Grant Centre Guide

The Coordinator, Funding and Grants (the Coordinator) will send out notification of opportunities as they become available. Alternatively, you may also to choose to independently search for funding opportunities that appeal to your program or department. In the case that you find a grant opportunity, please forward this information to the Coordinator. The Coordinator will then send an organization-wide email announcing the grant information, how to apply, and other necessary information. This is done to ensure transparency and fairness, by giving equal access and notice to all TRCA management employees in the grants submission process.

Funders might contact you to inquire about administrative matters (e.g. budgets, timelines, contracts), or practical/programming matters (e.g. clarification of programming components, particular activities, etc.). All administrative inquiries from funders should be forwarded directly to the Coordinator.

However, practical inquiries regarding the day-to-day implementation of the program can be handled by the team responsible for the grant. For example, a funder might call to ask to hear more about the particular themes and learning objectives of your environmental education workshops. In the interest of maintaining clarity regarding the program, always “cc” the Coordinator if you are responding to a practical inquiry from a funder.

In many cases, staff implementing programming will have pre-existing connections with funders that were cultivated over the time that the program has been implemented (in some cases over many years). These connections are important, and should be maintained. As in the case of practical inquiries from funders, always “cc” the Coordinator during communications with preexisting contacts.

When a grant program limits the number of submissions per organization, TRCA’s Senior Leadership Team (SLT) will discuss and make a decision about competing applications. Additional information as required may be provided to SLT by the relevant business units.

1. Find a funding opportunity that is suitable for your project/program
2. Obtain approval from your manager to pursue the funding opportunity
3. Submit the Statement of Interest to the Grant Center
4. Coordinator will review Statements of Interest against the granting guidelines, and submit to the Senior Leadership Team (SLT) for review
5. Once the review is completed, the Coordinator will notify all applicants of the status of their submissions
6. Successful applicants will work with the Coordinator to provide the information required for the application, the Coordinator will submit application on behalf of TRCA or coordinate with the Foundation as required
7. The formal submission is reviewed by the funder. The Coordinator will provide details regarding when notification from the funder can be expected (this is not possible in all cases)
8. If your project is selected by the funder, the Coordinator will inform you of the reporting schedule and timeline expected by the funder

Although reporting will be different for every project and funder, the Coordinator will inform the department responsible for the project of the funder’s reporting requirements, including report templates, guidelines, and other materials.

Individual departments will be responsible for submitting their reports in a timely manner to the Coordinator. It is essential to funders that reports are submitted on time, and to the specifications outlined in the funding contract.

In order to ensure the timely submission of reporting documents, the Coordinator will create calendar reminders for respective departments and projects.

The Grant Centre initiative is intended to streamline the grant process, as a corporate service, led by the Strategic Business Planning & Performance business unit.

The Coordinator is the point of contact for all funding applications including, but not limited to, all internal and external communications, Statements of Interest, stakeholder/staff queries, and coordination between TRCA and the Foundation.

The Statement of Interest is a required first step in the grant application process because it tells your colleagues — including staff responsible for coordinating funding — that you are planning to apply for a grant. This helps us to:

• Build strategic proposals. As an organization, we need to work collaboratively to submit competitive grants that span across teams and divisions whenever possible. The Statement of Interest process creates a shared platform for exploring grant activity across TRCA and the potential or need for collaboration.
• Manage competition and avoid duplication of effort. Some grant programs limit the number of grant submissions allowed per organization. With these programs, the Grant Centre will facilitate the corporate prioritization process. By completing a Statement of Interest, you are avoiding investing hundreds of hours into preparing a grant only to discover that another team—with a more competitive proposal—is planning to apply to the same program.
• Track and manage our successes. Behind the scenes, staff teams track, receive process, transfer and reconcile grant funding. Keeping everyone in the loop encourages the efficient and effective management of grants, and starts with the Statement of Interest.

TRCA and the Foundation work collaboratively to advance common goals. The Foundation has a separate governing body and makes its own decisions.

Apply as TRCA when eligible funding recipients include:

• Conservation Authorities: As proof of organization eligibility, TRCA would use the CA Act (less common, often only with certain provincial governments), or;
• Government Agencies: When public-sector bodies established by or under statute are named, or;
• Registered Charitable Organizations: Proof of organization eligibility is TRCA’s charity number, or;

If an application cannot be pursued by TRCA, but may be pursued by the Foundation, make sure to verify that the Foundation is an eligible funding recipient, and can act as a granting body.

All funding applications will be submitted through TRCA with the exception of the following scenarios:

• If there is an application maximum, and both TRCA and the Foundation are deemed eligible applicants
• There is a Foundation-to-Foundation relationship or special circumstance that warrants application through the Foundation.

If a successful grant is made through the Foundation, a 6% surcharge will be applied, if allowable by the rules governing the funding. This surcharge helps to support the Foundation’s operations. In turn, the Foundation carries out many different activities to raise money and support for TRCA. These activities include: researching, cultivating, soliciting and stewarding donors; receiving and processing gifts; managing programs (e.g., Planned Giving program; Look After Where You Live program); planning fundraising events (e.g., The Living City Dinner); leading outreach and engagement efforts; and carrying out grant administration.

Yes. As a conservation authority in Ontario, TRCA is incorporated under Section 5 of the Conservation Authorities Act. Please also refer to Section 3(4) of the Act – “Every authority is a body corporate.”

The organization’s Ontario Corporation Number is 001798884.

TRCA is registered with the Canada Revenue Agency as a charitable organization. Its charitable registration number is 10808 8584 RR0001 and its date of registration is January 1, 1976.

The Foundation is registered with the Canada Revenue Agency as a public foundation. Its charitable registration number is 11903 9493 RR0001 and its date of registration is January 1, 1967.

Visit our Grant Writing Resources page for links to these and other useful documents.

Board information for TRCA and the Foundation can be found on our Grant Writing Resources page.

TRCA employs approximately 700 full-time and 600 contract staff.

An in-kind contribution is the payment of goods and services rather than money. In-kind contributions can include staff time (calculated at an hourly rate plus benefits), products that are donated (including refreshments, mulch and gloves), or tools that are borrowed, used and returned to the owner (such as tents, shovels and equipment).

In-kind contributions have a value that would be detailed in an overall budget. This value is determined by the organization that is making the contribution. It is based on the actual costs for the service.

If you are providing in-kind services, they are not free: you are paying for these services out of your budget (in the form of staff time, supplies etc.).

To calculate the in-kind contribution of volunteers, take the total number of volunteer hours and multiply this by Ontario’s minimum wage of $14/hour. Expressed as a formula: [total # of volunteer hours] x [$ minimum wage] = [$ in-kind contribution]

TRCA is currently in the process of updating the 2019 charge out rates for staff time, to incorporate a more accurate full cost. These rates will be available in the Fall of 2018, however, if you need rates in the meantime, please contact the Controller.

If you’ve received a notice of award for a TRCA grant, complete a funding notification to advise TRCA Accounting that a grant payment is on its way. Go to the Customer Invoicing and Receipting Database and use the following sample (PDF) as a guide for completing a funding notification.