Systems Innovations Application Questions

On this page

Organization Information 

• Contacts
• Organization Details
• Mission and Activities
• Financial Health and Stability
• Governance
• Acknowledgements

Project Information 

• Tab 1: General Information
• Tab 2: Lead Organization and Collaborative
• Tab 3: Strategizing for Systems Change
• Tab 4: Project Impact
• Tab 5: Process

Organization Information

Eligibility of lead organizations

• Once you submit the Organization Information, the eligibility of the lead organization is assessed.
• Only lead organizations that meet funding requirements will be invited to complete the grant application. 

Contacts

Question: Is your organization's Signatory Contact an existing contact for your organization? Yes/No

• If "no" is selected: Provide the following details about your Signatory Contact:
  • Name
  • Position
  • Email
  • Phone

Question: Provide the following details for your Organization Contact:

• Name
• Position
• Email
• Phone

Organization Details

Checkbox: I have read and agree that this organization will comply with OTF's Anti-Discrimination Policy.

Checkbox: I have read and agree that this organization will comply with OTF’s Open Data Policy and that data provided throughout the application may be shared with other funders and/or may become public.

Question: Select your organization type:

• A charitable organization or public foundation registered as a charity by the Canada Revenue Agency
• An organization incorporated as a not-for-profit corporation without share capital in a Canadian jurisdiction
• A First Nation
• A municipality with a population 20,000 or less, or their cultural and recreational agencies, including public libraries and museums

Question: Provide the following details about your organization:

• Legal name
• Operating name
• Preferred language of correspondence
• Incorporation number (for not-for-profits)
• Year of incorporation (for not-for-profits)
• Charitable registration number (for charities)
• Year of registration (for charities)
• 9-digit Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) Business Number. Learn more about submitting your business number.

Address:

• Street Address/RR or PO Box #
• City
• Province
• Postal code * format (X1X 1X1)
• Phone
• Website
• If your organization is active on social media, provide the social media platforms (e.g. Facebook, Instagram etc.) and handles you operate under.

Mission and Activities

Question: Provide your mission statement. Max 200 words.

Question: Tell us about your typical activities, services or programs. Max 200 words.

Question: What sector does your organization operate in? Select the option that best fits.

• Arts/Culture
• Environment
• Human and Social Services
• Sports/Recreation

Question: How many people does your organization serve annually?

Question: Does your organization offer programs and/or services in both official languages? Yes/No.

• If "yes" is selected: How is your organization mandated to offer bilingual programs and/or services? Choose one of the following:
  • Agency designated under the French Language Services Act
  • Area designated under the French Language Services Act
  • Mandated by Board of Directors and/or Funder
  • Non-mandated but serving Francophone population

Question: Is a percentage of the selected population your organization serves Francophone? Yes/No.

• If "yes" is selected:
  • What % of people served by your organization are offered programs and/or services in French? (100%, 90%, 80%, 70%, 60%, 50%, 40%, 30%, 20%, 10%)
  • What % of your organization's programs and/or services are offered in French? (100%, 90%, 80%, 70%, 60%, 50%, 40%, 30%, 20%, 10%)

Question: On average, how many paid staff did your organization have over the last 12 months, regardless of full-time or part-time status?

Question: On average, how many volunteers did your organization have over the last 12 months, regardless of the number of hours volunteered?

Question: For each category below, select the population that your organization serves:

• Language of population served:
  • Bilingual (French/English) 
  • Francophone (and offered services in French)
  • Other Language excluding English or French
  • General Population
• Gender of population served:
  • Non-binary
  • Trans-Men/Trans-Women
  • Men/Boys
  • Women/Girls
  • General Population
• Lived-experience of population served:
  • People living in low income 
  • People who are newcomers/refugees 
  • People living with disabilities
  • People living with mental health challenges/addiction
  • General population
• Identity of population served: 
  • Black
  • Indigenous
  • 2SLGBTQIA+
  • Other racialized groups
  • General Population

Question: Does your organization’s leadership and/or decision-making entities (Board, executive team, senior leadership etc.) reflect the language, gender, lived-experience or cultural identities of the communities served by your organization?  

• Yes 
• Somewhat 
• No 
• Unsure  

Financial Health and Stability

File upload: Upload your organization's most recent completed financial statements and surplus or deficit information, if required.

Question: Does your organization have an accumulated surplus or a deficit that requires an explanation or plan? Yes/No

• If "yes" is selected: Upload a document explaining the reason for, and your plan to resolve, your surplus or deficit.

Governance

Question: Does your organization have a minimum of three active board members (active terms as of the grant application deadline date), with at least 50% of board members at an arm's length relationship to each other? Yes/No 

• If "yes" is selected: We need your most current board list including their:
  • First name  
  • Last name
  • Term start date
  • Term end date  
  • Position
  • Arm’s length (yes/no) 

Question: Do you have staff who are directors or at a higher level? 

• If "yes" is selected: Provide details about your organization's senior staff (Director level and above):
  • First name  
  • Last name  
  • Position
  • Arm’s Length (yes/no) – in relation to other senior staff and board members 

File Upload: Upload your organization’s By-Laws. 

Acknowledgements 

Checkbox: I confirm that the organization has financial management and conflict of interest policies in place.

Checkbox: I confirm that all the organization information provided is correct, up-to-date and complete.

Checkbox: I confirm that the correct type and year of financial statements have been uploaded based on our organization's total revenues and fiscal year-end, and the Board of Directors table has been updated.

Tab 1: General Information

Contact Information

Question 1. For this project, please confirm the primary contact’s information:

• Project contact name, title or role, phone number, email

Question 2. Are you the signing authority for the organization? Yes/No

[If no]: Please provide contact information for the person with signing authority including:

• Signing authority's name, title or role, phone number, email 

General Information

Question 3. What is the name of the project?
 

Question 4. Our project will: (Check all that apply)

• Lay the groundwork needed to strengthen a system of services or opportunities for your primary beneficiaries .
• Implement strategies to strengthen a system of services or opportunities for your primary beneficiaries.

[If groundwork only selected]:

• Please know that collaboratives have two years to complete groundwork.
• Any Project Plans and Budgets that exceed a two-year term will not be assessed.
• Upload all supporting documents detailing the work completed in the groundwork phase of your project as part of your application. 

[If implementation only selected]:

• Completed groundwork activities should be included in the groundwork table and not in the Project Plan or Budget.  
• Upload all supporting documents detailing the work completed in the groundwork phase of your project as part of your application. This information helps OTF assess the readiness of your project. Documentation can include: The Collaborative Agreement, Collaborative's Governance Model, Youth Governance Model, Summary of Research and Evidence, Summary of Youth Experiences and Needs, Theory of Change; and Action Plan.   

[If both groundwork and implementation selected]:

• Please know that collaboratives have up to two years to complete groundwork phase.
• It should be clear in your Project Plan and Budget that your groundwork will be completed within the first two years of the project.
• The remaining duration of the grant needs to focus on the implementation phase. 
   

Question 5. Please confirm that you are applying as a collaborative. Yes/No

[If no]: System Innovations grants invest in systems change work led by collaboratives only. Your project is not eligible.

[If yes]: I acknowledge that a formal agreement with our collaborative partners is in place. Yes/No

Question 6. Will the project activities take place in Ontario? Yes/No

Question 7. Anticipated start date (Select from calendar)
 

Question 8. What is the requested grant term?

• 2 years
• 3 years
• 4 years
• 5 years

Tab 2: Lead Organization and Collaborative

About the Lead Organization

Question 9. Why are you the right organization to lead the collaborative and this project? (350 words max.)

Question 10. As the lead organization in your collaborative, your organization is: (Check all that apply)

• Black-led
• Indigenous-led

About the Collaborative

Question 11. Complete the Partners Table. Provide the following information for each of the partners:

• Organization, Group or Community Leader
• Please indicate if your organization or group is Black-led or Indigenous-led
• To the degree that you are comfortable and able, share lived experiences and knowledge that are relevant to this project
• Contact Person Name, Title, Phone Number, Email
• Has this organization, group or individual agreed to be a collaborative member on this project? Yes/No
• Has the lead worked with this partner on other projects before? Yes/No
• Role and contribution to this project 

Question 12. Why is this the right collaborative to lead this project? (350 words max.)

Question 13. Members of your collaborative are: (Check all that apply)

• Black-led organizations
• Indigenous-led organizations

[If Indigenous-led or Black-led selected]:

How many of the collaborative members are:

• Black-led organizations?
• Indigenous-led organizations?

Question 14. How will you ensure the full participation of youth as equal partners in moving the proposed systems change work?

Question 15. List any stakeholders not yet involved that would strengthen the project's potential to improve/build the system and achieve planned results. How will you engage stakeholders not yet involved?

Question 16. Provide 1 or 2 examples of how your organization has led projects with multiple stakeholders towards a shared goal. What work did you do together? What was the collaborative trying to achieve? How did this past experience prepare the current collaborative for this project??

Tab 3: Strategizing for Systems Change

Describing the System

Question 17. What is the system your collaborative is focused on improving: (Check only one)

• Education
• Justice
• Child welfare
• Language and Culture
• Health
• Employment
• Youth Social Infrastructure (mechanisms that enable youth engagement and leadership)
• Social Security (social assistance, housing, financial assistance, etc.)
• Immigration and Settlement
• Social Services
• Other  

Question 18. What part of the system is your collaborative focusing on? Describe the key issues and/or challenges that your selected primary beneficiaries face in accessing and interacting with this system. Why is the system (as it exists today) unable to fully meet the needs of your specific youth beneficiaries? (500 words max.) 

Question 19. As you look to the future, what is the aspired state your collaborative is working towards? Given the issues and impacts on youth, describe the vision that your collaborative has for how the system could work to better serve your selected primary beneficiaries. (350 words max.)
 

Question 20. Project Description. Complete the following sentence about your project (50 words max.): 

Our collaborative will (strengthen/streamline/improve) a (name the system you are strengthening) for (the selected primary beneficiaries) in (geographic area). We will (describe the change you want to make to the system).

Describing your Strategy

Question 21. Given what you know about the system and how it is experienced by your primary beneficiaries today, what will the collaborative do to impact the system? Summarize your overall strategy for making systems change.   

Question 22. Complete the Groundwork Table.

The Groundwork Table requires that you address these key deliverables:

• Collaborative's Governance Model
• Youth Governance Model
• Summary of Research and Evidence
• Summary of Youth Experiences and Needs
• Theory of Change
• Action Plan

Question 23. Describe the concrete steps your collaborative will take to lay the groundwork for systems change OR if the groundwork has already been laid, describe the steps your collaborative took during this phase of the work. (350 words max.) 

[If you chose implementation only]:

Describe the concrete steps your collaborative will take to implement your strategy for systems change. (350 words max.) 

Question 24. Describe any factors or conditions that may hinder your efforts to make these system changes. How will your collaborative work to advance change given the factors and conditions described? (350 words max.) 

Question 25.  Upload any Groundwork documents that have been completed by your collaborative or any links to relevant documents/research on the system, its issues, and steps forward.   

Project Location 

Question 26. Only project activities that take place in Ontario are eligible for funding. Please indicate the catchments where your project activities will take place. Find your region. (Select at least one from the list) 

Question 27. Select the region where the majority of your activities will take place. If activities will take place in many regions, check those that apply. Find your region. 
 

Question 28. Please select the community size that is the primary focus of your system change work. (Select one) 

• Rural or Small Communities (20,000 or less)
• Mid-size Communities (20,001 - 100,000)
• Urban Centres and Metropolitan Suburbs (100,001+) 

Tab 4: Project Impact

Describing the Outcome and Beneficiaries

Question 29.  Select the Priority Outcome  that most aligns with what your collaborative wants to achieve. (Check only one)  

• Empowering girls and/or young women to lead, including women's economic empowerment initiatives
• 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
• 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 

Question 30. Identify the population(s) that are the primary beneficiaries of your systems change work using the list below. (Select at least one) 

• Indigenous youth (i.e. First Nations, Métis or Inuit)
• Black youth
• Racialized youth
• Newcomer youth
• Francophone youth
• Two-spirit, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and/or questioning, intersex, asexual (2SLGBTQIA+) youth
• Youth living with disabilities or special needs between the ages of 12 to 29
• Youth living in rural or remote 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
• Girls and/or young women 

[If Indigenous youth is selected] (Select at least one) 

• First Nations youth
• Métis youth
• Inuit youth

Question 31. What is the age range of youth who will benefit from systems improvements? (Select at least one) 

• 12 to 14 years
• 15 to 19 years
• 20 to 25 years
• 12 to 29 years for youth living with disabilities and/or special needs
• 12 to 29 years for youth living with mental health needs and/or addictions 

Describing the Impact 

All grantees are required to use standard evaluation tools provided by OTF so we can share a much larger story of change across Ontario. We invite the collaborative to explore, and budget for, evaluation and learning that would benefit the project.  

Question 32. How will your collaborative work to advance the selected Priority Outcome? (350 words max).
 

Question 33. Describe your impact. (250 words max. per change box)

• Describe the main changes in organizations connected to the system, including collaborative members (250 words max.)
• Describe the main changes in the collaborative (250 words max.)
• Describe the main changes in how the system functions (250 words max.)
• Describe the main changes in how young people experience the system (250 words max.) 

Question 34. As part of the System Innovations Stream, OTF requires all grantees to host one knowledge sharing event. If your project is approved for funding, will you host one knowledge sharing event during the grant term? Yes/No 

Tab 5: Process

Project Plan

Question 35. Complete the Project Plan.

Budget

Question 36. Open Budget Instructions 
 

Question 37. Complete the Budget  

Question 38. How much funding are you requesting from OTF? 
 

Declarations

Question 39. I confirm:

• I have read the Budget Instructions and have completed the Budget Worksheet.  
• I understand that Two (2) written quotes are required for goods and/or services individually valued above $10,000. OTF may request these quotes at any time during the assessment or after a grant is approved.
  • I understand the importance of avoiding any conflicts of interest (or the appearance thereof) when obtaining quotes for goods and/or services.
• I understand that project activities that take place outside of Ontario are not eligible. I confirm that we have not requested funds to support any project activities that will take place outside of Ontario.
• I understand that our collaborative will need to submit the signed Collaborative Agreement with all members in the first year of the grant.
• I understand if the groundwork period does not generate sound strategies and plans to advance system change, OTF can rescind the grant at the implementation phase of the work.  
• I understand that our work will be reviewed annually and that continued funding will depend on the progress made toward targeted system change. In the absence of expected results, OTF can rescind the grant.