Grantee Requirements

OTF grant recipients must meet contractual obligations throughout the grant. These requirements apply to all OTF programs.

If your organization is applying for a grant or already has grant, familiarize yourself with OTF’s grantee requirements to ensure success.


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Activating your grant

Delivering your grant

Closing your grant

 

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Activating your grant

For Youth Innovations and Family Innovations grants

Once a grant application is approved by OTF’s Board of Directors, Organizational Mentors (OM) within the Youth Opportunities Fund become the official grantee and are accountable for adhering to the Terms and Conditions of the Grant Contract. The OM is responsible for overseeing project deliverables, managing project funds and budgets, and reviewing reports before submission. Grassroots groups partnering with OMs are responsible for delivering project activities and working with the OM to meet all grantee requirements. 

OTF will communicate its funding decisions to applicants, whether successful or not. If successful, follow these steps to activate your grant and release the first payment:
 

1) Orientation Sessions

All OTF grantees and are required to complete OTF’s grantee orientation before returning their Grant Contract.

You are required to attend a group orientation session, covering the Grant Contract (Terms and Conditions), reporting, audits, recognition, and more. You'll also meet with your assigned Program Manager to finalize and confirm project-specific details, such as the project start date. Your Program Manager is the staff responsible for supporting and guiding you throughout your grant.

2) Signatory Contact

The Signatory Contact is the person who has the legal authority to sign the OTF Grant Contract on behalf of the grant recipient.

The person legally authorized to sign the OTF Grant Contract must be verified as soon as possible. If the signatory has changed since your application, a senior representative from your organization must update this information via OTF’s Support Centre at otf@otf.ca.

3) Grant Contract

The Grant Contract is a legal agreement between an organization (the grantee) and the Ontario Trillium Foundation. A grant is not activated until the Grant Contract is signed and returned to OTF. The contract will be emailed from secure@signority.com to the Signatory Contact (be sure to check the spam folder). 

The Signatory Contact and project members must read and understand the Grant Contract thoroughly. It outlines OTF’s expectations of the grantee and the grantee's obligations. It must be signed and returned electronically within 60 days to remain valid. The Grant Contract includes:

  • The Terms and Conditions of the grant
  • The Schedule A:
    • Name of the Program Manager monitoring your grant
    • Approved Budget
    • Selected Project Objective/Priority Outcomes/Funding Priority 
    • Payment and Report Schedule 
    • Other grant specific requirements

You must not start your project or spend allocated funds until the signed contract is returned to OTF. 

By signing the Grant Contract, the Signatory Contact declares that all people involved with the funded project such as the project staff, senior staff, board members, or collaborative core group members have read and understood both the Grant Contract and all OTF Policies. You also acknowledge that it is your responsibility to screen and supervise volunteers and employees who are engaged in the project.

Changes to the Grant Contract and Schedule A can only be made in writing and require the authorization of both the grantee and OTF. 

4) Banking

Whether you are a new or returning grantee, your organization is required to have a bank account for all of your grant payments, in the name of your organization at a Canadian financial institution. Grassroots groups funded through YOF should also open a community bank account to receive funds from their OM.

After signing the contract, provide the details for your organization’s bank account through your Granting Portal (instructions are available within your portal). Grant payments will be electronically transferred into this account and funds must be kept in this account to be used according to the Grant Contract.

 

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Delivering your grant

Maintaining eligibility 

Throughout your grant, continue to comply with all of OTF’s policies, specifically OTF’s Eligibility Policy and the Financial Statement Requirements. Ensure you continue to meet eligibility criteria outlined for your specific grant.

Grantee engagements and progress reports

Grantee engagements are scheduled check-ins with your assigned Program Manager. Progress Reports (for multi-year grants) need to be submitted to OTF to report back on your progress. These are required activities. Refer to the Payment and Report Schedule in the Schedule A of the contract for specific dates related to your grant.    

Over the term of your grant, we encourage you to maintain open and regular communication with your Program Manager. This includes participating in scheduled grantee engagements with your Program Manager which serve as project check-ins (via phone calls or video calls) and submitting progress reports to ensure that the grant is on track. These activities help OTF determine your readiness for the next grant payment and can support your ongoing work. 

Grantee engagement: Please check the Payment and Report Schedule noted in Schedule A of the contract for scheduled grantee engagement dates. 

Use your grantee engagement to discuss any one of the following: 

  • Budget reallocations
  • Progress of your Project Plan
  • Progress towards anticipated project results and/or applicable measurement and evaluation plan
  • Project or report extensions 
  • Grant recognition updates 
  • Review requirements specific to your grant stream

Progress reports: For multi-year grants, you need to submit annual Progress Reports that outline the progress of the initiative and spending to date.

  • You may only start completing the Progress Report in the Granting Portal 30 days before the due date. An email reminder will be sent to the Organization’s Contact before the deadline. While you won’t be able to complete your report until 30 days before the due date, you can access a view-only version in your portal once your grant is active.
  • Reports that are not submitted by the specified due date are considered late, unless prior approval was given for an extension. Failure to respond to follow-up messages or to submit items on time can result in your grant being put on hold (no spending of grant funds or delivery of project activities) or it may be rescinded.
  • We encourage you to explore the report early to familiarize yourself with reporting requirements.
The Program Manager will release the next grant payment if they are satisfied with the completed check-in and/or the progress report.


Release of grant payments

Payments are made if the Terms and Conditions of the Contract are met, based on completed engagements or reports that demonstrate a need for funds and satisfactory progress of the grant. Payment amounts and dates may be adjusted over the course of the grant to more accurately reflect actual project spending. Review the Payment Release for Grantees Policy.
  • The first payment will be released after the signed Grant Contract has been submitted back to OTF, the grantee has met all prerequisites (i.e., completed OTF’s grantee orientation) and OTF has deemed the grantee is ready to proceed with the implementation of the project. 
  • Subsequent payments are released by OTF based upon the satisfactory completion of a grantee engagement or review of a Progress Report or Final Report that demonstrates a need for funds. 
  • If there is a significant amount of funds unspent, the payment will be held until the need is demonstrated.

Use of grant funds: Budget

Grant funds must be spent as outlined in the approved Budget. 

Reallocating amounts within budget categories is allowed. However, reallocation between categories requires prior approval by your Program Manager. OTF will consider reallocation between categories if expenses directly support the original approved objectives and expectations of the grant. 

Please report any reallocations within budget categories in your Progress Report and/or Final Report. 

If you are a lead organization in a collaborative, you are required to reconcile expenses and/or issue payments to vendors on behalf of the collaborative members. 

Reallocations must always align with the requirements of your specific grant and limits identified in the following policies:

Project deliverables: Project Plan

While you deliver your grant, you may need to adjust or rethink components of your work and deliverables. Any changes you make to your project and program delivery model must maintain a level of activity and programming comparable to the approved Project Plan.

Any adjustments to your Project Plan need to be approved by your Program Manager.

Measurement and evaluation

For all grants, you will need to report back on specific metrics related to your funded activities. 

Review the Schedule A (of the Grant Contract) and the Progress Report and/or Final Report to learn what you need to measure and evaluate as part of your grant.

All Youth Opportunities Fund grants include an evaluation and measurement component to measure progress toward the selected priority outcome. OTF’s internal evaluator will support groups as they develop an evaluation plan and collect and analyze their data.

Grant recognition

In compliance with the Grant Recognition Policy and your Grant Contract, public recognition of OTF and its funder, the Government of Ontario is required.

OTF’s Communications Advisors will help you with your recognition event and media release, as well as any other recognition support needed. Contact the Communications Advisor for your catchment area at least three weeks before any activity starts.

Familiarize yourself with all Grant Recognition Requirements
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Closing your grant

Final report

Submit a Final Report before the due date (noted in your portal) to receive your final payment.

You may only start completing the Final Report in the Granting Portal 30 days before the due date and an email reminder will be sent to the Organization’s Contact before the deadline. While you won’t be able to complete your report until 30 days before the due date, you can access a view-only version in your portal once your grant is active. 

We encourage you to explore the report early to familiarize yourself with reporting requirements, which includes but is not limited to:

  • Budget: Report on the amounts “spent to date”. This amount must not exceed the total awarded for your grant.  Taxes, such as GST and HST, for which you are eligible for a tax rebate are not eligible OTF expenses. In your report, you will need to report on the tax amount spent to date for which you will not receive a rebate. 
  • Project Plan: Report on the activities delivered and explain many adjustments that were made. 
  • Data collection/Metrics: 
    • Number of FTE (full-time employees) staff funded by the grant. This includes any staff and non-staff hours paid with the grant including contractors, engineers, labourers, and consultants.
    • Number of people you committed to reach versus the number of people you actually reached through your grant
    • Number of volunteers engaged and volunteer hours contributed through your grant 
    • Populations served, age group served, and others. 
  • Grant recognition: You will need to report on any grant recognition activities or media coverage. 

Final 10% grant holdback payment

The final installment payment of the grant will be released only after the Final Report has been submitted and OTF has verified the satisfactory completion of the grant. 
  • For single year grants, 10% of the total grant will be held back.
  • For multi-year grants, 10% of the budget for the final year of the grant will be held back.

As this is a retroactive payment, please plan cash flow to ensure that you can cover the final 10% of expenses until the initiative is complete and the Final Report is reviewed.

Explore OTF’s Payment Release for Grantees Policy.

Keep good project documentation 

To help complete your reporting requirements, you are expected to track and document project activities, deliverables, expenses, and other grant-specific requirements. 

You are required to retain all records relevant to the grant for a period of six years. This information is necessary to complete your Progress Reports and/or Final Report, and if randomly selected, to complete an OTF Grant Compliance Audit.

Keeping good project documentation will also help you manage your project effectively, inform decision making and project planning, and share the impact of your project.

Here is a collection of examples of project documentation that you should track and keep on hand. Remember to check the available reports in OTFs’ Granting Portal to familiarize yourself with reporting requirements specific to your grant: 

Project activities and learning
  • Program/lesson plans, content materials and/or curriculum
  • Pictures, videos, social media posts
  • Number of ‘new followers’ on social media and visits to website
  • Promotional materials and products created (magazine, toolkits, research, etc.)
  • Planning and debrief meeting notes including factors of success and challenges.
  • Communication (emails, invitations, etc.)
  • Participant feedback and evaluation according to measurement and evaluation requirements  
Spending of OTF funds
  • Spending within each budget line
  • In-kind resources and supports received and their value
  • Receipts and invoices
  • Honorarium forms
Beneficiaries engagement
  • Attendance in project activities including meetings, gatherings, weekly programs, workshops, events, etc.
  • Registration forms
  • # of FTE (Full Time Employees) staff
Volunteer engagement
  • Number of volunteers and hours contributed to your funded project
    • YOF grantees need to track the age of volunteers
  • Vulnerable Sector Screening records
     

Please connect with your Program Manager to discuss tracking tools that may be helpful. 

 

Rescinds

OTF may rescind a grant or a portion of a grant and recover grant funds when the grantee is in violation of OTF Policies or the Grant Contract, or where the grantee indicates they no longer need the grant or a portion of the grant, or cannot complete the activities of the grant.

For more information about rescinds, read OTF’s Grant Rescind and Recovery Policy.

Grant Compliance Audits

OTF conducts random Grant Compliance Audits which can happen at any time during the life of a grant. Audits help ensure accountability, transparency and reliability of all parties involved in the management of the grant.

Grants are randomly selected for an audit to help ensure that OTF funding has been spent as reported in the Progress Report or Final Report. During the audit, OTF will validate the reported expenditures and project results.

  • All financial and project-related documents submitted during the audit should be accurate and reflect the activities delivered through your project. 
  • All information provided will be treated with confidentiality and will only be used for the audit. 
  • As per the Grant Contract, you are required to maintain all original invoices, paystubs, and other financial documents for at least 6 (six) years, after the completion of the grant.

By implementing these accountability measures, we ensure transparency and efficiency in the use of public funds, ultimately making a significant impact on the communities we serve.

An audit is completed in OTF’s Granting Portal and has 2 main sections: 

1) Project Budget

In the Progress Report or Final Report, you reported actual amounts spent to date for each of the approved budget items. As part of the audit, you must provide documentation for each of the reported amounts spent to date.

Each expense should come with three types of proof: budget, charge, and payment. Here's a quick breakdown:

Proof of Budget
  • Provide a grant-specific ledger; or
  • An annotated general ledger that highlights the OTF grant-related expenses.
Proof of Charge
  • Provide formal invoices for goods or services received (estimates will not be accepted).
  • Provide a copy of the hiring contract for purchased services (external hires/contracts).
  • When a purchased service contract includes deliverables such as reports, submit the completed reports alongside the financial documents. 
Proof of Payment
  • Keep copies of receipts, cheque stubs or cancelled cheques, payroll records (no T4s), bank statements or credit card statements (with sensitive information sensibly redacted), or EFT confirmations.
Specific documents for particular expenses
  • Evaluation Expenses: Attach evaluation reports that substantiate the claimed expenses.
  • External Services: If you have contracted external services, keep a digital copy of the contract and any related deliverables or reports.
For YOF grants: Receipts and financial documents are usually provided by the Organization Mentor. However, it is good practice for grassroots groups to track their own expenses and keep a copy of receipts.

2) Community Impact

In the Progress Report or Final Report, you reported on the results you were to achieve. As part of the audit, you need to submit documentation that verify the results. 

Types of Acceptable Documentation
  • Attendance/sign-in sheets of registration forms for events or programming.
  • Photographs or videos showcasing workshops, classes, events, equipment purchased, or space renovated.
  • Correspondence, such as emails, confirming the occurrence of activities.
  • Social media posts capturing project milestones or events.
  • Official reports, meeting minutes, agendas, and any other records that verify the completion of activities.
  • Presentations and Content Used for Programming 
  • Strategic Plans 
  • Resource Materials that Have Been Shared with Beneficiaries 
Guidance for Effective Documentation

Use the following guidelines to provide adequate documentation that will help the audit process:

  • Demonstrate your results: Submit documents that are clear, relevant to your grant, and show how you achieved your project results.
  • Organize and label attachments: Use descriptive file names, number documents, and name documents in a consistent manner.
  • Redact personal information: Redact sensitive and/or personal information for privacy and confidentiality.
  • Summarize large volumes of information: Summarize large amounts of information to show project results using samples of key records. Ask yourself, “What evidence would conclusively demonstrate that the reported results have occurred?”
  • Use estimates: If applicable, upload a clear explanation of how estimates were calculated for your anticipated project results.
  • Don’t resubmit documentation: If you have already submitted required documentation with your report, please indicate that these documents were included with your report.
  • Regular Reconciliation/Tracking: Continually reconcile your expenses. This practice is crucial to avoid misreporting when it comes time for progress or Final Reports. A good habit is to review and match your expenses with your budget plan weekly/monthly/quarterly depending on the volume of transactions. Maintain a grant-specific ledger to keep track of expenses compared to approved budget amounts.
  • Tax Details Matter: As a registered charity or non-profit, be mindful of tax reporting in your expense reports to OTF. You should only include the non-rebatable portion of the HST/GST in your reports. This ensures compliance and accuracy in your financial statements.
  • Stay Question-Ready: Always have an explanation for each entry in your books. If a particular expense seems unclear, document your reasoning. This will be invaluable if clarification is required during an audit.
  • Documentation Is Key: Keep your documents orderly. Having a robust filing system (preferably digital), will save you time and effort during an audit.

If you need support about how to track your expenses, please contact your Program Manager.

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Do you need help with your grant?

The Program Manager assigned to your grant is available to guide and support you throughout your project delivery. Stay connected and engaged with your Program Manager, they are here to assist you!

Contact our team