Submit a nomination for Canada’s Volunteer Awards
On this page
- Application period Open
- Description of the awards
- Recognition of award recipients
- Eligibility
- Nomination information session Sign up now
- Steps to apply
- How we assess your application
- Contact us
- Glossary
Application period
The call for nominations is now open
You can submit nominations from February 26 to May 8, 2025.
Description of the awards
National award
1 national award in the following category:
The Thérèse Casgrain Lifelong Achievement Award
This category is open to individuals who have volunteered for 20 years or more and who:
- inspired other volunteers
- made a difference through volunteering
Regional awards
20 regional awards in the following categories:
Community Leader
This category is open to individuals or groups of individuals who:
- volunteer either on their own or as a group
- give their time to an organization or a cause
- take a lead role in solving social issues
Emerging Leader
This category is open to individuals between the ages of 18 and 30 who:
- show leadership through volunteering
- help strengthen their community through volunteering
Business Leader
This category is open to businesses or social enterprises that:
- practice corporate social responsibility
- promote and support volunteering at local, regional, and/or national levels
- create positive social, cultural or environmental impacts in their communities
Social Innovator
This category is open to not-for-profit organizations, social enterprises or registered charities that:
- address social challenges in their communities
- use innovative ways to serve and strengthen communities
Regions
One recipient is awarded in each of the 5 regions:
- Atlantic (Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and New Brunswick)
- Quebec
- Ontario
- Prairies (Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta)
- British Columbia and the North (Nunavut, Northwest Territories and Yukon)
Recognition of award recipients
Canada’s Volunteer Awards recognizes recipients at a national ceremony. Recipients also take part in a session to share best practices in volunteering.
All award recipients receive a certificate.
Recipients also choose a registered not-for-profit organization in Canada to receive a grant:
- $10,000 for the national award
- $5,000 for the regional awards
Eligibility
Nominees can be:
- individuals or groups
- businesses
- social enterprises
- not-for-profit organizations
- charities
Only 1 nomination will be accepted per nominee.
Political and public advocacy work is not eligible.
Individuals or groups
- Must be Canadian citizens, permanent residents or protected persons within the meaning of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act
- Must be 18 years of age and over at the time of the submission of the nomination
- Must have contributed to addressing social challenges in their community
- For the emerging Leader category, must be between the ages of 18 and 30 at the time of the submission of the nomination
Businesses, not-for-profit organizations or charities
- Must be registered as a business, not-for-profit organization or charity in Canada. (Not-for-profit organizations are incorporated under either federal or provincial non-profit legislation. Registered charities are charitable organizations, public foundations, or private foundations that are created and resident in Canada. They must use their resources for charitable activities and have charitable purposes that benefit communities)
- Must have contributed to addressing social challenges in their community in Canada
Consent
The nominator and the nominee must consent to give permission to the Canada’s Volunteer Award program to collect, share and disclose all information related to the nomination with:
- Regional Reviewers
- National Advisory Committee members
- Minister of Families, Children and Social Development
Letters of support
You will need to submit at least 1 letter of support and no more than 3 with your nomination.
All letters must:
- be written by someone who has direct knowledge of the nominee’s contributions (letters written by the nominator or nominee will not be accepted)
- highlight the contributions of the nominee
- explain how the author knows the nominee (how did they learn about the nominee’s volunteering, and how long have they known them?)
- contain the name and address of the author
- be addressed to Canada’s Volunteer Awards
- not exceed 2 pages (about 1,000 words)
- be dated and been written within the last 6 months
- Need help? Consult the Letter of support template
Letter of support template
(The use of this template is optional)
Date (must be dated and written within the past 6 months).
Dear Canada’s Volunteer Awards,
This is your opportunity to explain why you support the nomination.
Please include your nominee’s name in the letter. The letter must not exceed 2 pages (1000 words).
Explain how you know the nominee (how did you learn about the nominee’s volunteering? How long have you known the nominee?)
Provide examples of how the nominee’s contributions have made a difference. (You must have direct knowledge of their contributions.) You could describe:
- the role they played in solving a local issue
- the impact of their volunteer efforts
- how they inspire others
- highlight any challenges they overcame
Sincerely,
Your Signature
Your name
Your relationship to the nominee (for example, supervisor, colleague, beneficiary of contribution).
Your contact information (complete address, email address and/or telephone number).
Nomination information session
We will hold two information sessions in April:
- English-language session: on April 8, 2025 at 2:00 PM to 3:00 PM Eastern Daylight Time (EDT)
- French-language session: on April 9, 2025 at 2:00 PM to 3:00 PM Eastern Daylight Time (EDT)
If you are interested in participating, please specify which session you wish to attend in an email to: info-cva-pbc-gd@hrsdc-rhdcc.gc.ca
We will provide you with the information on how to participate via Zoom.
Steps to apply
Before you apply
Before submitting your nomination make sure you gather all required documents and information:
- choose the correct award category
- ensure your nominee is eligible
- read the assessment criteria
- get the nominee’s consent
- get letters of support
Apply online
Once you have gathered all required documents, you can start your application.
Start application
Other ways to apply
You can request a form in an alternate format by contacting us.
You may also request a PDF copy of our Guidelines by contacting us.
Make sure you complete the declarations of consent
- Read all the declarations of consent during the nomination process
- Provide your own consent, and get the consent of the nominee
- Once the nomination is submitted, the nominees will receive an email to consent online
Explain how the nominee meets each of the 6 criteria
- Be sure to answer every question for each of the 6 criteria in your nomination
- For each answer, do not exceed the word limit
Include the letters of support
- Submit up to 3 letters of support. Additional letters will not be retained
How we assess your application
Nominations go through a 3-step review process:
- administrative review to ensure eligibility
- the Regional Reviewers assess nominations and develop a list of top-ranked nominations
- the National Advisory Committee evaluates top-ranked nominations and recommends award recipients to the Minister of Families, Children and Social Development
Assessment criteria
In steps 2 and 3 of the assessment process, nomination are assessed according to 6 criteria.
All categories
Thérèse Casgrain Lifelong Achievement Award
Role
- Describe the contributions of the nominee
- What actions did the nominee take to address community concerns
- Describe how these actions strengthened the community
- Describe how the nominee has shown leadership
Impact
- Describe how the nominee addressed a challenge in their community
- Explain how the nominee’s efforts made a difference
- How will the nominee’s efforts be sustained
Reach
- Describe who benefitted from the nominee’s efforts
- How many people did the nominee’s efforts assist
- What did people gain from the nominee’s efforts
- Has the nominee’s efforts helped beyond their local community
Engagement
- Explain how the nominee inspired others to get involved and address social issues
- Did the nominee involve any partners
- If so, who were the partners and how did they engage them
Challenges
- Describe any challenges the nominee faced in order to make a difference in their community
- How did the nominee defeat these challenges
Inspiration
- Describe how the nominee became a role model in their community
- Who is the nominee a role model for
- Describe how the nominee shares their knowledge with others
Community Leader
Role
- Describe the contributions of the nominee
- What actions did the nominee take to address community concerns
- Describe how these actions strengthened the community
- Describe how the nominee has shown leadership
Impact
- Describe how the nominee addressed a challenge in their community
- Explain how the nominee’s efforts made a difference
- How will the nominee’s efforts be sustained
Reach
- Describe who benefitted from the nominee’s efforts
- How many people did the nominee’s efforts assist
- What did people gain from the nominee’s efforts
- Has the nominee’s efforts helped beyond their local community
Engagement
- Explain how the nominee inspired others to get involved and address social issues
- Did the nominee involve any partners
- If so, who were the partners and how did they engage them
Challenges
- Describe any challenges the nominee faced in order to make a difference in their community
- How did the nominee defeat these challenges
Inspiration
- Describe how the nominee became a role model in their community
- Who is the nominee a role model for
- Describe how the nominee shares their knowledge with others
Emerging Leader
Role
- Describe the contributions of the nominee
- What actions did the nominee take to address community concerns
- Describe how these actions strengthened the community
- Describe how the nominee has shown leadership
Impact
- Describe how the nominee addressed a challenge in their community
- Explain how the nominee’s efforts made a difference
- How will the nominee’s efforts be sustained
Reach
- Describe who benefitted from the nominee’s efforts
- How many people did the nominee’s efforts assist
- What did people gain from the nominee’s efforts
- Has the nominee’s efforts helped beyond their local community
Engagement
- Explain how the nominee inspired others to get involved and address social issues
- Did the nominee involve any partners
- If so, who were the partners and how did they engage them
Challenges
- Describe any challenges the nominee faced in order to make a difference in their community
- How did the nominee defeat these challenges
Inspiration
- Describe how the nominee became a role model in their community
- Who is the nominee a role model for
- Describe how the nominee shares their knowledge with others
Social Innovator
Role
- Describe the contributions of the nominee
- Describe how the nominee addressed social challenges in their community
- Describe the approach used by the nominee
- Explain why their approach is innovative
Impact
- Describe how the nominee addressed a challenge in their community
- Explain how the nominee’s efforts made a difference
- How will the nominee’s efforts be sustained
Reach
- Describe who benefitted from the nominee’s efforts
- How many people did the nominee’s efforts assist
- What did people gain from the nominee’s efforts
- Has the nominee’s efforts helped beyond their local community
Engagement
- Describe how the nominee engaged others in a group effort
- Describe how the nominee made use of outside resources to address a social issue
- Did the nominee involve any other groups or organizations? If so who and how
Challenges
- Describe any challenges the nominee faced in order to make a difference in their community
- How did the nominee defeat these challenges
Inspiration
- Describe how the nominee is a role model for other community organizations
- Describe how the nominee shares their knowledge with other community organizations
Business Leader
Role
- Describe the contributions of the nominee
- Describe how the nominee has shown leadership in corporate social responsibility
- What issues did the nominee help to address in their community
- Describe the time, skills and resources the nominee has given to improve the community
Impact
- Describe how the nominee addressed a challenge in their community
- Explain how the nominee’s efforts made a difference
- How will the nominee’s efforts be sustained
Reach
- Describe who benefitted from the nominee’s efforts
- How many people did the nominee’s efforts assist
- What did people gain from the nominee’s efforts
- Has the nominee’s efforts helped beyond their local community
Engagement
- Describe how the nominee used outside resources to address a social issue
- Did the nominee engage other groups to address the social issue
- Did the nominee develop programs to support and promote employees to:
- volunteer time
- donate funds
- offer pro bono skills and services
Challenges
- Describe any challenges the nominee faced in order to make a difference in their community
- How did the nominee defeat these challenges
Inspiration
- Describe how the nominee is a role model in their community
- Describe how the nominee mentors others
- Describe how the nominee inspires other businesses to be socially responsible
Contact us
Contact Canada’s Volunteer Awards
Glossary
- Business
- A for-profit enterprise incorporated under federal or provincial law.
- Canadian citizen
-
A person described as a citizen under the Citizenship Act. This means a person who:
- is Canadian by birth (either born in Canada or born outside Canada to a Canadian citizen who themselves either born in Canada or granted citizenship), or
- has applied for a grant of citizenship and has received Canadian citizenship (naturalization)
- Corporate social responsibility
- The voluntary activities undertaken by a company to operate in an economic, social and environmentally sustainable manner.
- Nominator
- A person who is nominating an individual, business, social enterprise or not-for-profit organization for Canada's Volunteer Awards.
- Nominee
- A person or a group of persons, not-for-profit organization, social enterprise or business that is being nominated for a Canada's Volunteer Award to acknowledge their significant community contributions.
- Not-for-profit organization
- Associations, clubs, or societies that are not charities and are organized and operated exclusively for social welfare, civic improvement, pleasure, recreation, or any other purpose except profit.
- Permanent resident
- Someone who has acquired permanent resident status by immigrating to Canada but is not yet a Canadian citizen.
- Registered charity
- Registered charities are charitable organizations, public foundations, or private foundations that are created and resident in Canada. They must use their resources for charitable activities and have charitable purposes that benefit communities.
- Social enterprise
- A social enterprise is a revenue-generating organization whose objective is to have a social impact. A social enterprise does not have a specific corporate form. Social enterprises include "non-profit organizations" or "registered charities" who operate revenue generating related businesses, and include organizations that operate as "for-profit" businesses with a social goal.
- Social innovation
-
Social innovation refers to a response to a social or environmental problem, which, once adopted, results in better solutions than existing approaches. Social innovations have a transformative impact and improve organizations, communities, regions, or systems. Social innovation can include:
- new, more effective social programs
- the use of new technologies
- the growth of social enterprises
- Sustainability
- The capacity to endure.
- Volunteerism
- The participation in purposeful helping activities without monetary compensation. It can involve a variety of activities, taking place occasionally over the course of a year, or a more consistent and sustained commitment, such as a weekly commitment to a specific cause. Volunteering benefits groups, persons or the community, and can either be mediated by organizations (formal volunteering) or be direct help without the involvement of an organization or group (informal volunteering).
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