Youth Innovations Scale Grant

Scale your successful project with a proven model to expand your reach or enhance your impact on young people.

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Term length

Minimum 2 years, Maximum 3 years

Amount awarded (per year)

Minimum N/A

Maximum $150,000

Enhance or expand an existing project

Successful local projects tailored to the needs of youth can resonate in ways that require a scaled-up response to continue to meet the demand created through trust and collaboration.

YOF believes that grassroots leaders with at least two years of experience running community-based projects have the skills to expand and improve them for the communities they serve. By scaling these proven initiatives, they can further improve the social and economic well-being of youth in their communities. A Youth Innovations Scale grant is designed to help groups:

Enhance their existing project to create a deeper impact, or
Expand their project to reach more youth.

YOF prioritizes grassroots groups that are looking to address the experiences of Indigenous and/ or Black youth who continue to face systemic barriers and oppression.

In addition to prioritizing Black and Indigenous grassroots groups, YOF prioritizes investing in projects that positively impact youth with the following lived experiences or identities:

Youth in conflict or at risk of being in conflict with the law
Youth in care or leaving care
Youth at-risk of dropping out or have dropped out of school
Youth living with disabilities and/or special needs between the ages of 12 to 29
Two-spirit, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and/or questioning, intersex, asexual (2SLGBTQIA+) youth

Deadlines

Step 1: Deadline to submit the Expression of Interest Only applicants with a successful Expression of Interest will be invited to submit a grant application.	April 9, 2025, at 5 PM ET
Notification of status of the Expression of Interest	Approximately 6 weeks after the Expression of Interest deadline
Organizational Mentor application period	December 4, 2024 to June 18, 2025
Step 2: Deadline to submit the grant application	July 9, 2025, at 5 PM ET
Notification of funding decision	Approximately 8 weeks after the grant application deadline
Start date for all Grants	November 1, 2025

Who is eligible to apply

YOF supports projects led by youth who share identities, experiences, and face the same systemic barriers as the people who will benefit from the project. This “led by and for” principle is a requirement in all YOF funding streams.

Eligible groups

A grassroots group that is not registered as a charity or as an incorporated not-for-profit.

The work of a youth-led grassroots group or youth-adult partnership is community-led and community-inspired. Grassroots group means that core group members share identities and lived experiences with the young people who will benefit from the project.
If you are a grassroots group from a First Nation, you are eligible to apply. Your group cannot have more than 50% of its members as part of the band office or band council.

An organization incorporated as a not-for-profit corporation without share capital in a Canadian jurisdiction.

This includes a Chartered Community Council, operating under the Métis Nation of Ontario, or Inuit communities that are registered as not-for-profit corporations without share capital in Canada.
The organization cannot have more than $50,000 in gross revenue in each of the last two fiscal years. Revenue also needs to be independently managed.
Board members and day-to-day management must also meet youth-led group and youth adult-partnership definitions.

Note

Groups can only apply for one Youth Opportunities Fund grant at a time.
If your group has an active Youth Opportunities Fund grant, you can only apply for funding if you are in the last year of your active grant.

Group requirements

Groups need to meet the following requirements to be eligible for funding.

1. Reflect communities served

Core group members (including board members, where applicable) reflect the identities and experiences of the youth they are working with and for.
The proposed project will benefit young people between 12-25, and/or 12-29 for youth living with special needs and/or disabilities, mental health needs and/or addictions.
The group serves youth over 12 years of age as its primary mandate.

2. Core group

The group has at least three core group members.
More than 50% of core group members are at arm’s length relationship to each other. An ‘arm's length’ relationship means board members and group members are not married or related to each other, do not work as business partners or are otherwise in a relationship where interests may be compromised.
Youth must make up more than 50% of the core group.
The group is based in Ontario and the work will benefit youth in Ontario.
The group exists independently of a larger organization (other not-for-profit), charitable organization or municipality, university, school, religious institution and/or hospital.
The group agrees to work with an Organizational Mentor and has autonomy to choose their Organizational Mentor, design the project, identify group members, and plan for the future.

3. Leadership structure

There are two types of eligible leadership structures:

A youth-led group

This looks like:

Youth are defined as individuals aged 12 to 25, or 12 to 29 for youth living with special needs and/or disabilities, mental health needs and/or addictions.
Governance and decision-making roles are held entirely by youth.
The project is managed by youth, from planning and implementation to evaluation.

A youth-adult partnership

This is a group that has young people as its primary audience and where youth and adults share power. This looks like:

Shared responsibility for decision-making about the project and the group.
Shared responsibility for planning and delivery of activities and the budget.
Shared responsibility for planning for the future of the project and the group.

Youth-adult partnerships must be initiated by youth. If a youth-adult partnership is initiated by adults, it is not eligible for this grant.

Note: Adult groups, where most or all members are 35 or younger, are eligible to apply if they seek to advance the following Priority Outcome: Supporting youth in and/or leaving care and/or involved in the justice system to navigate and access resources for wellbeing.

Ineligible groups

The following are not eligible to apply:

Registered charities.
Religious entities established for the observation of religious beliefs, including, but not limited to, churches, temples, mosques and synagogues.
Municipalities.
Groups who are largely or entirely composed of adults, aged 30 or older.
Groups with all adult board of directors, aged 30 or older (only applicable for registered not-for-profits).
Groups/projects of an existing organization (only applicable for not-for-profit or for profit).
Groups specifically designed to serve young people through committees or clubs of institutions, including municipalities, universities, schools, and hospitals.
For-profit organizations and businesses.
Individuals.

Project eligibility

Your project may be eligible if it:

Includes all required information.
Strongly aligns with your chosen Priority Outcome.
Complies with OTF policies:
- Our policy requirements define eligibility for OTF funding and outline exclusions.
- Funds are granted to eligible applicants delivering eligible project activities that directly align with one Priority Outcome.
Benefits young people ages 12-25, and/or 12-29 for youth living with special needs and/or disabilities, mental health needs and/or addictions.

What we fund

This grant can help you improve or expand your program if you have successfully delivered core activities for at least two years and have had a positive impact on youth.

You also need to demonstrate that your group can sustain the program because of your group’s track record and continued engagement with youth and the community. Familiarize yourself with the full list of assessment criteria.

Explore what we fund below through this grant stream.

Choose the project type that closely aligns with your specific work:

Enhance the quality of youth experiences to deepen the impact of a current project

This project type is for groups that want to make a project event better to increase impact on youth. This project type includes adding new program components, such as modifying and/or making refinements to your existing model.

Choose this project type if:

This is a project your group currently delivers and/or has delivered for at least two years.
Your group has strong evidence of the project's success and impact that aligns with one of the Priority Outcomes associated with this grant.
Your group can demonstrate how you can enhance your core project and deepen the impact for the profile of youth you are currently working with.
Your core group of three or more members have history and experience doing work together. This experience can include delivering the core program model or other activities in community.

Expand a current project to impact more youth

This project type is for groups that want to reach more young people and expand the impact of their project. Expanding an existing successful project should also include aiming to increase the number of young people who can access your program. For example, you could add more locations or hours to expand program delivery and increase access for youth beneficiaries.

Choose this project type if:

This is a project your group currently delivers and/or has delivered for at least two years.
Your group has strong evidence of the project's success and impact that aligns with one of the Priority Outcomes associated with this grant.
Your group can demonstrate how you can expand the reach of the project and achieve your chosen Priority Outcome to serve more youth.
Your core group of three or more members have history and experience doing work together. This experience can include delivering the core program model or other activities in community.

Priority Outcomes reflect the changes YOF is investing in. All approved projects must advance one of these outcomes through project activities. While many of the outcomes focus on key priority populations or experiences, we will prioritize Indigenous and Black youth as part of our commitments to addressing systemic barriers to economic and social wellbeing.

The one Priority Outcome your group chooses identifies the impact your project will build on in your Scale grant.

List of Priority Outcomes

Empowering girls and young women to lead, including women's economic empowerment initiative
Supporting Indigenous, Black, and/or newcomer youth to enter the labour market and transition to sustainable career pathways
Supporting youth in and/or leaving care and/or involved in the justice system to navigate and access resources for wellbeing
- Note: For this outcome, core group members can be up to 35 years of age
Addressing racism and its impacts on youth in urban, rural and/or Northern communities
Creating safe spaces for Indigenous and/or Black youth to build strong community and cultural connections

How to choose a Priority Outcome

When choosing your Priority Outcome, ask yourself:

What key issues and/or challenges do your selected youth beneficiaries face?
Over the past two years, what changes did your group achieve through your core project activities and what changes do you want to sustain as a group?
What results does your group hope to achieve through your project?

As you fill out your application, you should align your answers to the Priority Outcome your project will achieve.

As you complete your application, align your Scale project with the primary beneficiaries named in your chosen Priority Outcome. We recognize that your primary beneficiaries may hold other identities and experiences that are critical to the design and delivery of your project.

In your application, identify the primary beneficiaries of your project and their intersecting identities and lived experiences. Your core group members should share the identities and lived experiences of your primary beneficiaries.

List of primary beneficiaries

Indigenous youth (First Nation, Métis, or Inuit)
- When selecting Indigenous (First Nations, Métis or Inuit), beneficiaries can be from urban, rural and on reserve communities
Black youth
Racialized youth
Newcomer youth
Francophone youth
Two-spirit, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and/or questioning, intersex, asexual (2SLGBTQIA+) youth
Girls and young women
Youth living with disabilities or special needs between the ages of 12 to 29
Youth living in rural, remote and/or Northern communities
Youth in conflict or at risk of being in conflict with the law
Youth in care or leaving care
Youth in low-income situations or from low-income families
Youth who are homeless or at risk of being homeless
Youth at-risk of dropping out or have dropped out of school
Youth living with mental health needs and/or addictions between the ages of 12 to 29
Youth who are not engaged and/or at risk of not being engaged with education, employment and training programs

Prepare a clear Budget and ensure that the identified costs correspond with the deliverables and major activities of your Project Plan.

All costs funded must be eligible and directly attributable to the project. Ensure that budget amounts align with Project Plan activities. Familiarize yourself with the sample Project Plan and Budget.

Eligible Budget Categories

You can apply for funding to cover project costs across the following categories:

Staffing (with considerations for Mandatory Employee Required Costs (MERC) of 20%)
- As you consider the roles and responsibilities of staff, ensure you include livable wages to support your program delivery
Transportation
Honorarium (to recognize the contributions of community leaders, elders and/ or volunteers)
Support Services (translation, interpretation, child-minding)
Project supplies and materials
Project equipment (rental or purchase)
Food (for program participants)
Communications (website, promotions)
Fees (for services delivered by experts, facilitators, professionals)

Required budget categories

The following costs are required for this grant:

Administrative Support Costs (for Organizational Mentors): 15% of total budget.
Capacity Building Costs: $2,000 to $4,000 per year. Learn more about eligible capacity building activities.

Ineligible costs

Taxes, such as GST and HST, for which the Organizational Mentor is eligible for a tax rebate, and all other costs eligible for rebates.
Capital infrastructure costs (renovations to space).
Contingency costs.
Costs related to political or religious activities.
General or ongoing operating costs (unrelated to the project).
Personal one-on-one professional services (including expenses related to direct therapy, counselling/ legal and/or accounting advice).
Costs related to paying for participant groceries, household supplies, or equipment.
Bursaries, scholarships, sponsorships or individual requests (including regranting funds to other projects or people).
Fundraising campaigns.

Review all ineligible activities.

Application resources and support

Complete the Expression of Interest: Step 1 of the grant application

The Expression of Interest is the first step of a grant application and it provides OTF with the information needed to assess your proposed project. Groups with Expressions of Interest that are shortlisted will be invited to complete Step 2 of the grant application.

Review the Expression of Interest.
Use the sample Project Plan and Budget.
Familiarize yourself with the assessment criteria.

Work with an Organizational Mentor

All applicants need to partner with an Organizational Mentor and enter into a collaborative agreement. An Organizational Mentor provides administrative support, project mentoring, and financial accountability to grant recipients and is a partner in the project. Learn more about Organizational Mentors.

Access application supports

General webinars are available year-round to learn about the YOF program and eligibility criteria for applicants. Register for a webinar today!
For immediate support, contact us at 1 800 263-2887 or yof@otf.ca.

Application process

The application process involves various steps for groups and Organizational Mentors.

Prepare your application

Review the application deadlines.
Plan ahead and use the application resources available to support you.
Contact us at 1 800 263-2887 or yof@otf.ca for support.

2. Create an OTF account

OTF requires all grant applications to be submitted through its Granting Portal.

Returning users: Sign-in to the Granting Portal when the application becomes available.
New users: To access available grant applications, create an OTF account.
- You will need to enter the name of your group’s primary contact and their email address.
- An email will be sent to the primary contact to complete setting up their account.

3. Submit the Expression of Interest

Once the application portal opens, you can complete and submit the Expression of Interest by the deadline date.
Late submissions of the Expression of Interest will not be accepted.

4. Review and assessment of Expression of Interest

Staff review your group’s eligibility, your readiness to do this work, the potential impact of your project, and how well you understand the needs, interests, and experiences of the beneficiaries you want to work with.
As part of the assessment process, we review the online presence of all applicants to ensure they deliver direct programs and services to Ontarians and that they are not engaged in ineligible activities. This includes:
- The majority of group activities are for the purpose of bringing about change in law or government policy, including public policy dialogue and development.
- Political activities supporting or opposing any political party, elected representative, or candidate for public office.
- For more information about eligible and ineligible activities, review OTF’s Eligibility Policy.

5. Notification of shortlisted Expressions of Interest

We notify all applicants of the status of their Expression of Interest approximately 6 weeks after the deadline.
Applicants with a shortlisted Expression of Interest will be invited to submit a grant application with an Organizational Mentor. Applicants are asked to start researching for potential Organizational Mentors at this stage.

6. Connect with Organizational Mentors

Applicants are required to confirm their Organizational Mentor at the grant application stage. We encourage you to start this relationship early.
We will verify the eligibility of your Organizational Mentor. For more information about how we assess eligibility, review OTF’s Policies and Organizational Mentor requirements.
If your selected Organizational Mentor is not eligible, we will ask them to notify your group and project leaders. The YOF team will provide support to find a new potential Organizational Mentor.
Organizational Mentors need to have an OTF account to access the Organizational Mentor application through OTF’s Granting Portal.
Discover the application process and eligibility requirements for Organizational Mentors.

For shortlisted groups only

7. Submit the grant application

Your group needs to work with your Organizational Mentor to review the draft grant application, finalize your Organizational Mentor-Grassroots Groups Collaborative Agreement, and submit a complete grant application.
You will need to upload your signed agreement with your grant application.

8. Recommendation and selection

OTF’s Board of Directors approves grant recommendations put forward by YOF’s Grant Review Committee.

9. Notification

Your group will be notified of the status of your grant application approximately 8 weeks after the deadline.

10. Confirmation and Orientation

Successful groups take part in a mandatory orientation session and trainings.
Your Organizational Mentor is sent an email with the OTF Grant Contract.
Your Organizational Mentor is responsible for signing and upholding the Grant Contract with OTF.

11. After approval

Reporting & monitoring: In addition to scheduled check-ins, grantees track activities, spending, and learning to complete the annual progress report and a final report.
Capacity building: This is an opportunity for learning and development to enhance group skills as you deliver your project. Capacity building work will help you connect and network with other grantees by participating in YOF-led events and making the most of capacity building funds available in your project budget.
Evaluation: Grantees are asked to measure their progress towards their selected Priority Outcome. Support is provided to grantees to complete the evaluation activities.
Grant Completion: After a group’s Final Report is approved by OTF, the grant hold-back funds, which is the final payment for the project, are released and the grant is closed.
Grantee Compliance Audit:
- A random sample of grants are subject to a Grantee Compliance Audit.
- Grants can be audited for compliance at any point within the grant’s life, or after the grant has been closed.

Expression of Interest assessment

Your Expression of Interest is assessed based on three areas of the application: Group Eligibility, People and Strategy.

The Project Plan and Budget will not be assessed with the Expression of Interest. However, if your Expression of Interest is shortlisted, it will be reviewed by a Program Manager at the grant application stage. A Program Manager will contact you to share feedback on the Project Plan and Budget prior to the grant application deadline.

If your Expression of Interest is shortlisted, you’ll be invited to submit a grant application with an Organizational Mentor.

Group Eligibility

The eligibility of the group is reviewed and assessed as either eligible or not eligible. If the group does not meet requirements, their Expression of Interest will not proceed for a full review. Assessment criteria includes:

Core group members (including board members, where applicable) reflect the identities and experiences of the youth they are working with and for.
The group operates as either youth-led or a youth-adult partnership.
The application is complete and contains clear and detailed responses.
Young people (ages 12-25) and/or those with disabilities, special needs, mental health needs and addictions (ages 12-29) are clear beneficiaries of the project.
The group has delivered two years of core activities that have had an impact on YOF youth (primary beneficiaries) and is ready to scale the project.
The group exists independently of a larger organization (other not-for-profit), charitable organization or municipality, university, school, and/or hospital.
The group is based in Ontario and the work will benefit youth in Ontario.
The group has at least three core group members.
More than 50% of core group members are at arm’s length relationship to each other. An ‘arm's length’ relationship means board members and group members are not married or related to each other, do not work as business partners or are otherwise in a relationship where interests may be compromised.
Youth must make up more than 50% of the core group.
The group is not a registered charity.
The Board of Directors table is complete with all active board members and all board members are included in the core group table (for registered not-for-profits only).
The project complies with OTF Policies.
The group is in compliance with advocacy requirements of OTF’s Eligibility Policy.
The group is either an unincorporated group or an incorporated not-for-profit corporation, with independently managed revenues of $50,000 or less in either of the last two years.

People

Assessment weight: 40%

Strong Youth Leadership

Key areas of your application to focus on:

The group fully operates as a youth-led or a youth-adult partnership.
Youth are meaningfully engaged at the leadership and program delivery level of the project.
The group members have a history of working together.
The group demonstrates that collectively they have the skills and experiences to deliver project activities and scale this project.
The group demonstrates that they can effectively administer the grant (annual planning and reporting, budget management etc.).

Strategy

Assessment weight: 60%

Setting the Context (Issue & idea)

The group clearly and fully demonstrates they have delivered activities over two years to youth.
The group has fully and clearly described how they want to scale their current project and for what purpose (to “Enhance the quality of youth experiences to deepen the impact of a current project” or “Expand a current project to impact more youth”).
The need, issue or opportunity connects to systemic barriers that youth face.
Original core project activities and the proposed plan to scale the project are an effective response to the need, issue or opportunity the group is addressing.
Original core project activities and the proposed plan to scale respond well to the context and experiences of the young people who are engaged through this project.

Scaling Impactful Projects (Idea & Impact)

Youth are clear and direct beneficiaries of the project.
The strategy for scaling results in either a deeper impact for youth beneficiaries or more youth reached.
Past project results and any new changes or impacts can be achieved through the plan to scale and proposed project activities.
Past project results and any new changes or impacts align with the selected Priority Outcome.