Reporting Requirements for Youth Innovations and Family Innovations Grants

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Learn why Progress and Final Reports are important and familiarize yourself with key reporting processes for grassroots groups and Organizational Mentors (OM).

Purpose of Reports

Grassroots groups and Organizational Mentors with a Youth Innovations or Family Innovations grant must complete an annual Progress Report for their project for each year of their grant. This report provides a record of the activities and spending for the previous 12 months (known as the reporting period) and captures a group’s progress toward achieving the Priority Outcome selected for that project. It also gives us a deeper understanding of what it takes to implement grassroots projects.

Reports not submitted by the due date are considered late unless prior approval for an extension is given. Failure to submit on time can result in the grant being put on hold or rescinded.

Reporting period: Each reporting period covers 12 months. For the first year of a grant, this period covers 12 months from the project start date. For all subsequent years, the reporting period is 12 months from the date of the last submitted report. Always review the Payment and Reporting Schedule in the Grant Contract or confirm with the Program Manager if changes have occurred.
Grant payments: Use necessary project documentation to complete the report. When the report is submitted to OTF and approved by the Program Manager, the next grant payment will be released.
Audits: 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. Learn more about audits.
Final Report: To close a grant, a Final Report must be submitted and verified by OTF to ensure the satisfactory completion of the grant. This report needs to demonstrate that all grant requirements are complete, including measurement and evaluation, and grant recognition. Learn more about closing your grant.

How to Access Reports

Reports are completed and submitted in OTF’s Granting Portal. Groups can view their upcoming report and the due date at any time by signing in to OTF’s Granting Portal.

Explore the report early to familiarize yourself with the information you need to collect, track and submit.

Sections of the Report

In the report, groups are asked to provide an update on their grant metrics, project activities, deliverables, expenses, and other grant-specific requirements.

Grant Metrics: Actual number of beneficiaries reached

This is the number of project beneficiaries (youth or parents, guardians or caregivers) who were directly engaged through project activities and who are experiencing the changes and outcomes you described in your application.
Use sign-up sheets, registration forms, or any other documents used to track the participation of beneficiaries throughout the year.
Do not count someone more than once.
For each year of the grant, this number is reported on. At the end of the grant, the expectation is that this target number, provided in the grant application and outlined in the grant contract, is met.
The total number of beneficiaries (for the entire grant) can only be adjusted at the end of year 1 of your grant if there is a reasonable explanation. This change needs to be approved by the Program Manager.

Core Group Table

Review and update the table as required.
Make sure the core group continues to meet the eligibility requirements of the grant (Youth Innovations or Family Innovations). This includes but is not limited to:
- All members need to share the identities and experiences with the primary beneficiaries of the project.
- The group needs to be youth-led or a youth-adult partnership, or a group led by parents, guardians and caregivers.
- The group needs to have 3 or more core group members, with more than 50% of the group being at arm's length. An ‘arm's length’ relationship means core group members and organization executives are not married or related to each other, do not work as business partners or are in a relationship where interests may be compromised.
- The group needs to be based in Ontario and cannot operate as a registered charity.

Project Plan

Think about the activities delivered during the reporting period and report on the status of the activity.
Share any reflections on those activities. This will help us understand how the past year unfolded for the group and will help the group plan for next year.
If an activity has not started, is not fully completed, or if it was modified, provide an explanation. Not completing activities as planned is understandable, however any challenges experienced should be discussed with the Program Manager. In this situation, core group members can reflect on the reasons why an activity did not take place and use that learning to plan for the next year(s) of the project.

Budget

Explain any reallocation of funds within and between budget categories.
Pre-approval by the Program Manager is required for reallocating funds between budget categories and for allocating funds to new budget items.

Project Learning

Share success factors and challenges encountered in delivering project activities during the reporting period.
Share stories that demonstrate the kind of results achieved.

Planning for next year

As the group plans for the next year of the project, update the Project Plan by adding, deleting or updating activities and their details.
Any changes made need to maintain the same level of activity and programming as outlined in the approved Project Plan.
Connect with the Program Manager for any significant changes.

Data Collection

Provide various data, including the numbers of volunteers engaged, staff (part-time and full-time), in-kind support and new partnerships.
Upload project related photos and documents.
How to calculate the number of full time equivalent (FTE) staff:
- Full-time staff (35 hours or more) = 1 FTE
- Part-time staff (less than 35 hours) = 0.5 FTE
- Example: You have 2 full-time staff (2 x 1 FTE) and 2 part-time staff (2 x 0.5 FTE). Your total number of FTE staff to report is 2+1 = 3 FTE.

Grant Recognition and Media Coverage

In compliance with the Grant Recognition Policy and the Grant Contract, public recognition of OTF and its funder, the Government of Ontario is required. Report on any grant recognition activities completed to date.

Familiarize yourself with all grant recognition requirements

Reporting Process

The process for meeting reporting requirements includes a mandatory check-in meeting, preparing specific documents, and completing the report covering a 12-month period.

Step 1: OM works with the group to prepare

OMs play an important role in preparing and submitting the report. While the core group members complete the report, the OM holds important roles:

Reporting:

The OM’s bookkeeper/accountant provides accurate numbers for spending to date to the group’s main contact (How much has been spent and on what).
They also walk the core group members through the numbers, make sure the numbers align between the OM and the group, and check that all receipts are accounted for and received.

Planning:

If it is needed, support the group with planning the activities and spending for next year. This includes reviewing the Project Plan and Budget, and deciding if any change is needed.

Step 2: Attend year-end check-in

The grassroots group and the OM need to participate in the mandatory year-end check-in with their Program Manager to discuss project activities, deliverables, expenses, evaluation and data collection, and other grant-specific requirements.
Prior to the check-in meeting, the grassroots group completes and submits to their Program Manager the required budget tracking sheet provided at the beginning of the project.

Step 3: Grassroots group completes the initial draft of the report

Once the check-in is complete, the group can start filling out the report.
Once the draft is complete, the group submits it to OM for review.

Step 4: OM verifies the report

The OM has 5 business days, from the date of submission by the grassroots group, to check if the report is complete and accurate.
Pay special attention to the budget to ensure the spending-to-date is correct and matches the OM records.
If there are gaps or budget misalignments, the OM sends it back to the group and works with them to make necessary updates.

Step 5: OM submits the report to OTF

Once the OM reviews the report and confirms that the information is complete and accurate, they submit it to OTF.

Step 6: Program Manager reviews the report

Once the report is submitted, the Program Manager will go through all the information provided.
During the review process, the OM’s bookkeeper/accountant should be available to support the group in answering any questions.

Step 7: Report is approved and next grant payment is released

Once the report is approved, the next grant payment is released.
If there is 25% or more of the annual project budget ‘on hand’, this means the project is underspent and the next grant payment is held.
All unspent funds are carried over to the next year.
The Program Manger sends an email confirming that the report is approved and will note additional approvals and/or outstanding deliverables for the Project Plan and Budget, and other reminders.