strongly aligns with your chosen YOF Priority Outcome
  - Complies with OTF policies. The policy requirements define eligibility for OTF funding and outline exclusions. Funds are granted to eligible applicants delivering eligible project activities that directly align with YOF Priority Outcomes.
  - Benefits young people ages 12-25 facing systemic barriers, and/or 12-29 for youth living with special needs and/or disabilities
  - Carries out all project activities in Ontario