Thank you for your interest in applying for funding under the Children, Youth & Families funding pillar at the Peter Gilgan Foundation.

ELIGIBILITY

For our General Program stream, we provide grants to qualified donees as defined by the Canada Revenue Agency — most often registered Canadian charities. If your organization is not a registered charity, you may still be eligible if you have a formal partnership with a registered charity acting as trustee. 

For the GTA Communities stream, we provide grants to registered Canadian charities and incorporated nonprofits. 

We welcome applications from organizations that: 

• Employ at least one paid staff member 
• Have filed a tax return or financial audit for the most recent fiscal year 
• Wait at least 12 months after an unsuccessful Expression of Interest or Full Application before reapplying to the Peter Gilgan Foundation 

We do not provide funding for individuals, scholarships, capital campaigns, endowments, fundraising events or galas, emergency relief efforts, government services, activities occurring outside of Canada, or organizations acting as grant making intermediaries. 

GRANT TYPES

We offer three types of grants through the Children, Youth & Families program: 

• Project grants – Typically awarded for a single year, are the primary entry point for first-time applicants, and support specific programs or activities 
• Capacity-building grants – May be available to repeat grantees, helping organizations strengthen their internal skills, resources, or systems 
• General operating grants – May be available to repeat grantees whose mission and primary programs align with our strategy, to help cover core operating costs

FUNDING

Grants typically range from $10,000 to $100,000 per year. We rarely contribute more than half of a project’s costs or more than 10% of an organization’s overall operating budget. We aim to be one part of a strong mix of funders, not the only one.

PROCESS

At the Expression of Interest stage, we ask you to share a snapshot of your organization and proposal. This includes your mission, the geography the proposed initiative serves, who will benefit, and a project summary. We also request key documents such as an audited financial statement and a project budget. 

At the Full Application stage, we look for a deeper understanding of your work. This includes your organization’s history, how you engage and learn from community members, your leadership, detailed project activities, and evaluation plans. We also ask for an updated budget, your most recent annual report, a list of key organizational funders, and a list of board members.

TIMELINES

Applications are accepted on a rolling basis with no fixed deadline, so you can submit any time.  Applicants are typically notified of outcomes within approximately 8 to 12 weeks. If your proposal is unsuccessful, please wait 12 months before reapplying.

CONSIDERATIONS

We’re most excited by proposals that share a clear plan with goals that are realistic for the time, resources, and context available, while also being open about risks or uncertainties and how the organization is prepared to learn along the way.

What gives us pause is sole-source funding. We’re not looking to be the only donor—shared investment reduces risk and strengthens accountability.  

While we aim to meet approved requests in full, our annual budget may limit what we can award. When this happens, we provide a reduced grant if we are confident it will still help advance your work and support meaningful outcomes.

Finally, please know that it’s possible to submit a strong application and still not receive funding. Decisions must consider many factors—especially budget limitations and portfolio balance. This is not a reflection of the value of your work. We receive far more requests than we can support, which means making difficult choices and, unfortunately, leaving some important initiatives unfunded