Call for Proposals to Address GBV through Community-based Research: How to develop your application

5. Stream 2 - Community-Based Research: How to develop your application

The first step is to create an account in the Online Application and Intake System (ONAIS). Consult the ONAIS system user guide to find more information on how to create an account. It also explains how to complete, submit, and track an application.

We recommend that you read this section while completing the application. It provides important details on the information and documents we need. We will review your application using these types of criteria:

• Eligibility criteria: Basic elements that must be met to assess your application for funding.
• Assessment criteria: Other elements used to evaluate the strength of your application. We will only assess eligible applications.

We have indicated these in the instructions below. We will only consider the information we requested in the application form to assess your proposal.

Before starting an application, we encourage you to take the free online course: Introduction to Gender-based Analysis Plus (GBA Plus). It will help make your project more inclusive.

In this section

• Part A: Organization information
• Part B: Primary contact information
• Part C: Secondary contact information
• Part D: Project information
• Part E: Budget
• Part F: Declaration

Part A: Organization information

The information requested in this section needs to be entered in your organization’s profile in the Online Application and Intake System (ONAIS). We recommend you review this information before you apply to each call for proposals. There are instances where we will request more information. For example, this time we ask that you add information in your answer to the mandate question. Also, you may need to update your contact information.

Legal name

State the legal name of your organization. You can find it on your certificate of incorporation or registration, or on a document from the Canada Revenue Agency. If it is an acronym, give the full legal name.

If there is no legal name, state the operating name of your organization. If it is an acronym, state the operating name in full.

Operating name

State the operating or common name of your organization if it is different from the legal name. The operating name is the most used name of your organization. If it is an acronym, state the operating name in full.

Legally constituted

Indicate how your organization was created.

If you selected “created under an Act”, indicate which one (for example, Indian Act, University Act). In some cases, you may also have a certificate. If this is the case, please upload a copy.

If you selected “incorporated”, you must upload a copy of the certificate. The incorporation number is on the certificate.

If you selected “registered”, you must upload a copy of the certificate (“certificat d’attestation” in Quebec). It is issued by the provincial or territorial registrar. The registration number is on the certificate.

Eligibility criteria:

• The applicant is an eligible organization
• The application must be complete and must include a valid certificate

Type

Select your organization’s type.

All applicants under this stream must meet the following criteria:

• Be a Canadian organization
• Have proof of incorporation or registration or be created under an Act
• Have experience working on GBV issues
• Be one of the following organization types:
  • Not-for-profit or for-profit organizations that:
    • Are community-based and working with one or more of these population groups: Black or racialized women, immigrant, refugee and newcomer women, women living with disabilities, Indigenous women, or 2SLGBTQI+ people
    • Have experience in community-based research or a current partner with that experience
    • Do not intend to generate a profit
  • Research organizations or institutes that:
    • Have a mandate to conduct research and have research staff and facilities
    • Have proof of incorporation or registration as an independent body
    • Have a partnership with a community-based organization that:
      • Serves at least one of the targeted populations
      • Has experience working on GBV issues
  • Centres of expertise that:
    • Provide leadership, best practices, support, or training in a given field
    • Have experience in research
    • Have proof of incorporation or registration as an independent body
    • Have a partnership with a community-based organization that:
      • Serves at least one of the at-risk groups
      • Has experience working on GBV issues
  • Universities, colleges, or CÉGEPs: The federal government will only fund up to 50% of the total project budget. They must:
    • Have experience in research
    • Have a partnership with a community-based organization that:
      • Serves at least one of the at-risk groups
      • Has experience working on GBV issues

Eligibility criterion:

• The applicant is an eligible organization

Organization scope

Indicate the scope of your organization as it currently appears in your mandate:

• Local: The organization’s activities cover at least one community, such as a town or city
• Regional, provincial, or territorial, interprovincial, or inter-territorial: The organization's activities cover part or all a province or territory or many provinces or territories
• National: The organization’s activities have the potential of impact across Canada

Address

Indicate the street address of your organization.

Organizations established in Quebec

The Quebec National Assembly adopted an Act respecting the Ministère du Conseil exécutif (M-30). It sets out conditions for organizations that want to sign an agreement with the federal government. Organizations must ensure compliance with the Act respecting the Ministère du Conseil exécutif (M-30).

If your organization is in Quebec and meets one of the following criteria, it is subject to the Act:

• The majority of its members, board of directors or executive members, come from the Quebec public sector. This includes any person appointed by the Government of Quebec: a minister, a government agency, a municipal body, a school board, or another public agency
• Its personnel are appointed under the Public Service Act of Quebec
• The majority of its funding comes from Quebec public funds. For example, funding from the Consolidated Revenue Fund or a public agency

Organizations subject to the Act must get an authorization from the Government of Quebec. Only then can they sign an agreement with the Department. If your project is selected, we will provide you with more information.

If your organization’s street address is in Quebec:

• Provide your organization’s most recent financial statements
• Indicate if your organization meets one or more of the criteria of the Act
• If your organization has received a Ministerial Order from the Government of Quebec, please upload it now. If not, continue to the next question.

Confidential address

Indicate if the street address of your organization is confidential, such as the address of a shelter.

Telephone and email address

Provide the telephone number and email address of the organization.

Preferred official language of communication

Choose the official language in which you wish to communicate.

Mandate

Indicate your organization’s mandate (maximum of 400 words).

Governance

Explain the type of governance body your organization has in place. Examples include a board of directors, board of trustees, or advisory committee (maximum of 400 words).

Explain how your governance body oversees the work of your organization. Include how often it meets to review its resources, activities, and outcomes.

Describe what changes, if any, there have been to your governing body or senior management in the last two years. Describe the impact of these changes.

Assessment criterion:

• The application shows that the organization can manage and support the project.

Amounts owing

Indicate if your organization owes any amount to the Government of Canada. If so, add the name of the Department or agency, the amount owing, the nature of the debt, and if a payment plan is in place.

Part B: Primary contact information

The primary contact person is who the Department may contact about this application. As such, this person must know the details of the proposed project.

Give the primary contact person's name, title, telephone number, and email.

We will send all correspondence to the primary contact person’s email address.

Part C: Secondary contact information

We will contact the secondary contact person in the absence of the primary contact person. As such, this person must also know the details of the proposed project.

Give the secondary contact person’s name, title, telephone number, and email.

Part D: Project information

How you heard about the CFP

Indicate how you first heard about this call for proposals.

Experience working on GBV issues

Describe how you (or your partner if applicable) have worked at the community level on GBV issues. Identify the at-risk groups with whom you have worked and how they benefited from that work (maximum of 400 words).

Eligibility criteria:

• The application demonstrates that the organization has experience working on GBV issues. AND The application demonstrates that the partner has experience working on GBV issues.
• The application demonstrates that the organization is community-based. OR The application demonstrates that the partner is community-based.
• The application demonstrates that the organization works with at-risk groups. OR The application demonstrates that the partner works with at-risk groups.

Title

Provide a brief and descriptive project title (maximum of 15 words).

Anticipated start date

Indicate the anticipated start date of the project. Projects should be proposed to start no earlier than summer 2023.

We will not reimburse costs incurred before approval.

Anticipated end date

Indicate the anticipated end date of the project.

Projects must end by March 31, 2026. As such, we will remove the costs of activities continuing after March 31, 2026.

Assessment criterion:

• The project will end by March 31, 2026, as indicated for this call for proposals.

Project reach

Indicate the project reach:

• Local: Project activities cover at least one community, such as a town, city, or regional municipality.
• Regional, provincial, or territorial: Project activities cover parts of a province or territory; an entire province or territory; or a few adjacent provinces and territories. Projects that cover one of Canada’s three largest municipalities would qualify as regional: Greater Toronto, Greater Montreal and Greater Vancouver area.
• Pan-Canadian. Project activities must have impact in at least four WAGE regions and be carried out in both official languages (both official languages not required for Indigenous organizations).

Activity location type

Indicate if most of the activities will take place in a rural or urban area, or both. A rural area is an area outside settlements with 1,000 people or more but with less than 400 people per square kilometre (see Statistics Canada).

Indicate if the majority of activities will take place in a remote area. That is, an area that has infrequent flights, no roads in or out, only has a forestry truck road, or only has road access in winter.

Indicate if most of the activities will take place in a northern area. A northern area is one of the three territories or an area being above the:

• 50th parallel in Newfoundland and Labrador
• 54th parallel in Quebec or Ontario
• 53rd parallel in Manitoba
• 54th parallel in Saskatchewan, Alberta, or British Columbia

This information can be found on the LatLong website.

If there are extra costs due to remoteness, these assessment criteria apply:

• The application supports increased costs due to activities in a remote or northern area
• The work plan includes activities in a remote or northern area
• The budget includes costs for activities in a remote or northern area

Needs to be addressed

Before completing an application, we encourage you to take the free online course: Introduction to Gender-based Analysis Plus (GBA Plus).

GBA Plus is a process used to assess how diverse people may experience policies and programs. The “plus” in GBA Plus acknowledges that GBA goes beyond sex and gender differences. We all have many identity factors that intersect to make us who we are. It also considers many other identity factors, like ethnicity and age.

Describe how this research project would meet the needs of specific underserved groups: Black or racialized women, immigrant, refugee and newcomer women, women living with disabilities, Indigenous women, and 2SLGBTQI+ people. Include any adjustments you made based on your GBA Plus (maximum of 400 words).

Assessment criteria:

• The application identifies needs that are relevant to the call for proposals.
• The application shows the organization considered the results of their GBA Plus.

Project objectives

Project objectives describe what you will do and how you will track progress and measure success. They should be clear, practical, and describe measurable goals.

Indicate the project objectives (maximum of 400 words):

• Provide details on how they contribute to the call for proposals objective
• Include references to the issue or need the project will address
• State how your organization will measure success

Assessment criterion:

• The project objectives align with the call for proposals objective.

Research proposal

The application must describe the research to be undertaken. This should include (maximum of 600 words):

• The research objectives and question
• Details on research methods
• How you will get research ethics approval
• A description of how your project will be community-based: community-driven and action or change oriented

Eligibility criterion:

• Research topics must address one or more of the three pillars
• Research is community-based
• Research is focused on GBV
• Research focuses on and involves Black or racialized women, immigrant, refugee and newcomer women, women living with disabilities, Indigenous women, or 2SLGBTQI+ people
• Research methods include qualitative approaches

Assessment criterion:

• The research methods are sound, appropriate, and comprehensive.

GBV strategy pillar

Indicate which of the three federal GBV Strategy pillars the research topic will address.

Population that will benefit from the project

The population that will benefit from the project should align with the call for proposals objective. Recall that priority will be given to projects that will prevent and address GBV experienced by Black or racialized women, immigrant, refugee and newcomer women, women living with disabilities, Indigenous women, or 2SLGBTQI+ people.

Indicate the gender of the population that will benefit from the project (up to a maximum of two unless “All genders” was selected). A person's gender may differ from the sex assigned to a person at birth. The categories “All genders”, “Men” and “Women” below are considered inclusive of both cisgender and transgender individuals. If the project focusses on benefiting another gender, choose the “Those not listed above” category.

Indicate the age group of the population that will benefit from the project (up to a maximum of two unless “All ages” was selected).

Indicate the identity factors that best describe the population group that will benefit from the project. If there is a primary target audience for your project, please select only one. If the target audience for the project is broad, select those that apply (up to a maximum of three unless “All Canadians” was selected).

If the project focusses on benefiting Indigenous people, indicate whether the majority identifies as First Nations, Inuit, Métis, unaffiliated, or urban Indigenous (up to a maximum of two unless “All Indigenous people” was selected), as applicable. Indicate if the project focusses on benefitting First Nations off reserve, First Nations on reserve, or all First Nations people.

If the project focusses on benefitting individuals who identify as 2SLGBTQI+, indicate which population group it aims to benefit (up to a maximum of five unless “All of the above” was selected). If the population that will benefit from the project is another population, indicate it using the “Other” category (maximum of five words).

If the project focusses on benefiting racialized individuals, indicate which population group it specifically aims to benefit (up to a maximum of two unless “All racialized people” was selected). If the project focusses on benefiting another racialized population, indicate it using the “Other” category (maximum of five words).

Representation

Indicate whether your organization’s leadership reflects the population that will benefit from the project. This includes the governance body or others with the power to make decisions.

We may use this information to prioritize applications that:

• Are submitted by organizations representative of the population they serve
• Address any other gap as deemed a priority by the Department

People served

Indicate the number of people served each year by your organization. If you represent a network of partners or of members, indicate the total number of people served each year.

Engagement

Describe how you will engage and involve members of at-risk groups in the GBV sector affected by the issue or need (maximum of 350 words).

Engagement refers to a dialogue so that those affected by the issue can influence decisions. They may want to take part in the project in different ways. They may want to provide advice, to help design the project, or work in some activities.

Please refer to the needs to be addressed question for more information on the GBA Plus.

Assessment criteria:

• The application shows the organization considered the results of their GBA Plus.
• The application demonstrates that the populations who will benefit from the project will be involved in the project.

Work plan

The work plan provides information on the key activities and timelines. Organizations often rely on detailed work plans to manage projects. For this application, only include the steps that will help achieve your objectives. Do not include all the steps you will take to manage the project, such as hiring an employee or reporting on your project. If the project is approved, you will need to report on all activities to the Department. Writing reports will be easier if you only include the important activities.

The key activities you propose need to:

• Be realistic given the available funding
• Be listed in chronological order
• Be well-defined
• Be linked to project objectives and deliverables
• Have timelines that are feasible for the proposed activities
• Show how project outcomes will last after the project ends
• Involve partners or stakeholders, if applicable

Read the Activities section for more information on those we can support.

Activities that must be included in your workplan:

• Get ethics approval before research can begin
• Include a way to share information with others

You may include cultural and emotional supports in your activities.

For activities that will take place across Canada, you may include translation or other supports.

Compare the work plan to your budget to ensure you have the resources required to carry out the activities.

Eligibility criteria:

• The application is complete, including the work plan.
• The work plan activities are eligible and aligned with the objective of the call for proposals.
• The work plan includes steps to get ethics approval before research can begin.
• The work plan includes a way to share information with others.

Assessment criteria:

• The work plan and the application provide a clear description of each activity.
• The activities are eligible and measurable.
• The work plan and the application show how the activities are relevant to the project objectives.
• The work plan provides clear and feasible timelines that are in line with the project activities.

Partners

A project partner generally has expertise and an interest in the issue. Although a partner’s role can vary, a project partner is not accountable for the project outcomes.

For this stream, not-for-profit and for-profit organizations must either:

• Have experience in community-based research or
• A current partner with experience in community-based research

Post-secondary institutions, research organizations or institutes, and centres of expertise must partner with a community-based organization that:

• Serves one of the at-risk groups
• Has experience working on GBV issues.

If your project includes partners, give their organization type as well as the role they will play. If your partner has experience with at-risk populations or on GBV issues, give this information here. If your organization has partnered with the organization in the past, describe the role it played (maximum of 300 words).

Eligibility criterion:

• The applicant organization has experience with community-based research and GBV issues. If a partner provides that experience, the application includes information to that effect.

Project description

We will use your project description as a summary of your proposed project. It should help anyone understand your project. We may use it to identify projects for priority funding. To that end, provide a short description of the key activities and expected results. Include your organization’s name and the project duration in number of months (maximum of 200 words).

Here is a suggested template

Through this [insert number of months]-month project, [insert organization name] will conduct research that will help improve GBV services for at-risk groups. It will address [name gaps, needs, barriers]. To do so, the project will include [outline key activities only]. [Insert organization name] will [insert activity] to share information on the research findings.

Official-language minority community

An official-language minority community (OLMC) is a francophone population outside of Quebec, or an anglophone population in Quebec. The Treasury Board Secretariat website lists all OLMCs.

Indicate if the project will benefit or involve members of an OLMC. This applies to organizations that work in and around OLMCs. In such cases, it could be important to involve them to have a more inclusive project.

Here are some examples of how your organization can involve OLMCs:

• Include OLMCs in the project design and activities
• Reserve a seat for an OLMC organization on your project advisory committee
• Adapt project activities to OLMC needs

Translation of existing or new documents is not sufficient to benefit or involve an OLMC.

If the project will involve OLMCs, describe how your organization will do it (maximum of 250 words).

Part E – Budget

We will use the information provided in this section to assess the total cost of the project. Also, we will check to ensure that all anticipated sources of funding you indicated would cover the costs. Costs must align with the activities described in the work plan.

Budget

Fill-out the budget. Read the ONAIS system user guide for more information.

Important tips for creating your budget:

• Only include project costs requested from WAGE in the budget table. If you include other costs, we will adjust the budget accordingly.
• Write clear and detailed descriptions for each cost so that they are easy to match to the activities. Use the examples provided in the Guidelines on Eligible Expenditures.
• Compare your budget and work plan to ensure that it includes all costs required for each activity. We may remove costs that are not clearly linked to activities. The Department only covers costs and activities directly related to a project.
• Round all budget costs to the nearest dollar.

Eligible costs are those that are necessary to support the purpose of the project. There are two categories of eligible costs:

• Direct costs: expenses related to the delivery of the project and linked to specific activities
• Administrative costs: expenses incurred to manage and support the project

Administrative costs can represent up to 20% of the total funding requested from the Department. It is important to list the costs in the proper categories. For example, if you list administrative costs under direct costs, we will need to move these to the right category. This may result in administrative costs that are over 20% of the total funding. In this example, we would have to cut administrative costs to ensure your project respects the 20% maximum.

Include audit costs for projects above $300,000 in your administrative costs. The Department requires the following on an annual basis:

• Audited Statement of Revenues and Expenditures for projects between $300,000 and $1,000,000
• Audited Financial Statements for projects above $1,000,000

Organizations can apply for the maximum amount below. This is a total amount for the whole project:

• Up to $400,000 in total for a community-based research and data collection project

There are often extra costs of living and travelling in northern or remote areas. So, you may apply for an extra 35% for activities in these areas (see question Activity location type for definitions).

If your project extends over more than one fiscal year, you must also break down the costs by fiscal year (2023-2024, 2024-2025, and not later than 2025-2026). Fiscal years start April 1 and end March 31.

Eligibility criterion:

• The application is complete, including the budget.

Assessment criteria:

• The budget details and itemizes costs.
• Costs are eligible, reasonable and are comparable to regional norms.
• The budget shows costs are directly linked to the activities described in the work plan.
• The budget includes the required resources to deliver the project.
• The administrative costs total 20% or less of the total funding requested.
• The total amount requested is below the maximum amount.

Sources of revenues

The federal government will only fund up to 50% of the total project budget of universities, colleges, and CÉGEPs. They must indicate their contributions to the project. This matched funding can be in cash or in-kind.

Other organizations do not have to include financial or in-kind contributions from other sources. However, if other partners contribute to the project, please complete this section.

A financial contribution is money that covers project costs. It could be from other levels of government, the private sector, or foundations.

An in-kind contribution is an alternative to money. It is a good or service provided instead of cash. For example, if a partner provides a room for a project activity but does not charge you, it is an in-kind contribution. Another example is the time a volunteer spends on your project. Give a reasonable value to in-kind contributions. The Department will not reimburse in-kind sources.

We reserve the right to conduct reference checks with your partners.

Eligibility criterion:

• Universities, colleges, and CÉGEPs have provided funding of a value of to 50% or more of the total project budget.

Amount requested from the Department

Indicate the total amount of funding requested of the Department. It cannot exceed the maximum limit. The only exception is for projects that include activities in northern or remote areas.

Assessment criterion:

• The total amount requested is below the maximum amount.

Part F – Declaration

Only a person with signing authority can sign the application. To sign, enter the name and position of the signatory. By signing the application, the representative confirms that they have:

• Read and understood the guidelines for the call for proposals
• Read and understood the declaration

Then, submit the application.

Eligibility criterion:

• The application is complete. A person with signing authority signed the application.