Solicited Call - Social Partnership Initiative for Official Language Minority Communities

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• Application period
• Description
• Objective
• Organizations solicited for funding
• Eligibility
• Contact us
• Glossary

Application period

Invited organizations can apply between January 8, 2024, to February 16, 2024, at 3 pm Eastern Standard Time (EST).

Description

The Social Partnership Initiative (SPI) for Official Language Minority Communities (OLMCs) is an initiative to increase social inclusion of diverse official language minority communities.

The SPI is a time-limited initiative that will provide funding through two experienced intermediary organizations to increase the capacity of OLMC-serving organizations. This support will help these organizations to:

• better meet the needs of diverse official language minority communities, and
• work in partnership with others to address common social challenges

Funding for this initiative was announced as part of the Action Plan for Official Languages 2023 to 2028: Protection-Promotion-Collaboration. The Action Plan reaffirms the Government’s commitment to the protection and promotion of Canada’s two official languages, the preservation of French, and the vitality of our official language minority communities. The SPI is a community development initiative that contributes to Pillar 3 of the Action Plan: Strong Measures in Support of Community Vitality.

Find more information about the Action Plan

Objective

We will select two eligible, OLMC-focused organizations to act as intermediaries to redistribute SPI funds to OLMC-serving organizations. The OLMC-serving projects that will be funded are to increase the social inclusion of diverse members of OLMCs across Canada.

There will be one for Francophone communities outside of Quebec and another for Anglophone communities within Quebec.

The intermediaries are also responsible for delivering on all 3 complementary objectives of the SPI:

• increasing the capacity of OLMC-serving community-based organizations
• better serving the needs of diverse OLMC individuals, families and communities, and
• working in partnership to address common social challenges

Organizations may request the following amounts:

• projects serving English-speaking OLMCs: up to $1,300,000, or
• projects serving French-speaking OLMCs: up to $3,025,000

The total funding available for both projects is $4,325,000 over 5 fiscal years.

The successful projects are expected to begin in spring 2024 and end by June 2028.

Organizations should propose projects that:

•  are approximately 4 years in duration, and
•  maximize use of the budget amounts available

Organizations solicited for funding

Organizations solicited for this funding must have recent and significant experience in the following areas:

• social inclusion
• community relationships
• broad reach
• funding capacity
• funding structures
• collaboration

You can find details of these terms in the glossary.

The organizations who meet these criteria and have been invited to apply under this funding opportunity are:

• Quebec Community Groups Network (QCGN)
• La Fédération des aînées et aînés francophones du Canada (FAAFC)
• Regional Development Network (RDN)
• Réseau pour le développement de l’alphabétisme et des compétences (RESDAC)

Find information on funded grant and contribution projects in proactive disclosure.

Eligibility

This is a solicited call for proposals in which two organizations with specific experience have been invited to apply.

If you believe that your organization meets all the eligibility criteria and wish to apply, contact us by January 26, 2024, at 10:00 a.m. Eastern Standard Time. If we determine that you meet these criteria, we will invite you to apply.

Eligible organizations may only submit one application for funding under this call.

Contact us

If you have questions, please email us at ESDC.SOCIAL.PART.INITIATIVE-INITIATIVE.PART.SOCIAL.EDSC@hrsdc-rhdcc.gc.ca. If you would like us to review your organization’s eligibility to apply, please contact us by January 26, 2024, at 10:00 a.m. Eastern Standard Time.

Find information on other funded grants and contribution projects

Glossary

Broad Reach

Delivering funding to a broad range of organizations across Canada or across Quebec, as applicable (including charities and not-for-profits).

Collaboration

Bringing organizations together and providing them with support or guidance to build their organizational capacity.

Community Relationships

Have current relationships with diverse OLMC organizations and can access key networks and build partnerships to:

• advertise the funding
• assess community-level needs, and
• inform funding decisions

Funding Capacity

Delivering application processes that are:

• accessible
• fair, and
• transparent

Funding Structures

Delivering a funding program, including:

• managing sub-funded agreements
• using financial controls to account for funds spent, and
• evaluating results

Intermediary

An intermediary is responsible for the following activities:

• conducting an accessible, fair and transparent process for selecting community organizations for funding
• managing and monitoring sub-agreements with community organizations for agreed upon activities (sub-projects)
• demonstrating good management of public funds by verifying financial claims from sub-funded organizations and paying for eligible costs
• establishing results measurement approaches and reporting on the results of the sub-agreements

Intersectionality

An approach that acknowledges the ways in which people's lives are shaped by their many and overlapping identities, which, together, can produce a unique and distinct experience for that individual or group. For example, removing barriers or creating more opportunities.

Organizational Capacity

For this funding opportunity, organizational capacity is an organization’s ability to meet its goals and carry out its mission, including its ability to find different sources of funding.

Partnership

Refers to a relationship between the applicant and another party (other than sub-funded organizations). Partners could be other community organizations, not-for-profit organizations, private sector organizations, municipalities, grassroots groups, foundations, and governments. Partners collaborate and assist in carrying out the project and contribute valuable resources, time and expertise to increase project success.

Diverse OLMC Populations

Examples of diverse populations may include, but are not limited to, members of OLMCs who are:

• children and youth
• seniors
• Black and racialized communities
• Indigenous peoples (First Nations, Inuit and Métis)
• 2SLGBTQI+
• low income
• newcomers
• women and girls
• persons with disabilities
• living in remote and rural communities

Populations may experience intersectionality and may be vulnerable.

Social Inclusion

Social inclusion is the ability to fully participate in, contribute to and benefit from all aspects of society.

Social Inclusion Experience

Managing projects (or delivering services) that include activities for which the main outcomes is supporting social inclusion (for example, delivering funding to sub-projects that aim to support social inclusion).

Vulnerable OLMC Populations

For the purpose of this funding call, vulnerable OLMC populations are OLMC individuals or groups that face the greatest socio-economic barriers, which may limit their ability to fully participate in and contribute to their communities. People may experience multiple forms of barriers.