Apply for funding: Opportunities Fund for Persons with Disabilities – National or Regional Component

On this page

• Application period Closed
• Description of the funding
• Objectives of the Program
• Eligibility
• How we assess your application
• Steps to apply
• After you’ve applied
• Contact us
• Glossary

Application period

You could apply between May 30, 2022 and July 22, 2022 at 3:00 PM Eastern Daylight Time (EDT).

Description of the funding

This CFP will fund projects that support individuals, employers and others that work to support disability inclusion and accessibility in employment. The CFP is soliciting projects that:

• Promote an inclusive recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic
• Address both new and long-standing labour market barriers for persons with disabilities, and
• Provide innovative programming in support of persons with disabilities who are most underserved and/or further from the labour market

The CFP’s objective is to invite eligible organizations to submit proposals that:

• Support persons with disabilities:
  • prepare for, find, and keep good jobs or become self-employed, or
  • advance in their careers or take on new or greater responsibilities
• Assist employers to create inclusive and accessible workplaces, through activities, such as:
  • Coaching
  • Training
  • Human resources support, and
  • Other activities, to help them diversify their workforces by hiring and retaining persons with disabilities
• Improve the capacity of workers in a range of occupations to better identify and address barriers faced by persons with disabilities in the workplace.

These objectives align with the Government of Canada’s broader goals under the Employment Strategy for Canadians with Disabilities.

Eligible organizations can apply for funding up to $15,000,000 for a project that is up to 3 years (36 consecutive months).

There are 2 funding components available through this call for proposals:

1. National - Projects that deliver activities in 3 or more provinces or territories.
2. Regional - Projects that deliver activities in 1 or 2 provinces or territories.

An organization can apply with 1 proposal under the National component and 1 proposal under the Regional component. Each proposal must be for different activities.

A separate proposal must be submitted for each component.

If an organization is applying for both the national and regional components, a separate proposal must be submitted for each the national and the regional component.

Organizations can apply to receive funding to deliver activities under more than 1 stream for each component. For example, a project may focus on Steam 1 and Stream 3 activities.

Refer to Eligible Activities for activities specific to each stream.

If an organization wants to apply to more than 1 stream, they must clearly separate the information for each stream, for example:

Stream 1: Participant-focused Stream

• Project Objectives
• Project Activities
• Expected Results, including targets

Stream 2: Employers Stream

• Project Objectives
• Project Activities
• Expected Results, including targets

Stream 3: Career Advancement Stream

• Project Objectives
• Project Activities
• Expected Results, including targets

An organization can only apply for a maximum of 2 projects (one regional and one national). If more than 1 application is received per component (National or Regional), only the first application received for each component will be considered. The application with the earliest date stamp will be considered to be the first application received.

The Proactive disclosure page discloses details on funded projects.

Learn more about other funding opportunities

Objective of the Opportunities Fund Program

The Opportunities Fund (OF) program helps persons with disabilities increase their economic participation and independence by:

• preparing for, finding, and keep good jobs or becoming self employed, or
• advancing in their careers or taking on new or greater responsibilities

The program also provides supports to employers to help them make their workplaces more inclusive and accessible.

The OF program funds a wide range of supports and services, including:

• Pre-employment and employability supports
• Job search supports
• Work experience
• Self-employment assistance
• Wage subsidies
• Skills development
• Career advancement supports, and
• Employer engagement and awareness initiatives to encourage employers to hire and retain persons with disabilities and make their workplaces more inclusive and accessible

Eligibility

To apply, you must meet all the following eligibility criteria:

Eligible applicants

Your organization must be 1 of the following types:

• Not-for-profit organizations
• For-profit organizations (if nature and intent of the activity in its proposal is non commercial, not intended to generate profit, and supports program priorities and objectives)
• Municipal governments
• Educational Institutions (including post-secondary institutions), school boards
• Indigenous organizations (including band councils, tribal councils and self-government entities), or
• Provincial and territorial governments, institutions, agencies and Crown Corporations with approval from the Minister

Note for organizations established in Quebec:

Quebec organizations may apply for funding through the National Component. The Regional Component is not open to Quebec organizations given that the program's regional funds are administered under the Canada-Quebec Agreement in support of persons with disabilities in Quebec as part of the Opportunities Fund for Persons with Disabilities.

Eligible projects

Regardless of the stream under which you are applying, your project must meet all of the following eligibility criteria:

• Maximum duration of 3 years (or 36 consecutive months).
• Maximum funding request of $15,000,000 total.
• If applying under the National Component, the project activities must be delivered in 3 or more provinces or territories.
• If applying under the Regional Component, the project activities must be delivered in 1 or 2 provinces or territories.
• Must clearly indicate the stream(s) under which you propose to deliver each project activity. You may apply for 1 stream or combine 2 or 3 streams within the same proposal.

Each stream has its own specific eligibility requirements. You must meet each eligibility requirement listed for the stream(s) you are applying under.

Note:

• Please note that an average cost per participant of approximately $12,000 is anticipated.
• This figure is provided as guidance only and there is no expectation that this will be the case for all projects or all participants within a given project.
• The cost per participant should be reflective of what is needed to ensure the participants’ success in the project and may be higher or lower than average.

Stream 1 eligibility criteria

• Must include self-employment or work experience activities, or both. They can be offered on their own or in combination with other Stream 1 activities. It is expected that the labour needs of employers will be taken into consideration in project design.
• Must outline how they applicant will concretely engage with employers in support of creating the conditions for successful work placements.
• The project must involve a minimum of eight (8) participants per year. Within rural and remote regions, exceptions may be made regarding the minimum participant requirement. The recipient must include a strong justification in its proposal as to why the minimum requirement of eight participants cannot be fulfilled.
• Must include, as part of the standard intake process, an assessment of gender-or sex-related barriers in labour market participation, and develop individualized plans to address these barriers.
• Must provide access to mental health support (such as counselling) to individuals experiencing mental illness and/or a substance use and addiction. These supports should be included into the project to ensure timely access.
• Must include, as part of the standard intake process, a disability severity assessment, and an individual needs assessment. The disability severity assessment may draw on established assessment methods, such as those used by national or international statistical bodies.
• Must include plans to support more home-based work/telework, where opportunities exist, as a means of increasing the number and range of job opportunities and making work more accessible.
• Must demonstrate a history of serving persons with disabilities who are also members of other equity deserving groups. If an applicant cannot demonstrate that they meet this criterion, they must provide detailed plans, with defined targets and milestones, to address the gaps and improve inclusion for equity-deserving groups.

Proposals must provide details on how these specific criteria will be met.

Stream 2 eligibility criteria

• Must describe how they will reach out to employers including proposed activities to build employer awareness, raise the profile of persons with disabilities within the employer community, and promote the benefits of hiring, retaining and promoting persons with disabilities.
• Must describe how they will support employers prepare for the integration of persons with disabilities into their workplace, in anticipation of the future hiring of persons with disabilities.
• Must describe how they will incorporate gender-or sex-related barriers in labour market participation into their work with employers, to encourage gender equity in hiring and retention. Projects will be asked to report on the steps that they have taken to promote gender equity.
• Must describe how they will incorporate intersectional considerations into their work with employers, to encourage the hiring and retention of a broad cross-section of persons with disabilities from other equity deserving groups.
• Must describe proposed activities to encourage employers to provide good quality home-based job opportunities, where appropriate, as a means of creating flexibility, increasing inclusion and making work more accessible.

Proposals must provide details on how these specific criteria will be met.

Stream 3 eligibility criteria

• Must involve a minimum of 6 participants per year. Within rural and remote regions, exceptions may be made regarding the minimum participant requirement. The recipient must include a strong justification in its proposal as to why the minimum requirement of six participants cannot be fulfilled.
• Applicants must demonstrate in their proposal how they will engage with employers in support of creating the conditions for the advancement of their employees with disabilities. It is expected that the needs of employers will be taken into consideration in project design.
• Applicants must demonstrate how they will provide training and work placement opportunities for persons with disabilities who are employed part-time or full-time, to help them acquire new skills, competencies and work experience to help them move to higher quality jobs (with higher pay and benefits) or jobs with greater responsibilities, including leadership positions.
• Must describe how they will identify gender-or sex-related barriers to career advancement by persons with disabilities, and develop individualized plans to address these barriers as part of the standard intake process.
• Must include, as part of the standard intake process, a disability severity assessment, and an individual needs assessment. The disability severity assessment may draw on established assessment methods, such as those used by national or international statistical bodies.
• Describe how they will support home-based work/telework, where opportunities exist, as a means of increasing the number and range of job opportunities and making work more accessible.
• Must demonstrate a history of serving clients with disabilities who are also members of other equity deserving groups. If an applicant cannot demonstrate that they meet this criterion, they must provide detailed plans, with defined targets and milestones, to address the gaps and improve inclusion for equity-deserving groups.
• Applicants are encouraged to enter into strength-based partnerships and alliances with organizations that serve other equity-deserving groups and to detail these planned partnerships in their proposals.

Proposals must provide details on how these specific criteria will be met.

Eligible activities

Eligible activities are dependent upon the stream for which you wish to apply. See the activities listed below each stream to determine the appropriate eligible activities for your project.

The eligible activities under the individual streams should include a mental health lens. That means embedding mental health supports in projects to assist individuals experiencing concurrent mental illness or a substance use disorder. Projects should also be gender sensitive and seek to include underserved populations (equity deserving populations) in their activities.

Stream 1 - Participant-focused Stream

The following is a list of activities eligible for funding under the Participant-focused Stream:

• Work Experience (including potential wage subsidies)
• Skills for Employment (including pre-employment and employability supports)
• Self-Employment
• Enhanced Employment Assistance Services
• Enhanced Employer Support

Please note that proposals under this stream must include either self-employment or work experience activities. They can be the sole activities of a project or offered in combination with other activities.

Projects under Stream 1:

• Must engage with employers to create the conditions for successful work placements and the needs of employers must be taken into consideration in project design.
• Must involve a minimum of eight (8) participants per year. Within rural and remote regions, exceptions may be made regarding the minimum participant requirement. Must include a strong justification in the proposal as to why the minimum requirement of eight participants cannot be fulfilled.
• May also provide personalized additional “wrap-around” supports, including home-based work or training, to support successful participation in Stream 1 activities. Some examples of these types of supports include:
• childcare
• personal support workers
• transportation and
• accommodations.

• Work Experience (OF-WE)

  OF-WE provides support to employers to encourage them to hire persons with disabilities whom they may not otherwise hire. OF-WE activities can be either subsidized or non-subsidized. Applicants may combine OF-WE activities with OF Enhanced Employer Support activities (please refer to Enhanced Employer Support activities for more information).

  Where a wage subsidy is provided to the employer, it must be an established share of actual wages paid to the participant and mandatory employment-related costs (MERCs). Wages paid should be in-line with the prevailing labour market rate for the position the participant will fill.

  The subsidy rate can vary during the life of the funding agreement. A descending scale may be used, such that the amount of the subsidy diminishes over the duration of the activities. The activities may also include 1 or more blocks of time during which the employer covers the entire cost of the wages.

  For non-subsidized activities, employers may choose to offer a work placement without accepting ESDC's subsidy and cover the participants' wages and MERCs themselves.

  It is the recipient's responsibility to ensure that the participant is receiving a wage, since unpaid work placements are not permitted under OF. For this activity to be eligible for funding, and to ensure that they support labour market needs, participants must be placed in vacant or newly created positions. This could include internships and project-based employment, that offer meaningful mainstream employment opportunities and that are part of an employer’s normal business operations.

  Projects targeting youth with disabilities may include part-time employment experience (up to 15 hours per week) for secondary and post-secondary full or part-time students during the school year.

  OF-WE can be delivered to a minimum of 8 participants through either a Community Coordinator agreement (with or without other activities) or as a sole activity through an agreement directly with an employer.

  For projects with wage subsidies, the proposal must outline how they will be offered strategically in combination with other participants and employer supports to lead to potential stable, long-term employment.

• Skills for Employment (OF-SFE)

  OF-SFE enables a participant to undertake skills and employment training (up to a maximum of 18 months including all activities) and develop skills, from basic to advanced, that are required for employment.

  Please note: The length of time needed for completion of individual participant activities should be based on each participant’s needs. The maximum duration of up to 18 months is intended to support those experiencing complex or significant barriers. Activities during this time should be a combination of activities and must include a work experience or self-employment activity.

  This activity, during which time participants may receive income support and other supports, must be used to provide to participants to:

  • Prepare for specific opportunities for stable employment; and/or
  • Enhance their employability and link to the labour market through the development of social-emotional skills, such as adaptability, collaboration, and communication, etcetera, or through other pre-employment supports

  The specific skills training supported under OF-SFE should reflect current or projected local employment opportunities, or support the development of OF participants’ employability. Training may be:

  • Full-time or part-time
  • Short classroom-based courses
  • One-on-one instruction
  • Distance learning
  • Internet-based instruction
  • Correspondence courses, or
  • Other established delivery methods

  Examples of eligible OF-SFE training include:

  • Pre-employment soft skills training for employability
  • Pre-apprentice training
  • Clinical placement
  • Examination preparation courses
  • Short course skills training, and
  • Practicum

  OF-SFE cannot be the sole activity of an agreement and must be combined with either OF Work Experience (subsidized or non-subsidized), OF Self-Employment, or both.

• OF Self Employment (OF-SE)

  OF-SE activities provide support to facilitate economic independence of persons with disabilities. Participants may receive income support and other supports from the recipient organization, including:

  • Technical and consultative support to help them assess their business concepts
  • Prepare business plans, and
  • Launch the enterprise

  Participants must provide evidence of their ability to personally invest – a minimum of 10% of the cost of the launching the business. Examples of eligible OF-SE activities include:

  • Information sessions to participants potentially interested in OF-SE
  • Assessment services to help persons with disabilities articulate, identify and design responses and accommodations for their needs, and thereby allow them to pursue entrepreneurial activities
  • Orientation sessions to enable participants to assess:
    • risk
    • business viability
    • ability to cover costs, and
    • personal suitability
  • Entrepreneurial training (offered by the contribution recipient or third parties)
  • Workshops and coaching/mentoring activities to help participants develop and implement their business plan
  • Mechanisms for independent review of the viability of the proposed business concepts and business plans
  • Funding and/or provision of private professional certification (including training and fees), not otherwise covered by federal, provincial or territorial governments, that permits entrepreneurship, and
  • On-going group and individual mentoring and wrap around supports as participants develop their businesses and post-participation follow-up and support

  Eligible business activities^{Footnote 1}:

  • New business (for-profit, not-for-profit, and/or co-operative)
  • Part-time business (if appropriate given a participant’s capacity)
  • Existing business in which the participant has had no prior ownership
  • Existing business:
    • where the participant demonstrates a need for support due to a new or progressing disability
    • a significant change in the scale or focus of the business that gives rise to additional barriers, or
    • another significant change impacting the business that gives rise to additional barriers
  • Conversion of a hobby to a business
  • Business that is seasonal in nature (participant must be able and prepared to devote the necessary effort to business development and implementation), and
  • Home-based business

  Eligible business structures:

  • Sole ownership, in which the OF-SE participant owns 100% of the business and has complete control
  • Partnership, in which the partnership agreement demonstrates that the participant is a major decision-maker and has control of the venture
  • Corporation/limited company, in which the participant holds the majority of voting shares
  • Ownership or membership in a new worker co-operative, small- or medium-sized co-operative, or disability-owned co-operative, and
  • Franchise (if they have some flexibility with respect to the operation of the franchise and making day-to-day business decisions)

  Ineligible business activities:

  • Business that is partially or entirely based on commission when it is acting as an agent of a parent company (such as real estate agent, insurance broker)
  • Business that is currently in operation and open for business, in which the participant has ownership
  • Business previously, or currently, owned by the participant’s spouse, parent or child where the participant has had significant involvement in the management/decision-making processes
  • A not-for-profit organization that does not qualify as a business under Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) regulations
  • Any activity that involves:
    • Sexual exploitation
    • Illegal activity
    • Producing materials that promote hate, discrimination, or illegal activity, or
    • Promoting a particular religious or political opinion
  • Business in which the participant previously had ownership^{Footnote 2}

• OF-Enhanced Employment Assistance Services (OF-EEAS)

  OF-EEAS supports the provision of a mixture of activities (special services) tailored to meet the needs of persons with disabilities to facilitate their inclusion into employment.

  These services help individuals to prepare for, find, obtain and maintain full-time or part-time employment.

  Examples of eligible OF-EEAS activities include, but are not limited to:

  • Labour market information and information on other employment-related resources;
  • Identification of barriers to employment for persons with disabilities, such as:
    • Needs determination
    • Vocational testing and diagnostic services, and
    • Learning disability detection and assessment
  • Employment counselling services including:
    • Decision-making and learning strategies for individuals with barriers to employment
    • Addressing issues during participation in activities
    • Supporting employment maintenance once a participant has obtained a job
    • Group sessions to help participants improve their job search capabilities, and
    • Assistance in determining appropriate skills training
  • Job placement services, including:
    • Assistance to participants in choosing and applying for suitable job opportunities
    • Preparing résumés; and
    • Developing effective interview skills
  • Employment preparation or employability activities, such as:
    • Pre-employment training
    • Individualized employability training
    • Group workshops, and
    • Development of social-emotional skills such as adaptability, collaboration, and communication, etcetera
  • Individual or group training to enhance:
    • Individuals’ disability competence and their capacity to support disability inclusion, and
    • Accessibility in employment, including ensuring smooth transitions and long-term retention
  • Funding and/or provision of private professional certification (including training and fees) not otherwise covered by federal, provincial or territorial governments, that supports the participant’s path to career progress.
  • Provision of job coaches, advisors, technical experts and teaching assistants to assist with inclusion into the workforce or the development of a participant’s employability.

  OF-EEAS cannot be the sole activity of an agreement and must be combined with either OF Work Experience activities, OF Self-Employment, or both.

• Enhanced Employer Support (OF-EES)

  OF-EES activities focus on helping employers prepare for the inclusion of persons with disabilities into their workplace, and will normally include activities that precede the placement of participants with employers. However, activities may be offered following the placement of participants, to facilitate the establishment of a successful working relationship and to promote longer-term retention.

  If an organization takes on the role of a Community Coordinator, it is expected to support employers offering work placements.

  OF-EES activities may include, but are not limited to:

  • Organizing information sessions or workshops to better prepare the employer and staff to work with persons with disabilities participating in the OF program. An example would include providing information:
    • To support the inclusion of these persons with disabilities into the workplace
    • On the rights of persons with disabilities to appropriate accommodations, and
    • On existing and upcoming legislation
  • Promoting strategies, programs and tools available to employers to help them include persons with disabilities participating in the OF program as potential employees.
  • Providing employer supports, that complement other OF-WE activities such as:
    • Management coaching
    • Employee training, and
    • Human resources support to improve an employer's capacity to hire and retain persons with disabilities
  • Developing employer policies and procedures to include prospective employees with disabilities.
  • Providing technological aids to accommodate persons with disabilities participating in the OF program within the workplace.
  • Providing services to employers to aid with the hiring of persons with disabilities, for example interpretation services for the deaf, for interviews.

  Eligible activities under Stream 1 should include mental health and substance use and addiction supports, such as counselling and referrals.

  This means that eligible activities should embed mental health and substance abuse and addiction supports in projects to assist individuals experiencing challenges to succeed in their activities.

  Projects should also be gender sensitive and inclusive by seeking to include underserved populations (equity deserving populations) in their activities.

Stream 2 - Employer Stream

This stream does not include direct supports to individuals.

The following is a list of activities eligible for funding under the Employer Stream:

• Employer Awareness
• Enhanced Employer Support

• Employer Awareness (OF-EA)

  OF-EA funding can be provided for employer awareness projects to:

  • Raise the profile of persons with disabilities within the employer community, and
  • Highlight the capabilities and skills of workers with disabilities

  This may include working with the employer community to address barriers and increase employment opportunities for persons with disabilities by helping employers prepare for the inclusion of persons with disabilities into their places of work.

  This activity must be used to target a specific number of employers and engage them in intensive activities that promote the valuable contribution of persons with disabilities to the workforce.

  Examples of OF-EA activities include, but are not limited to:

  • Providing talent pools of unemployed persons with disabilities to employers experiencing labour shortages.
  • Information sessions on inclusion and accessibility to support the hiring, inclusion, retention, and career advancement of persons with disabilities.
  • Events profiling businesses with positive hiring practices for persons with disabilities (could include testimonials from persons with disabilities who have been successfully included into employment).
  • Supporting larger events (such as conferences and job fairs), the production and distribution of educational materials and information tools (beyond dissemination on the website), such as:
  • A brochure:
    • Dispelling myths of hiring persons with disabilities
    • Outlining accommodative strategies, or
    • Providing success stories
  • A video of success stories on the inclusion of individuals with disabilities into the workplace.
  • Supporting employer-led peer-to-peer networking, mentoring and information-sharing on best practices for increasing the accessibility and inclusiveness of workplaces for persons with disabilities, and
  • Developing employer policies and procedures to accommodate prospective employees with disabilities.

  Applicants must describe proposed activities to build employer awareness of the benefits of providing good quality home-based job opportunities.

• Enhanced Employer Support (OF-EES)

  OF-EES activities focus on helping employers prepare for the inclusion of persons with disabilities into their workplace, in anticipation of the future hiring of persons with disabilities.

  OF-EES activities may include, but are not limited to:

  • Organizing and delivering information sessions or workshops to better prepare the employer and staff to work with persons with disabilities, for example providing information:
    • Supporting the inclusion of persons with disabilities into the workplace
    • On the rights of persons with disabilities to appropriate accommodations, and
    • On existing and upcoming legislation
  • Reaching out and providing hands on supports to employers by:
    • Developing, promoting and disseminating strategies, programs and tools to be made available to help them include potential employees with disabilities, and
    • Providing opportunities for career advancement
  • Make their workplaces more inclusive and accessible to persons with disabilities including the provision of technological aids and other workplace accommodations that support:
    • Hiring, onboarding, and retention
    • Career advancement of persons with disabilities, and
    • The general inclusiveness and accessibility of their workplaces
  • Providing other employer supports, such as:
    • Management coaching
    • Employee training
  • Human resources support to improve an employer's capacity to:
    • Hire
    • Accommodate
    • Retain persons with disabilities, and
    • Support their career advancement
  • Developing employer policies and procedures to include prospective employees with disabilities
  • Providing technological aids to accommodate persons with disabilities within the workplace
  • Providing services to employers to aid with the hiring of persons with disabilities such as interpretation services for the deaf for interviews
  • Creating a list of employers who are able to offer work placements to OF participants
  • Providing matching services between employers (both as individual organizations or on a sectoral or group basis) and persons with disabilities who are potential employees
  • Promoting job brokering activities by individuals well-positioned to link persons with disabilities with particular employers or groups of employers, and
  • Training in disability skills and competencies to improve the capacity of workers in a range of occupations to enable them to better identify and address barriers faced by persons with disabilities in the workplace, including activities aimed at creating greater awareness of the needs of persons with disabilities and encouraging workplace cultures that are inclusive-by-design

  Employer Stream activities can be delivered as a stand-alone activity solely or within an OF Community Coordinator agreement.

  Eligible activities under Stream 2 should include proposed activities to build employer awareness of the needs of those experiencing mental illness or substance use disorders.

  Projects should incorporate gender-or sex-related and intersectional considerations into their work with employers, to encourage the hiring and retention of a broad cross-section of persons with disabilities, including from other equity deserving groups.

Stream 3 - Career Advancement Stream

The following is a list of activities eligible for funding under the Career Advancement Stream:

• Career Advancement Work Experience
• Skills for Advancement
• Employer Supports for Career Advancement

Projects under Stream 3:

• Must involve a minimum of 6 participants per year. Within rural and remote regions, exceptions may be made regarding the minimum participant requirement. The recipient must include a strong justification in its proposal as to why the minimum requirement of 6 participants cannot be fulfilled.
• Must describe how they will support home-based work/telework, where opportunities exist, as a means of increasing the number and range of job opportunities and making work more accessible.
• May also provide personalized additional “wrap-around” supports, including in the home for home-based work or training, to support successful participation in Stream 3 activities. Some examples of these types of supports include:
  • childcare
  • personal support workers
  • transportation, and
  • accommodations

• Career Advancement Work Experience

  Career Advancement Work Experience activities may include:

  • Supporting and subsidizing the costs of employers in providing time-limited job placements, internships or job-shadowing (up to 12 months) for employees with disabilities to:
    • help them acquire or enhance new skills and competencies, and
    • gain professional experience in certain areas of expertise for example moving from stock workers to bookkeeping or office assistant, etcetera
  • Support for physical and other accommodations for persons with disabilities to enable them to broaden their experience or progress in their careers by:
    • changing jobs, employers or sectors
    • moving to higher quality jobs for example with greater job stability, higher pay, benefits, or
    • jobs with more responsibility, including leadership positions

• Skills for Advancement (OF-SFA)

  OF-SFA activities may include, but are not limited to:

  • measures to assist:
    • employed persons with disabilities better assess and articulate their needs, and
    • employers to re-design work processes, split tasks and foster their employees’ with disabilities advancement and success by reorganizing work around their strengths
  • identification of barriers to advancement for individuals with disabilities, such as:
    • needs determination
    • vocational testing and diagnostic services
    • assessment services regarding physical and other accommodation requirements for advancement
  • employment counselling services (individual or group) including:
    • resume writing and job interview skills
    • decision-making
    • learning strategies for individuals with disabilities seeking to advance in their careers, including identification and supports for the career advancement of persons with known or unidentified learning disabilities
  • assistance in determining appropriate skills training and provision of group or individual sessions
  • help participants develop and/or improve their leadership skills, soft-skills, and awareness of job requirements for career advancement to higher-quality jobs and jobs with more responsibility
  • funding and/or financial support for professional certification (including training and fees), not otherwise covered by federal, provincial or territorial governments, that supports the participant's path to career progress

• Employer Supports for Career Advancement

  Employer Supports for Career Advancement activities focus on helping employers support career growth of persons with disabilities in their workplace, and will normally include activities that precede the placement of participants with employers. However, activities may be offered following the placement of participants, to facilitate the establishment of a successful working relationship and to promote longer-term success.

  Employer Supports for Career Advancement activities may include, but are not limited to:

  • helping employers develop strategies, targeted career advancement programs and tools that will provide opportunities for advancement of employees with disabilities to better quality jobs or jobs with more responsibility
  • providing alternative employer supports, such as management coaching, employee training and human resources support to improve an employer's capacity to become disability competent to address unacknowledged or unconscious biases in processes that may create barriers to the advancement of employees with disabilities (i.e. developing policies and procedures to support equitable advancement, designing inclusive assessment tools, etc)
  • helping employers by providing technological aids and other supports to enable employees with disabilities to succeed in the workplace and advance in their careers
  • providing services to employers to aid with the career advancement of persons with disabilities (e.g. interpretation services for the deaf for interviews and other accommodation needs, peer-to-peer networking and mentorship in support of the advancement of employees with disabilities), and
  • working with employers to identify areas of improvement and take necessary actions to facilitate career advancement of employees with disabilities

Eligible activities under Stream 3 are to include mental health support for participants when needed, including supports for those experiencing substance use disorders, to help them succeed.

Eligible participants

• Persons that self-identify as having a permanent or recurring physical, mental or neurodevelopmental disability that restricts their ability to perform daily activities
• Be legally entitled to work in Canada according to the relevant provincial and federal legislation and regulations
• Be Canadian citizens, permanent residents, or persons who have been granted refugee status in Canada
• Require assistance to prepare for, obtain and keep employment or self-employment, or advance in their careers, or
• Persons with or without disabilities participating in training to improve their skills and competencies to support workers with disabilities

Eligible expenditures

Eligible expenditures are those considered necessary to support the purpose of the funding. Eligible expenditures include the following:

• Overhead costs, including costs related to central administrative functions of the recipient organization that are drawn upon to support agreement activities. Examples include:
  • Shared postage
  • Telephones
  • IT maintenance, and
  • Head office support
• Materials and supplies
• Wages and mandatory employment-related costs (MERCS)
• Training and professional development for staff
• Honoraria and hospitality costs
• Printing and communication
• Travel (international travel must be specifically authorized)
• Professional fees (such as consultants, research, audit, translation)
• Capital costs only for repairs or renovations to support the participation of persons with disabilities (capital costs for the construction of a building or the purchase of land or buildings are not eligible costs)
• Expenses related to services and supports provided by partner organizations to enable the recipient to better serve members of other equity-deserving groups
• Sub-agreement costs of recipients that redistribute contributions
• Participant costs, such as:
  • Costs for tuition for a course or program of instruction
  • Living expenses
  • Expenses relating to specialized services, arrangements or equipment
  • Dependant care, and
  • Disability accommodation
• Costs of collecting and reporting on data as required by ESDC, and
• Other costs necessary to support the purpose of the funding, as approved by the Minister of ESDC

Ineligible expenditures include, but are not limited to:

• costs associated with fundraising activities
• Canada Revenue Agency or payroll penalties
• parking tickets
• fines or penalties
• entertainment costs
• depreciation on fixed assets
• board membership fees
• capital costs for the construction of a building or the purchase of land or buildings
• purchase of motor vehicles
• legal fees and court awards for inappropriate dismissal or other inappropriate/illegal activity
• membership fees for private clubs (e.g. golf clubs, gyms) unless part of existing (non-monetary)
• staff salary bonuses if not originally negotiated into agreement
• purchase of alcoholic beverages
• purchase of any illegal substances
• unreasonable gifts or unreasonable payments for recognition, and
• other costs ineligible as per program terms and conditions

How we assess your application

We will assess your application based on the following criteria:

• Project Relevance (25%): Clear link to the objective of the CFP and overall relevance of the proposal
• Project Management (55%): Clear activities and timelines, feasibility, project experience, results delivery and results measurement indicators)
• Project Budget (20%): Clear, reasonable and eligible costs to support project activities

Additional funding considerations

We are distributing funding as equitably as possible. Extra points may be awarded for applicants whom have never applied for OF funding in the past.

Some projects may not be funded due to departmental priorities.

Steps to apply

Gather your supporting documents and information

• Completed Application for Funding form (EMP5523)
• Proof of organization’s type and status: Provide your 15-digit Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) registration number.
  If you do not have a CRA registration number, provide 1 of the following:
  • your provincial/territorial corporation number (the number found on your Letters Patent)
  • your federal corporation number with Industry Canada
  • a document confirming the proof of operations for your organization
• Budget Detail Template (BDT) (PDF Format, 706KB)

Important notice: ESDC may refuse applications that are incomplete or contain errors. We will contact you to request any mandatory information if it is missing from your application. We will do this before we determine if your application is eligible. If you receive such a request, you must respond within 5 business days of the date we sent the request. If you do not respond by the deadline, we will assess your application as is.

Decide how to apply

Apply online

1. Create your Grants and Contributions Online Services (GCOS) account. GCOS allows you to apply and track your application status, sign agreements, manage active projects, submit supporting documents, and review past projects submitted through GCOS.
2. Read the applicant guide. This guide includes details for each question of the online form.
3. Download and save the Budget Detail Template (BDT) (PDF Format, 706KB) on your computer in order to complete it. You will be asked to upload this once you apply online. If you need a guide to assist you in completing the Budget Detail Template, please contact us at your ESDC office.
4. Submit your online application using your GCOS account
   Apply online

Information you need to know if you apply online:

• Private and public organizations must have a Canada Revenue Agency business number to apply online.
• You can print a copy of your application, before you submit your application, by following these steps:
  • Enter your username and password in the Grants and Contributions Online Services (GCOS) platform and click ‘Continue’.
  • Choose on your organization’s name.
  • Select ‘Gs & Cs Online Services’.
  • Under “Applications and Projects”, retrieve your application.
  • Select “View Application”.
  • Select review under “Review and Submit”.
  • Select “Print”. It will open the “Review and Submit” screen in a printable version.

Note:

For this Call for Proposals, expense reimbursement will be based on actual expenditures incurred. The flat rate option for Administrative Costs and Project Costs will not be available under this Call for Proposals.

After you print a copy of your online application, click “submit” to complete your application. If you do not click “submit”, your application will not be sent to us.

Apply by email or mail

1. Read the applicant guide to complete your Application for Funding form (EMP5523). This guide includes details for each question of the form.
2. Complete the Application for Funding form (EMP5523) and the Budget Detail Template (BDT) (PDF Format, 706KB). Ensure the Attestation section is complete.
3. Print and sign the signature pages
4. Send your complete application package by email or mail to the ESDC office closest to your organization’s head office, with a date stamp no later than July 22, 2022 11:59 PST.

Note: You cannot apply through other means, including cloud storage service providers such as Dropbox or Google Drive. We will reject applications sent using such means.

Note on PDFs

Our Application form uses PDF form technology. You must have a PDF reader installed to use the form. There are several readers you can get on the Internet for free that support our form. Either Adobe Reader 8 (or higher) or Foxit Reader should work.

Downloading the application form

• Make sure that you have 1 of the above PDF readers installed on your system
• Select the Application for Funding form (EMP5523)
• When prompted to open or save, select “Save as”
• Select your folder location and save (file type must be PDF)
• Reopen the form from your computer:
  • Select the “Open with” option
  • Choose option to open with your PDF reader
  • Make sure that the form opens in your PDF reader of choice, by looking at the top of your screen
• Begin inputting and save your form as you go
• Before submitting make sure that the form is complete and is saved

Forms that perform calculations

Some sections of the budget detail template will calculate totals for you. Please double-check all data you enter. You are in charge of ensuring the form is complete and correct.

Beware that these issues will impact your form

• Not using correct reader software. For example, old versions of Adobe, or Preview reader on a Mac
• Completing the form in a browser

After you’ve applied

We will review your application. We expect to make funding decisions between November 2022 and December 2022.

• Online

  You will receive an automatic confirmation of receipt.

• By email

  You will receive an automatic confirmation of receipt by email.

• By mail

  You will receive a confirmation of receipt by email within 14 calendar days from the end of the CFP. We will use the email address you provided in your application.

Contact us

If you have questions or need help with this application process, contact the ESDC office closest to your organization’s head office. We will answer questions sent before July 15, 2022 at 3:00 p.m. EDT.

If you need help or accommodations (such as documents in an alternate format, for example, large font, braille, etc.), please send us an email before July 15, 2022 at 3:00 p.m. EDT. Please give us enough time to make sure we can respond to your request. Please see the list of applicable ESDC office.

During the time that the call for proposals is open, we may, from time to time, provide additional clarification to applicants based on questions received. Applicants who wish to receive this information should send an email to their closest ESDC office.

Information sessions

An overview of the program was provided during the information sessions held at the end of June 2022. These sessions intended to facilitate the participation of small and underrepresented disability organizations in the application process. The information sessions provided:

• an overview of this application process
• guidance on the application process
• eligibility criteria
• objectives of the funding priorities

ESDC office contacts

New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Newfoundland and Labrador, or Prince Edward Island

ESDC.ATL.PD.OF.GD-BG.IF.EP.ATL.EDSC@servicecanada.gc.ca

PO Box 1800

Halifax NS

B3J 3V1

Ontario

ESDC.OF-ONTARIO-FI-ONTARIO.EDSC@servicecanada.gc.ca

PO Box 538

STN Don Mills

North York ON

M3C 0N9

Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta, British Columbia, Northwest Territories, Yukon, or Nunavut

ESDC.WT.EP.SECJ-YESS.PD.WT.EDSC@servicecanada.gc.ca

125-10th Avenue E

Vancouver BC

V5T 1Z3

Quebec

QC-DPMTDS-LMSDPB-PROG-GD@servicecanada.gc.ca

200 René-Lévesque W. 4th floor West Tower

Montréal Quebec

H2Z 1X4

Glossary

Disability

Consistent with the Accessible Canada Act, disability means any impairment, including a physical, mental, intellectual, cognitive, learning, communication or sensory impairment, or a functional limitation, whether permanent, temporary or episodic in nature, or evident or not, that, in interaction with a barrier, hinders a person’s full and equal participation in society.

Disability severity assessment

Determining and characterizing disability-related needs of a participant, based on a combination of professional and personal knowledge and experience, and on accepted disability measures (for example, those provided by the World Health Organization or Statistics Canada).

Equity deserving groups

Common equity deserving groups can include Indigenous peoples, black Canadians, racialized Canadians, new immigrants, certain religious or ethnic populations, or members of the LGBTQ2+ community.

Rural and Remote regions

The population is of less than 1,000 (core population) and where no, or very little, access to the services of the closest municipality with a population of 1,000 or more exists.

Intersectional considerations

Multiple and diverse identity factors that shape our perspectives, ideologies and experiences. Examples of identity factors that may intersect include, but are not limited to, gender identity, sexual orientation, living or having lived with a disability, racial or ethnic background.

Strength-based Partnerships

A relationship between the applicant and another organization who are engaging and collaborating in a project. This can include providing expertise and organizational capacity to contribute, either in-kind or financially, to the project. This can involve:

linking or sharing information

• resources
• activities, and/or
• capabilities by different organizations to achieve joint outcome(s)

Opportunities Fund Community Coordinator (OF-CC)

An OF-CC is a contribution recipient that receives ESDC/Service Canada contributions and further disburses portions of the funding to third parties for activities that meet the objectives of the CFP for the OF program (for example, providing wage subsidies to a host employer to hire an eligible participant).