Program information
Budget 2021 provided an additional $15 million over three years, starting in 2021-22, to expand and enhance the Veteran and Family Well-Being Fund (VFWF) for projects that will support Veterans during the post COVID-19 recovery, including addressing homelessness, employment, retraining, and health challenges.
Available funding and eligibility
This call for applications is providing funding in the form of a grant only.
Grants can be provided up to $500,000 per fiscal year, for a maximum of three years.
In order to be considered for funding you must be a:
- Non-profit organization;
- For-profit organization (provided that the nature and intent of the project is non-commercial, not intended to generate profit, and supports program priorities and objectives);
- Research organization/institute;
- Educational institution;
- Public health and social services institution; or
- Indigenous organization.
Projects are ineligible if they:
- are of a commercial nature and allow the organization to generate profits or increase its economic value;
- represent or establish a requirement for ongoing funding or create a dependency;
- are complete before a proposal is submitted; or
- have revenues that cover or exceed expenditures.
Program objectives and priorities
The Fund’s objectives are to:
- Drive progress on new knowledge and understanding of Veteran and family well-being using the determinants of health model;
- Build capacity within the non-profit and volunteer sectors on issues specific to Veterans and their families such as homelessness, careers and employment, and transition to civilian life;
- Encourage coordination between multiple players such as; agencies, institutions and associations; and
- Support new ideas for adapting existing programs or forming new programs and services to address ill-and-injured Veterans’ treatment and care needs.
The Fund contributes to the following direct outcomes:
- Partnerships and networks are fostered to build knowledge and understanding of the social issues and challenges facing the Veteran population. Activities may include identifying current gaps in knowledge and approaches; contributing to the base of evidence; providing input during the design, piloting and implementing project tools; disseminating information and resources; and program development.
- Determine better approaches in the way we identify and respond to existing and emerging social issues that impact Veterans and their families. The VFWF helps organizations explore, recognize and develop innovative approaches that address Veterans’ and their families’ social needs. Approaches could include programs, services and resources that are designed to identify and meet these social needs.
- Knowledge of existing and emerging social issues is developed and shared. Understanding the needs of Veterans and their families will be enhanced through the development of research, best practices, and innovative solutions. This funding will help develop, disseminate, promote and share this knowledge to better serve Veterans and their families.
Part A – Organization information
Eligibility criteria:
- The applicant is an eligible organization under this call for proposals.
- The application is complete.
Question 1: Name of organization
Indicate the legal name of your organization that is associated with the certificate of incorporation or registration, or Canada Revenue Agency business number. If it is an acronym, indicate the legal name in full.
Indicate any alternate names you may use for external communications (e.g., website, news release).
Question 2: Organization status
Indicate the status of your organization, either non-profit, for-profit, research organization, education institution, public health and social services institution, or Indigenous organization.
Question 3: Organization type
Indicate your type of organization, (i.e. Academic Institution, Research Institution, Healthcare Provider, Community Organization, or other). If you choose other, please specify the type of organization.
Questions 4-6: Registered charitable number, HST/GST number and/or business number
Indicate your registered charitable number, HST/GST number, and/or business number.
Question 7: Organization scope
Indicate the scope of your organization (i.e national, provincial, or community).
Question 8: Are your programs and services offered in English and/or French?
Indicate the languages in which the programs and services are offered by your organization.
Question 9: Please state your organization’s mandate
Indicate your organization’s mandate in 50 words or fewer.
Question 10: How many total paid staff does your organization currently have?
Indicate how many paid staff your organization currently has.
Part B – Organization contact
Question 11 -15: Contact name, position within the organization, email address and telephone (including area code)
Indicate the name, position title, telephone number, and email of the main contact person.
All correspondence will be sent to the primary contact person’s email address.
Question 16: Language of choice for communications.
Indicate if you would prefer English or French for communication with Veterans Affairs Canada.
Question 17 – 23: Please provide your organization’s mailing address and website.
Indicate your full mailing address including city/town/village, Province/Territory, Country and postal code. If your organization’s address is confidential (i.e. a shelter), please advise. Also include the website of your organization, if applicable.
Question 24: Name and title of person(s) authorized by the organization to sign financial agreements
Indicate the name and position title of the individual authorized to sign financial agreements for your organization.
Question 25: Does your organization have an employee or board member involved in this project who is a current or former public servant/public office holder within the last 12 months?
Indicate if your organization has an employee or board member involved in this project who is current or former public service/public office holder within the last 12 months.
The involvement of current and former public servants/officials must respect and comply with the Policy on Conflict of Interest and Post Employment and the Values and Ethics Code for the Public Sector.
Question 26: Does your organization have an employee or board member who is employed or has been employed by Veterans Affairs Canada?
Indicate if your organization has an employee or board member that is currently or has been employed by Veterans Affairs Canada.
The involvement of current and former public servants/officials must respect and comply with the Policy on Conflict of Interest and Post Employment and the Values and Ethics Code for the Public Sector.
Question 27: How did you find out about this program? Please indicate how you found out about this funding opportunity (website, colleagues, social media, etc.)
Indicate details regarding how you heard about the Veteran and Family Well-Being Fund.
Question 28: Please provide details surrounding the expertise, leadership and experience within your organization that will enable you to deliver this project. Has your organization had past experience with similar projects? If so, please provide a brief summary of those projects.
In 400 words or fewer, please provide details surrounding the expertise, leadership and experience within your organization that will allow you to deliver this project. If you have provided similar projects in the past, please provide some details surrounding those projects.
Part C – Project information & description
Question 29: Project title
Indicate the title of your project.
Question 30: Project start date (YYYY-MM-DD)
Indicate the start date of your project. Please note that the earliest start date accepted for projects is 2023-04-01.
If your organization’s project activities begin before you receive a funding decision, expenses incurred prior to approval will not be reimbursed.
Question 31: Project end date (YYYY-MM-DD)
Indicate the end date of your project.
Question 32: Project scope
Indicate the scope of the project (i.e. municipal/provincial/national)
Question 33: In what province will the project activities primarily occur? (choose 1) (if national, where is it led?)
Indicate which province the project activities will primarily occur. If the project is national, indicate where it will be led.
Question 34: Nature of the project:
Indicate the nature of the project (i.e. Dissemination of Information or Resources, Research, Program Delivery, Program Development, or Other)
Question 35: Expected number of participants/beneficiaries
Indicate the number of Veterans and/or family members expected to participate/benefit from this project.
Question 36: In 50 words or fewer, describe your project.
In 50 words or fewer, provide a description of your project that could be used for briefing or communications purposes.
Question 37: Please describe your project’s activities and explain how these activities will achieve the expected project outcomes.
In 400 words or fewer, describe the activities that will be undertaken during the duration of the project, and explain how these activities will achieve the expected outcomes of the project.
Part D – Evaluation
All projects will be assessed on the following criteria:
- Impact – the project/service will have meaningful impact on Veterans' and their families' well-being, including a sustained impact after participation ends.
- Innovation – the project/service addresses an unmet need, offers a new approach to delivering a needed benefit, or finds a new way to reach Veterans and their families.
- Risk – the project/service is cost-effective, and the organization is adequately prepared for the complexity and duration of the project/service and has sufficient resources to administer and deliver it.
Question 38: Describe how your project will have a significant impact on Veterans and their families’ well-being, including a sustained impact after participation ends. Include evidence to support your claim.
In 400 words or fewer, indicate how your project will have a significant impact on Veterans and their families’ well-being. How will you measure the sustained impact after participation ends? Include any evidence available to support your answer.
Question 39: Who is the target audience for your project? Does your project focus on equity seeking groups such as women, LGBTQ2, homeless and indigenous Veterans?
In 400 words or fewer, indicate the target audience for your project.
Question 40: Please describe how your organization has sufficient resources for administering and delivering this program/service, and how quickly it can be implemented.
In 400 words or fewer, indicate your various resources in place to administer and deliver this project. Can the project be implemented by April 1, 2023?
Question 41: Please demonstrate how your organization meets regulatory standards and works within accepted scopes of practice. This includes proper screening of volunteers and staff who are working directly with program participants and/or equity seeking groups.
In 400 words or fewer, indicate the measures your organization takes to ensure safety for Veterans participating in this project. This includes how volunteers and peer supporters are screened when working with program participants including Veterans and/or equity seeking groups.
Question 42: Please describe the financial controls in place to ensure cost-effectiveness of your project and mitigation of financial risk in your organization. How would your organization address possible unintended adverse consequences? (Please provide some examples)
In 400 words or fewer, describe the financial controls your organization has in place to ensure cost-effectiveness of your project and the mitigation strategies used for financial risk, and how your organization would address possible unintended adverse consequences.
Examples of adverse consequences could include: issues researching target audiences, lower intended number of participants than anticipated, issues with partners or suppliers, etc.
Question 43: If your project has a research component, is your organization prepared to seek ethics approval through research ethics board at an accredited academic institution.? If applicable, please describe how it adheres to the Sex and Gender Equity in Research (SAGER) guidelines.
Projects should report how sex and gender were taken into account in the design of the study, whether they ensured adequate representation of males and females, and justify the reasons for any exclusion of males or females. Where appropriate, data should be routinely presented disaggregated by sex and gender. Sex and gender-based analyses should be reported regardless of positive or negative outcome. In clinical trials, data on withdrawals and dropouts should also be reported disaggregated by sex.
Question 44: Describe how your project will include diverse perspectives in its design and delivery, and how Gender-Based Analysis Plus (GBA Plus) will be used to achieve the project’s objectives. This includes the use of methods to reduce and mitigate unintended bias and that fall in line with federal objectives related to GBA Plus.
GBA Plus is an analytical process used to assess how diverse groups of women, men and non-binary people may experience policies, programs and initiatives. The “plus” in GBA Plus acknowledges that GBA goes beyond biological (sex) and socio-cultural (gender) differences, such as race, ethnicity, religion, age, and mental or physical disability
Describe how your project will include a Gender-Based Analysis Plus (GBA Plus) in its design and delivery, and how GBA Plus will be used to achieve the project’s objectives. This includes the use of methods to reduce and mitigate unintended bias and that fall in line with federal objectives related to Gender-Based Analysis Plus.
Indicate any considerations resulting from your GBA Plus and the evidence to support the existence of the identified need. This includes referencing evidence and explaining how and the extent to which the element(s) of the discriminatory system in question impact the target client population of your project.
Question 45: Has your organization applied for or received funding from any other sources for this project?
If your organization has applied for or received funding from any other sources, please provide details surrounding that funding such as the funding sources, amounts, and start/end dates of the funding. A project can receive assistance from all levels of government (federal, provincial, territorial and municipal); however, total assistance from all levels of government cannot exceed 100% of eligible expenditures. This stacking limit must be respected when funding is provided. In all cases, revenues cannot exceed expenses.
Question 46: Are there other important considerations not covered that we should be aware of?
In 400 words or fewer, provide any other important considerations not covered in this application that VAC should be aware of.
Question 47: If the project is intended to continue beyond the funded period, explain in detail how the project will be sustained.
In 400 words or fewer, describe how you would plan to sustain the project after funding has ended in the event your project is awarded Veteran and Family Well-Being Fund funding.
The objective of the Veteran and Family Well-Being Fund is to fund projects of a finite duration. If a project is to continue past the funded period, the organization will be responsible for sustaining the project.
Part E – Project budget
The following project expenses are considered eligible;
- wages and benefits;
- professional fees;
- travel and accommodations;
- materials and supplies;
- rental, repair, renovation and/or maintenance of facilities
- printing and communication; and
- administration costs (not to exceed 20%).
Eligible expenditures are direct and indirect costs that are approved and incurred by the recipient in respect to eligible activities/initiatives and which are reasonable and necessary to carry out the activities/initiatives to which they relate.
Administrative costs are any expenses considered indirect costs. Indirect costs are expenses related to an organization’s ability to administer and support project activities. For example; the salary for a psychologist who will work directly with Veterans for the project would fall under Wages & Benefits. However, the salary for an administrative professional who would do scheduling and taxes for the project would fall under Administration Costs.
The following are examples of expenses that are considered ineligible;
- construction of a building
- purchase of a vehicle
- purchase of equipment that could increase the organizations economic value
- building improvements
- land purchase
Completing the budget section
Total project expenditures
Indicate the total project expenditures for fiscal years 2023-24, 2024-25, 2025-26.
Please note that administrative costs are part of the funding requested and are costs that are indirectly related to delivering the project.
Total funding requested from VAC
Indicate the total amount of funding requested from VAC for fiscal years 2023-24, 2024-25, 2025-26.
Please note that administrative costs are part of the funding requested and are costs that are indirectly related to delivering the project.
If your project proposal is selected, you will be required to provide a detailed breakdown of project expenditures by fiscal year.
After your application has been submitted
Not all eligible applications will be selected for funding during this call for applications as funding is limited.
Approvals will be communicated via telephone call and those not approved will be confirmed via email. The Minister of Veterans Affairs Canada makes all funding decisions. Decisions regarding the assessment of applications are final and there is no appeal process. Any questions or concerns about the grant process or decisions should be sent to veteraninnovation@veterans.gc.ca.
If your project is approved, a departmental representative will contact you to establish a funding agreement.
Activities cannot begin before the project is approved and an agreement has been signed by both the organization and VAC.
Successful organizations must agree to defer any public announcements for 60 days from the date their agreement has been signed.
