Oral Health Access Fund: Call for proposals

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• Overview
• Available funding
• Stream 1: Oral health education and training Applications closed
• Stream 2: Oral health care access and prevention of oral diseases Applications closed
• Contact us

Overview

The Oral Health Access Fund (the fund) is a grants and contributions program led by Health Canada, and designed to complement the Canadian Dental Care Plan. The fund aims to expand access to oral health care by supporting projects that reduce or remove non-financial barriers to accessing oral health care for targeted populations. The fund will support projects that:

• aim to improve training and capacity for oral health care providers
• connect people to oral health care
• deliver prevention and education efforts to improve oral health.

Targeted populations could include groups such as:

• children
• Indigenous Peoples
• newcomers to Canada
• official language minority communities
• people who experience homelessness
• persons with disabilities
• rural and remote communities
• seniors

Budget 2023 committed $250 million in funding over 3 years, starting in the 2025 to 26 fiscal year, and $75 million ongoing to establish the fund.

Funding is delivered through 2 streams:

• Stream 1: Oral health education and training
• Stream 2: Oral health care access and prevention of oral diseases

Stream 1 supports projects submitted by oral health training institutions that aim to address:

• competency gaps related to the treatment of targeted populations
• training adaptation to ensure sufficient hands-on training opportunities

Stream 2 supports projects that aim to improve prevention of oral diseases and access to person-centered oral health care.

Applications for both streams are closed. Proposals for stream 1 were accepted from May 13, 2024 to July 31, 2024. Expressions of interest for stream 2 were accepted from June 10, 2024 to July 31, 2024.

Successful applicants will be contacted via email regarding next steps.

Available funding

Proposals are selected through a competitive merit-based process. Our intention is to support many projects across the country.

The total funding available for projects under each stream is:

• $25 million in the 2025 to 2026 fiscal year
• $50 million in the 2026 to 2027 fiscal year
• $50 million in the 2027 to 2028 fiscal year

The amount allocated to each stream after 2028 will be determined at a later date.

The maximum amount that can be requested by most applicants is $5 million per fiscal year per recipient. However, in the case of for-profit organizations applying to Stream 2, funding is limited to $100,000 per project regardless of its duration.

All applicants should keep in mind that although these are the maximum amounts that can be requested, there is limited funding available. Proposals are selected through a competitive process based on merit. The amount requested to complete the proposed project relative to the strength of its merit is taken into account; not all projects receive the maximum amount of funding available.

If we select a proposal for funding, during the negotiation phase we may ask recipients to adjust the budget and scope of a project, if needed.

We determine whether to provide funding as a grant or a contribution for selected projects.

Stream 1: Oral health education and training

Applications closed

Who is eligible to apply

Accredited and non-accredited Canadian oral health training institutions that are either:

• not-for-profit
• publicly-funded
• privately funded

Funding priorities

Funding is prioritized for projects that relate to training and capacity building. Specifically, funding through this stream will support projects that:

• address competency gaps in the knowledge and skills of students and/or oral health care professionals related to the treatment of targeted populations, and/or
• help oral health training institutions adapt to provide students with sufficient hands-on training opportunities

Examples of projects

Possible projects could include:

• curriculum development for oral health training programs to improve students' knowledge and skills for treating targeted populations
• professional development opportunities for oral health professionals to develop the knowledge and skills for treating targeted populations
• internships and partnerships with community-based, government or social service organizations for oral health students to gain experience providing treatment to targeted populations in underserved areas
• design adaptations to ensure students continue to have access to sufficient hands-on training opportunities that are also accessible to patients.

Eligible expenditures

Examples of eligible expenditures include:

• contractual services
• travel and accommodation
• personnel salaries and benefits
• equipment, materials and supplies
• performance measurement and evaluation
• rent and utilities
• capital expenditures, such as rental or purchase of capital needed to carry out the project activities
  • Purchase of land and buildings are not eligible.

Applications

Applications are currently closed.

Applicants who applied during the application period will be notified with our final decision via e-mail once all of the assessments are complete.

Submitting a proposal does not guarantee approval. This is a competitive process. Projects are selected based on various factors, including innovation, potential reach or impact of the proposed project, number of successful proposals, regional representation and/or availability of funds.

The deadline to submit a proposal was 11:59 pm PDT on July 31, 2024.

Stream 2: Oral health care access and prevention of oral diseases

Applications closed

Who is eligible to apply

We accept submissions from:

• not-for-profit organizations
• for-profit organizations
• other levels of government and their agencies, such as:
  • provinces
  • territories
  • Indigenous governing bodies
  • municipalities

Ineligible recipients include:

• individuals
• federal entities
• crown corporations
• foreign organizations

Funding priorities

Funding through this stream supports projects that aim to improve:

• connecting people to oral health care, such as:
  • access in rural, remote and underserved settings
  • inclusive treatment spaces
• oral health awareness (promotion and public education)

Proposals have to clearly outline how the project aligns with one or both of these funding priorities.

Examples of projects

Possible projects could include:

• adding oral health care service delivery or capacity to community health centres, shelters, or long-term care facilities, such as:
  • oral health service delivery by other professionals, such as nurses or health care aides
  • renovating treatment spaces to allow for easier access for persons with disabilities
• alternative delivery models to improve access to care, such as:
  • partnerships between oral health service providers and other organizations to bring services to underserved populations, such as rural communities, people experiencing homelessness or persons with disabilities
• intervention or capacity building to help reduce oral day surgery waitlists for targeted populations
• resources or curriculum development for non-oral health providers, such as for prevention or screening for referral
• retrofitting mobile clinics
• oral health promotion activities, such as:
  • multi-media educational products in a range of settings on topics such as nutrition and oral health
  • making oral hygiene supports available to underserved populations, such as screenings, techniques, referrals, treatment or tools
  • developing and disseminating resources to promote best practices
• oral disease prevention activities, such as education and awareness campaigns about community water fluoridation

Eligible expenditures

Examples of eligible expenditures include:

• contractual services
• travel and accommodation
• personnel salaries and benefits
• equipment, materials and supplies
• performance measurement and evaluation
• rent and utilities
• capital expenditures, such as rental or purchase of capital needed to carry out the project activities
  • Purchase of land and buildings are not eligible.

Applications

Projects are selected through a 2-step solicitation process:

Step 1: Expressions of interest

Applicants submit the expression of interest form that outlines the proposed project.

Quebec-based applicants

Applicants from Quebec need to indicate if their organization is subject to the province's Act Respecting the Ministère du Conseil Exécutif.

Read the act

The deadline to submit the expression of interest form was 11:59 pm PDT on July 31, 2024. All forms submitted by mail must have been post-marked no later than July 31, 2024.

We review the eligibility and applicability of proposed projects against the following criteria:

• applicant's eligibility
• project description and rationale
• alignment with one or more funding priorities
• project activities and timelines
• project's intended benefits to one or more of the targeted populations
• proposed budget
• geographic location of project activities
• diversity of projects

Applicants invited to submit full proposals in Fall 2024 (step 2 of the application process) will receive instructions via email on how to do so.

We reserve the right to:

• reject any submission received
• accept any submission in whole or in part (in consultation with the applicant)
• cancel or re-issue this call for expressions of interest at any time (applicants will be notified)

We are under no obligation to enter into a funding agreement as a result of this solicitation process.

Step 2: Invitation to submit a full application

Applicants successful at step 1 will be invited to submit a comprehensive application in Fall 2024. At this step, applicants must submit components detailing their project proposal, including:

• workplan
• detailed budget
• demonstration of the need for the project
• performance measurement and evaluation plan
• summary of anticipated or actual partnerships, if applicable

Project proposals must build from and align with the expressions of interest forms submitted in step 1 of the process.

Contact us

Contact us with your questions or requests for more information.

Email: ohaf-fasb@hc-sc.gc.ca