To be eligible for funding from the Canada Post Community Foundation, your organization must:

• be a registered charity with a Canadian Charitable Registration Number OR a registered non-profit organization with a valid B/N business registration number OR a school (as defined by the education act in each province) OR an unregistered community organization OR a community library OR a registered Canadian amateur athletic association OR a small municipality;
• have a volunteer board of directors/organizing committee (this does not apply to schools and community libraries); paid employees can be used to deliver programming but the board of directors must be made up of unpaid positions; payment for expenses incurred by the directors is acceptable;
• have a detailed plan for the project being submitted (except for Signature Grant applications);
• have a budget for the project being submitted (except for Signature Grant applications);
• have the appropriate financial documentation (see below).

All applications must be supported by financial documentation. Grants of up to $5,000 require only a minimal amount of financial documentation (project budget and financial statement for the current year). Grants in higher amounts require increased financial documentation, up to independent audited financial statements for Signature Grant requests. Here is a full breakdown of what is required:

• All Signature Grant and Indigenous Truth and Reconciliation Signature Grant applications: independent audited financial statements;
• Grants of $15,001 to $25,000: at a minimum, a Review Engagement Report;
• Grants of $5,001 to $15,000: at a minimum, a Notice to Reader – Compilation Engagement;
• Grants of $5,000 and under: the organization's financial statement/plan for the current year.

• Applications from schools or school parent councils may include their current school board budget.

NOTE: If you don't provide the correct financial documentation your application will automatically be declined. Audited financial statements, Review Engagement Reports and Notices to Reader/Compilation Engagement reports are independent, professional exams of an organization's financial records, conducted by an accounting professional and using a common set of standards and reviews.

We recognize that many smaller organizations can’t afford to have their financial affairs audited regularly. The Foundation has a responsibility to the customers and employees who donate the funds that contribute to the Foundation grants to ensure there is proper due diligence and review given to both the project and the organizations that apply for funding.

When we developed the funding criteria for the Foundation, we provided a tiered approach to the grant requests and the supporting financials required for each. We believe this approach is fair and provides granting opportunities to most organizations while still maintaining our commitment to Canadians who support us.

The call for applications is made once a year in February for a period of three weeks. Dates of the application cycle are posted on our Community Foundation application page. We will accept applications during this period only, through our online system. No extensions will be granted.

We will notify all organizations of the status of their application by August. In light of the large number of applications we receive, we are unable to provide individual feedback or application support.

No modifications to your application(s) are permitted. The application you submit initially will be treated as your organization’s final application. If you receive funding from another source for the project, and would like to withdraw your application, please contact us at community@canadapost.ca.

Signature Grants are available only to national organizations whose activities are national in scope, and benefit children and youth across the country. Unlike our project grants, these grants can be used for general funding. Signature Grants are not available to regional or provincial chapters of national groups. Signature Grant applicants should demonstrate a proven track record of delivering successful programming that improves the community or individual circumstances for children and youth at a national level.

The Indigenous Truth and Reconciliation Signature Grant is awarded each year to an Indigenous regional or local organization offering programming anchored in the principles of Indigenous truth and reconciliation that supports Indigenous children and youth.

Project grants are project-specific and cannot be used for general funding. Projects must involve capacity-building or the creation or expansion of services, rather than the maintenance of existing services.

Grant applications should be made for the amount of funding you will need for your project. You may apply for the full amount to cover all project costs, or a portion of the overall amount needed to complete your project.

Please be as specific as possible when outlining project costs in your application. Project funding will not exceed $25,000 per grant.

Grants to unregistered organizations, schools, school/parent organizations, daycares, sports teams and all recreation facility initiatives (pools, playgrounds, ice rinks, skateboard parks, etc.) will not exceed $5,000.

Signature Grants are available only to national organizations whose activities are national in scope, and benefit children and youth across the country. Signature Grants are $50,000 each.

The Indigenous Truth and Reconciliation Signature Grant is awarded each year to an Indigenous regional or local organization offering programming anchored in the principles of Indigenous truth and reconciliation that supports Indigenous children and youth.

Consider the following when determining the amount you apply for:

• Your type of organization
• The financial documentation you have available
• The amount required for your organization’s activity

Yes. Organizations may submit a maximum of three applications per year (up to three project grants, or one Signature Grant plus up to two project grants). Any additional applications are ineligible and will be automatically rejected.

The Foundation will not fund more than one project per applicant during any given grant cycle.

Signature Grant and project grant applications must align with the Foundation’s focus on community-based, front-line activities that benefit children and youth.

The application should demonstrate that a need will be met and that there is little or no duplication or competition with existing services; in other words, the project should either be unique or complementary.

Projects must have a realistic plan, with resources, including any other funding sources, being commensurate with objectives.

Projects should involve capacity-building or the creation or expansion of services, rather than the maintenance of existing services. Expansion may include augmentation of a service, addition of a new service or inclusion of a new geographic territory. Capacity-building activities could also include launching a new project or program, covering costs directly related to the delivery of a program, such as mileage, facilities rental, communications activities; or the purchase, construction or addition of new equipment or facilities. A portion of your funding may also be used for hiring or training staff to develop or implement the project.

Finally, a project’s expected outcome should address community needs and be measurable.

Project grants (up to $25,000) are project-specific and, therefore, cannot be used for general operating expenses.

National organizations seeking general funding may apply for one of our Signature Grants.

Signature Grant applicants should demonstrate a proven track record of delivering successful programming that improves the community or individual circumstances for children and youth at a national level.

There is strong competition each year for Foundation grants. In 2023, we received over 2,400 applications for more than $42 million in funding. The Foundation awarded grants to 84 projects across Canada, totalling almost $1.2 million in funding.

Yes. Previous years’ evaluations do not carry over to this review year. All submissions will be newly evaluated.

The Indigenous Truth and Reconciliation Signature Grant is available to Indigenous regional or local organizations that offer programming anchored in the principles of Indigenous truth and reconciliation that supports Indigenous children and youth.

See if you qualify

We prepared a checklist of all of the information you will need to complete your grant application. We suggest you download the checklist here before you log on to the application website, to make sure you have everything you need.

No, all applications must be submitted online through our online application system.

Yes, organizations may submit a maximum of three applications per year (up to three project grants, or one Signature Grant plus up to two project grants). Any additional applications will be ineligible.

The Foundation will not fund more than one project per applicant during any given grant cycle.

Successful Signature Grant recipients have to wait for three years before they can re-apply for a Signature Grant. However, they can apply for project grants every year.

Please choose the sector that’s most closely related to your organization. Your answers to the other questions in the application will provide us with the required information.

Multi-year funding is not available.

The application you submit will be treated as your organization’s final application and no further applications or additional information will be accepted. If key fields are missing or blank in the application form, your organization may be ineligible for funding. It is critical to ensure the application has been correctly completed before it is submitted.

We prepared a checklist of all of the information you will need to complete your grant application. We suggest you download the checklist here before you log on to the application website, to make sure you have everything you need.

It depends on the grant amount you are requesting. Be sure to attach the appropriate financial documents to match the grant amount requested in your application. If you don’t supply the correct financial documentation, your application will automatically be disqualified.

No. Nevertheless, we would like to be made aware of any affiliation grant applicant board members may have to the Canada Post Community Foundation to ensure full transparency among our Board of Trustees when applications are reviewed. An affiliation between organizations applying for grants and a Foundation trustee is not given any consideration, either way, during the evaluation process.

Yes. This application system is equipped with an auto-save feature. For applications with more than one page, each time you navigate between pages, forward or back, your responses are committed to a secure area within your browser’s local storage. You can close your browser and resume your progress automatically at any time simply by opening the form again. This information is only sent to our servers once you submit the form. Please note that in order to use this feature, you must be using the same device and same browser each time.

Yes. Once you have completed the form, you will be able to print a full copy before you submit the proposal. All applicants are strongly encouraged to print a copy of their final application.

No. You will no longer be able to view or otherwise have access to your application once it is submitted.

When you submit the application you will receive an automated email to your primary contact’s account, indicating that the application has been submitted.

If you have any technical difficulties, click "Need help?" in the top right-hand corner of the screen. This will open a short form in which you can enter your name, telephone number and email address and a brief description of your problem. You will be contacted either by telephone or email within one business day.