1. Foundations and What They Look
for: Beyond the Grant Proposal
Ontario Trillium Foundation (OTF)
Carrie Butcher, Program Manager
November 1, 2010
OCASI Executive
Directors Forum 2010

2. OCASI Executive
Directors Forum 2010
Focus of Presentation
1. Introduction to the Ontario
Trillium Foundation (including
grant examples)
2. What OTF looks for in Grant
Applications
3. Questions and Answers

3. OCASI Executive
Directors Forum 2010
Grant Examples
• After-school, intergenerational
arts and culture programs for
newcomers
• Green settlement
• Recreational and environmental
programming that supports
settlement goals
• Capital grants: facilities
renovation, green roofs, musical
equipment etc.

4. About OTF
Agency of Government of Ontario
(public foundation)
1,400+ grants made by 300+
volunteers across Ontario each year
Granting sectors: arts and culture,
environment, human and social
services and sports and recreation
Applicants encouraged to link two or
more sectors.
OCASI Executive
Directors Forum 2010

5. OCASI Executive
Directors Forum 2010
OTF Mission
• Building healthy and vibrant
communities throughout
Ontario by strengthening the
capacity of the voluntary
sector, through investments
in community-based
initiatives.

6. OCASI Executive
Directors Forum 2010
OTF Priorities
• Enhanced success for students
and learners
• Healthier and more physically
active Ontarians
• Enhanced employment and
economic potential for workers
and their families
• More effective volunteers and
more people engaged in their
communities

7. OCASI Executive
Directors Forum 2010
Example of a Local Priority:
Toronto Grant Review Team
• Lower-income neighbourhoods
• The inner suburbs
• Youth
Suggested Reading: United Way of
Greater Toronto and Canadian Council
on Social Development, Poverty By
Postal Code

8. OCASI Executive
Directors Forum 2010
OTF Grants
• Time-limited grants that have a
lasting impact in communities
across Ontario.
• Grants are awarded for capital,
operating and other project costs.

9. OCASI Executive
Directors Forum 2010
Granting streams
• Community Grants and
Province-Wide Grants
• Future Fund Grants
• Community Capital Fund

10. OCASI Executive
Directors Forum 2010
Community Grants
• The maximum request is $375,000 over five
years. Within this amount of $375,000:
• The maximum capital request: $150,000
over the duration of the grant. The
maximum non-capital request is $75,000 in
any year.
• The average grant size in Toronto is just
under $100,000.

11. OCASI Executive
Directors Forum 2010
Province-Wide Grants
• 20% of OTF grant allocation for proposals
that have a province-wide impact (at least
three of OTF’s geographic catchment areas
or two in the north)
• Applications are reviewed and recommended
for funding by a committee of our Board of
Directors

12. OCASI Executive
Directors Forum 2010
Community Capital Fund
• $50 million in Government of Ontario
funding for infrastructure stimulus
projects
• Eligibility: charities and not-for-profit
organizations that serve diverse
cultural communities
• CCF will fund up to 50% of total
project costs ($20,000 up to
$500,000)

13. OCASI Executive
Directors Forum 2010
Future Fund
• Will support $2M in a portfolio of
initiatives that support and enable
youth to explore and pursue
meaningful economic opportunities.
• Call 1.800.263.2887 ext. 201 for
OTF Future Fund staff or email:
futurefund@trilliumfoundation.org

14. OCASI Executive
Directors Forum 2010
Competitive Process
• Each year approximately 1,500 grants
are awarded
• Across Ontario last year, approximately
$3.50 is requested for every $1 that OTF
has available
• Demand for funds is generally highest
in the City of Toronto

15. OCASI Executive
Directors Forum 2010
Eligible Applicants
• Registered charity
• Incorporated Not-for-Profit
• Branches or chapters of registered
charities or incorporated not-for-profits
• First Nations (by council resolution)
• Municipality pop. < 20,000
• Collaboratives containing at least one
eligible organization

16. OCASI Executive
Directors Forum 2010
OTF does not fund …
• Duplication of funding
• Activities outside of Ontario
• Municipalities > 20,000
• Universities, Colleges, Schools,
Hospitals
• Religious activities
• New buildings
• See full list in our Program Guidelines

17. OCASI Executive
Directors Forum 2010
Grant Review Process
Applications are assessed in relation to:
• eligibility of applicant
• eligibility of initiative
• extent to which an OTF granting
priority is addressed
• local priorities
• organizational assessment criteria
• application assessment criteria
• available funding

18. OCASI Executive
Directors Forum 2010
Assessment Criteria:
The Organization
The organization demonstrates that
it has:
• an elected volunteer board
representative of the community
• relevant mandate, proven track
record, good operating systems
• the ability to carry out the activity
and achieve the desired results

19. OCASI Executive
Directors Forum 2010
Assessment Criteria:
The Organization (continued)
The organization demonstrates that it
has:
• responsiveness to community needs
• a history of partnering with other
organizations
• need for OTF funding
• capacity to manage funds requested
(including realistic relationship
between the request amount and the
organization’s actual revenues)

20. OCASI Executive
Directors Forum 2010
Assessment Criteria:
The Proposal
The proposal demonstrates:
• clear measurable benefits to the
community
• significant need for OTF funding
• sustainability or lasting impact
• greater accessibility to activities,
programs, venues (physical,
financial, etc.)

21. OCASI Executive
Directors Forum 2010
Assessment Criteria:
The Proposal
The proposal demonstrates:
• community support (cash, in-kind
contributions, volunteers)
• that OTF is the appropriate
funder
• support from people who are
knowledgeable about the sector,
the community and/or the
proposal

22. OCASI Executive
Directors Forum 2010
Application Deadlines
March 1
July 1
November 1

23. Presentation Title
Tip
Be clear about the change
that your project will create
and how the community will
benefit
OCASI Executive
Directors Forum 2010

24. Presentation Title
Tip
Write who, what, why, when, where
and how much in 50 words or
less, for example:
“$25,000 over 6 months to enhance
ecosystem health by reducing the
use of pesticides in Peterborough by
holding 9 workshops, in 4
languages, on organic gardening
and composting, involving 450
local residents.”
OCASI Executive
Directors Forum 2010

25. OCASI Executive
Directors Forum 2010
Reflection: Grant Examples
• Green settlement
• Recreational and Environmental
programming that supports
settlement goals
• Capital for facilities renovation,
including green roofs
• Capital grant for musical equipment

26. Presentation Title
To learn more:
www.trilliumfoundation.org
Read the Program Guidelines
Register your organization online
Review: Application Form, “Tools and
Tips” and Grants Archive
OCASI Executive
Directors Forum 2010

27. Presentation Title
Questions and Answers
www.trilliumfoundation.org
OCASI Executive
Directors Forum 2010