Most Common Application Mistakes

Organization Information

1. Applicant is not compliant with OTF policies

As part of the assessment process, OTF ensures that applicants comply with OTF’s granting policies:

• Anti-Discrimination Policy
• Eligibility Policy

When applicants do not meet these policies, the application will be declined.

2. Applicant does not fit with who we fund

Applicants are assessed according to OTF’s Eligibility Policy. When applicants do not meet these requirements, the application will not proceed to a full review.  

3. Financial documents don’t meet requirements

Wrong type of financial statements

The size of your organization’s revenue determines who should be preparing your financial statements to submit with your grant application. Most common mistakes with this requirement are for:

• Organizations with revenues less than $99,999: Financial statements can be prepared by staff, internal bookkeeper, board member, or an accountant.
• Organizations with revenues $100,000 or more: Financial statements need to be prepared externally and with different criteria, depending on total revenues.

Applications that contain the wrong type of financial statements will not proceed to a full review.

Review the Financial Statement Requirements.

Missing surplus or deficit information

Organizations with an accumulated surplus or deficit need to include additional documentation with the application. This information provides further explanation for staff reviewing the application. Applications that do not provide this documentation will not proceed to a full review. 

Review the Financial Statement Requirements and use the Financial Position Calculator to determine if you have an accumulated surplus or deficit. 

Project Information 

4. Responses do not include enough information

OTF receives a very high volume of grant applications. While we review and assess all submitted applications, applicants can forget to provide enough detail to give OTF a full, and clear picture of their project. This often includes:

• Answers that don’t provide relevant information about the project and organization.
• Missing information about how the project will be delivered.

Applications that don’t have all of the answers fully completed will be declined.

5. Documents are missing or incorrect

Various documentation is required as part of the application. Certain documents are commonly missed or incorrect. Here are some examples: 

• Quotes and estimates are not submitted, are missing dates or don’t clearly go with a budget item.
• Photos of equipment needed to deliver a project are not submitted.
• The wrong proof of ownership documents are uploaded. (Applicable for Grow and Capital grants)
• A lease agreement does not show a minimum of 5 years remaining at the time of application deadline. (Applicable for Grow and Capital grants)
• Collaborative applications that are missing a complete Collaborative Agreement. (Applicable for Grow, Seed and Sector grants)

Applications that are missing documents or have incorrect documentation will be declined.

6. Missing or incorrect quotes/estimates

Applicants frequently omit required quotes or estimates from third-party professionals, such as vendors and suppliers, for goods and services valued over $5,000, either individually or cumulative. 

To meet documentation requirements, applicants must include proof of pricing, such as:

• A PDF quote or estimate prepared by a third-party vendor or supplier.
• A screenshot of an online shopping cart from a third-party vendor or supplier site.

The documentation should clearly show:

• The date it was captured.
• The vendor or supplier name.
• The items and prices.

Example of Acceptable Documentation: You submit a screenshot of your online shopping cart from a major retailer showing the price of art supplies and office furniture. Since the combined total from the same retailer is more than $5,000, the documentation submitted meets the requirement.

7. Incomplete or inaccurate project budget

The project budget is a critical part of the application. It shows how grant funds will be used and ensures funds are used effectively. There are a number of common mistakes related to the project budget.

Ineligible costs

Budgets often include costs that are ineligible for funding.

Budget items are not aligned to the Project Plan and requested term

Applicants need to clearly explain how their budget items are connected to their project and Project Plan. Applicants often forget to include:

• Clear cost breakdowns for each budget item.
• Appropriate and reasonable costs for the activities outlined in the Project Plan.
• A Project Budget and Project Plan that correspond to their requested term.

When Project Budgets do not meet requirements, the application will be declined.

8. Applications do not explain the benefit to local community 

(Applicable for Seed, Grow and Capital grants)

The project is not at a community level

OTF has divided Ontario into 16 areas, called catchments, and applicants need to select one catchment area where the primary activities of the project will take place. Applications that indicate impact at a province-wide or national level will be declined. 

The community need is not clear

Ensure that you have created a link between your project and the benefit it will have in your community and/or for community members. For example, if you want to hire a volunteer coordinator or purchase equipment explain how these items will help you deliver your project to directly benefit community.