Granting Programs

The Ontario Trillium Foundation (OTF) distributes its funding to charities and not-for-profits through three granting programs: Community and Province-Wide programs and the Future Fund. Within those programs, funding is allocated in four sectors: Arts and Culture, Environment, Sports and Recreation, and Human and Social Services.

The Community Program is for activities that take place in one catchment area and have a local impact in one or more communities within that catchment area. Community grants account for 80% of OTF funding.

Through the Community Program, the Foundation makes grants of up to $375,000 over five years. This can include up to $75,000 per year for operating or project expenses and up to $150,000 over one or more years for capital initiatives such as building renovations and/or equipment purchases. The decision to fund all or part of a request depends on how well an application fits with OTF sector priorities and assessment criteria as well as the overall demand and granting budget in the catchment area.

The Province-Wide program is for activities that have a province-wide impact. At a minimum, the work must take place in three catchment areas or two catchment areas in the North. Province-Wide grants account for 20% of OTF funding.

Through the Province-Wide Program, the Foundation makes grants of up to $1.25 million over five years. This can include up to $250,000 per year for five years for operating and project expenses and up to $150,000 over one or more years for capital initiatives such as building renovations and/or equipment purchases. The decision to fund all or part of a request depends on how well an application fits with OTF sector priorities and assessment criteria as well as the overall demand and granting budget in the Province-Wide Program.

About the Future Fund

Focused on high-impact opportunities and issues in the not-for-profit sector, the following theory of change has guided the Fund:

If we make significant, long-term investments in a portfolio of innovative initiatives, and support them through
high engagement relationship and networking, this will be a catalyst for transformative change.

So far, the Future Fund has invested $16M in 40 initiatives focused on four themes:
• 2008 - Building Capacity of the Environment Sector
• 2009 - Innovative Economic Opportunities
• 2010 - Building Skills for the Green Economy
• 2011 - Economic Opportunities for Ontario Youth

In addition to the $5M invested in Economic Opportunities for Ontario Youth through the Future Fund, an additional $2M was invested through 14 Community and Province-wide grants.

The Future Fund has been rooted in Developmental Evaluation (DE), which is particularly useful when supporting innovation and emergence, and allowed OTF to capture feedback and support decision-making at every stage.

The evaluation results demonstrate that the Future Fund has successfully achieved its goal to become a catalyst for transformational change. Grantees reported major and lasting change as a result of the Future Fund grants. The majority of grantees say that the Future Fund succeeded in its goal of fostering innovation and collaboration.

Read a summary of the evaluation results online. (pdf)
Read vignettes about other Future Fund grantees