Efficient and Inclusive Provincial Grant Applications

Issue

Provincial grant programs are not consistently accepting organizations registered under federal acts, and the amount of information required during the initial application phase is cumbersome for both the applicant and ministry. 

Background

Many grants administer by the provincial government have been developed such that all agencies that may be involved in the approval and payment of a grant have all of the information that they need at the point of application. This is a large, and unnecessary amount of data to collate, and a cumbersome process for both the applicant and government. 

As such, all applicants- from multinational businesses to non-profits without paid staff- are spending significant time creating funding applications. This reduces the pool of applicants as it directs time and resources away from operations, which is not feasible for many organizations. 

Our Recommendations

1. Improve the grant funding application process for non-profits by implementing a two-stage process made up by a preliminary (1-3 page) application, that once approved is followed by a detailed project proposal. 
2. Include federally registered Boards of Trade as recognized organizations for grant applications in all ministries.