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IDEA Community Grant Program 2024

Applications are no longer being received. Thank you for your interest in the IDEA Community Grants Program

Purpose:
The purpose of the IDEA Advisory Group’s IDEA Grant Program 2024 is to amplify the efforts of the IAG in creating opportunities for community engagement and public education around the IDEA principles of inclusion, diversity, equity and anti-racism.  


Grant Amounts:
Grant amounts of up to $2500 may be provided to eligible organizations who demonstrate how their proposed initiative will meet the purpose of the IDEA Grant Program. 


Grant Term:
New! The term of the 2024 IDEA Grant Program will be extended to 24 months.   


Streams of Funding:

1. Small Employer Funding 
In 2021, the IDEA Community Report highlighted that the most common place residents of Muskoka experience discrimination is at places of work. In response, the first stream of funding is being offered to support small employers who are actively working to strengthen or incorporate IDEA principles into their workplaces and service delivery models by providing sector-specific IDEA training to their staff, board members and volunteers. 

Please note, the District will be offering free bulk training opportunities for small employers in the fall of 2024 on the topics of Bystander Intervention, 2SLGBTQ+ cultural competency, and Indigenous Awareness. The Small Employer Funding Stream has been created in an effort to supplement these free bulk training offerings with sector-specific and/or customized training.  

2. Community Partner Funding  
In an effort to amplify the efforts of the IAG, funding is being offered to organizations across Muskoka who seek to amplify the efforts of the IAG by creating opportunities for increased public awareness and/or community education aligned with the IAG’s Diversity Calendar. Initiatives aligned with the theme of anti-hate are also eligible.  


Eligible Organizations:

  • Self Employers in Muskoka with twenty staff or fewer
  • Charities
  • Non-profits
  • Grass-roots organizations
  • Associations
  • Clubs 

Requirements:

1. Successful applicants will be required to sign a letter of agreement with the District of Muskoka before funding can be flowed;

2. Funding must be fully expended within 24 months of it being received (e.g. target end-date of all projects is September 30, 2026);  

3. Grant recipients will be required to provide to the District of Muskoka interim reports at year-end 2024 and 2025, as well as a final report on October 30, 2026 to outline the impacts of the initiative and a detailed accounting of how the funds were spent (report templates will be provided ahead of report deadlines); 

4. All final reports will be due by October 30, 2026;

5. Staff wages/salaries are ineligible for this funding; and

6. The execution of all initiatives will strive to meet the IAG’s IDEA principles of promoting inclusivity and equity, celebrating diversity and combating racism/hate. 



Decision-Making:

1. A Sub-committee of IAG members will evaluate each IAG Grant submission and rank each application according to:

  • Vision – the application clearly articulates a vision for the initiative. 
  • Alignment – the application clearly demonstrates how the initiative aligns with the IAG’s IDEA principles and the purpose of the funding stream. 
  • Identified need – the application clearly identifies a unique IDEA training need (for small employers) or community need or gap (for community partners). If more than one application is received that targets the same training topic, audience, community or initiative, applicants may be contacted about a possible partnership opportunity. Applicants are encouraged to find and work with partners! 
  • Community impact and outcomes – the application clearly describes the intended impact and outcomes of the proposed initiative and demonstrates the significance of this impact.
  • Accountability – the application provides a reasonable budget, clear and achievable timelines and outcomes, and establishes clear oversight and accountability for the initiative. 

 

2. Recipients and funding amounts will be recommended to the full IDEA Advisory Group for approval. All decisions of IAG are final.


Proposed Timelines:

  • June 1, 2024 to July 30, 2024: Call for IDEA Grant Program applications.
  • August 1, 2024 to August 30, 2024: IAG Sub-committee review and recommendations to District Council.  
  • September 2024: Successful recipients are notified, letters of agreement are signed and funding is flowed.
  • October 1, 2024 to September 30, 2026: Projects launched by recipients.
  • December 31 2024: Interim Report #1 due.
  • December 31, 2025: Interim Report #2 due.
  • October 30, 2026: All final reports due from grant recipients.
  • January 2027: Report to District Council on community impact of 2024 IDEA Grant Program.


If the IDEA Community Grant seems like a good fit for your organization's goals, please complete the application below.

Community Inclusion Notice: At the District of Muskoka, we strive to make sure everyone in our community has an equal opportunity to participate in our initiatives. If you need assistance or accommodations to complete this form, if you require it in a different format, additional support, or any other accessibility-related assistance, please mail tina.kilborne@muskoka.on.ca or call 705-645-2100. We’re here to help, and to make sure everyone can contribute and be heard.

The information collected in this form will only be used for the purposes of the ‘IDEA Community Grant Program Application 2024.' If at any time you do not wish to continue, you are under no obligation to participate. Participation in this application form is voluntary. Information gathered as part of this application process is done so under the authority of Section 28 of the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (MFIPPA).