Question

You have been hired as the Project Manager Assistant at a registered Non-for-profit corporation based on Scarborough. The corporation has more than 10 years of experience working on community education programs in the GTA. As the corporation is planning to apply for the first time for the Ontario Trillium Foundation Grants, you Supervisor asked you to do the research and summarize your findings in a 3-5 pages report the following three aspects: 1.General Information; regarding the OTF funding policies, such as • The OTF investment strategy (What they fund) • The investment streams (How they found) • Eligibility requirements 2. Specific Information; focused on the Grow Grant, investment stream, such as • Types of “grow” grants they fund • How to submit a “grow” grant application • How the “grow” grants are assessed • Amount and activities funded • What type of “grow” grants are the most suitable for your organization • The guidelines to choose the right action area, the right grant results, and the right metrics • What kind of evidence should be submitted to support the application 3. The “grow grant” application content • Based on the OTF requirements and application process, you must suggest the content of the application document to be sent for evaluation

Answer 1

Answer :

General Information - OTF Investment Strategy:

Following are the six areas where OTF channelizes its investments:

1. Active People - Promoting healthier lifestyles among people
2. Connected People - Create more inclusive and holistic communities
3. Green People - Promote sustainability and eco-friendly practices
4. Inspired People - Enrich the local community through the promotion of arts, culture, and music
5. Promising Young People - Support development of the youth and children
6. Prosperous People - Develop the economic health of people in the community.

General Information - OTF Investment Streams:

Following are the four investment streams of OTF:

1. Seed Grants - Investment into projects which are at the initial or concept stage.
2. Grow Grants - Investments into projects whose concepts have been proven successful and are in the process of scale-up.
3. Capital Grants - Investments into projects which provide benefit to the broader community.
4. Youth Opportunities Fund - Investments in projects focused on the welfare of youth, children, and families.

General Information - Eligibility Requirements:

Following are the eligibility requirements of OTF:

• A charity organization registered in Canada.
• A not-for-profit organization incorporated without any share capital in Canada.
• A national library
• Part of Metis, Inuit or any other local indigenous community
• A municipality with a maximum population of 20,000 is eligible for:
  • funding under the Active People Action Areas
  • funding under cultural or recreation agencies, including municipal libraries and museums
• A partnership of two or more organizations, where the lead organization meets OTF eligibility criteria and accepts responsibility for the application and grant.

Also, the applicant should:

• Maintain a presence and reputation in Ontario with a primary purpose of delivering community programs and services to benefit people in Ontario
• Comply with all applicable legislation
• Demonstrate the capacity to manage and complete the proposed project

Specific Information - Types of Grow Grants:

The Grow Grants focus on three types of projects, which enable positive change in local communities:

• Launch, Replicate, or Adapt a program
• Scale-up a program currently being delivered, thus impacting more people
• Improve the quality of an ongoing program to increase the impact.

Specific Information - How to submit a Grow Grant application:

The applicant should fill up the Grow Grant Application form under the following broad heads:

1. Organizational Details - Details such as organization name, contact person, address, mission, staff details, volunteer details, revenue details, source of revenue, and details of the board of directors.
2. Project Details - Details about the specific project for which funding is being applied, the category under which the funding is being sought, details of the catchment area where maximum impact is expected, project timelines, duration, target population base, age-group, strategy, process, project plan, risk management plan, financial plan, and details of the personnel involved in the project.

Specific Information - How Grow Grant application are assessed:

The Grow Investment Stream application is weighed on the following four areas:

• Strategy 40% (Strategy to utilize the grant and achieve desired outcomes)
• Process 30% (Process are efficient and aligned with the strategy to achieve the desired outcome)
• People 20% (Manpower involved in the project are capable of executing the plan effectively)
• Value for Money 10% (Project delivers maximum value for money)