About Organizational Mentors

Support and mentor Grassroots Groups as they deliver essential projects to benefit youth and families.

A mentor is talking to a young mentee in a lobby.

An Organizational Mentor (OM) provides administrative support, project mentoring, and financial accountability for projects carried out by Grassroots Groups. To apply for a Youth Innovations or Family Innovations grant, Organizational Mentors and Grassroots Groups must form a partnership and sign the Organizational Mentor-Grassroots Groups Collaborative Agreement.

Organizational Mentors play a crucial role in supporting Grassroots Groups by providing the necessary infrastructure, policies, and procedures. This role can be likened to that of a trustee, a platform, or a charitable home, but it requires a deep commitment to support project deliverables collaboratively throughout the life of the grant.

Organizational Mentors and Grassroots Groups work together with distinct roles and responsibilities. Both parties are deeply committed to the partnership and believe that working together can bring about the following benefits:

  • Enhancing their impact, relationships with those they serve, and the quality of their work and project deliverables.
  • Supporting the exchange of knowledge, experience, opportunities, and networks.
  • Helping the Grassroots Group build its capacity and strengthen its work.

Review this page if you are:

  • An organization interested in becoming an Organizational Mentor, or
  • A Grassroots Group that wants to understand the requirements of an Organizational Mentor or is looking for tips on how to find an Organizational Mentor.

Important dates and deadlines

Complete the Organization Information to verify eligibility March 27 to June 19, 2024, 5 PM ET
Submit the Organizational Mentor - Grassroots Group Collaborative Agreement with the grant application July 10, 2024, 5 PM ET

Eligibility checklist

To become an Organizational Mentor and partner with Grassroots Groups in delivering a Youth Opportunities Fund grant, organizations must meet certain eligibility criteria assessed by OTF.

By meeting these criteria, Organizational Mentors can help empower and support Grassroots Groups in their communities through meaningful and impactful projects.

Along with the eligibility checklist, use the Organizational Mentor application questions to prepare ahead of time. 

Explore OTF’s Eligibility Policy for information on eligible applicants, and eligible and ineligible activities.


Organizational Mentors need to be one of the following:

  • A registered charitable organization
  • An organization incorporated as a not-for-profit corporation without share capital in a Canadian jurisdiction (this includes a Chartered Community Council, operating under the Métis Nation of Ontario, or Inuit organizations that are registered as not-for-profit corporations without share capital in Canada)
  • First Nation


Applicants that are not eligible to be Organizational Mentors

  • Organizations that do not have a primary purpose, presence, and reputation for delivering community-based programs and services with direct community benefit in Ontario.
  • A person applying as an individual.
  • Municipalities or their cultural or recreation agencies, including municipal libraries and museums.
  • Universities, colleges, schools, hospitals, and their affiliated agencies.
  • Religious organizations or institutions.
  • Organizations with less than 5 years as a registered not-for-profit.
  • For-profit organizations or businesses.

Based on certain criteria, organizations can be Organizational Mentors to a set number of Grassroots Groups. Review the mentorship tiers below.

Tier 1 

With an annual revenue of $250,000 to $500,000, an Organizational Mentor can have:

  • A maximum of 1 grant application for each grant application deadline in either the Youth Innovations or Family Innovations grant streams. 
  • A maximum of 1 active grants through the Youth Opportunities Fund (including Youth Innovations and Family Innovations grants).

Organizational Mentors in this category need to:

  • Meet OTF’s Eligibility Policy.
  • Be an incorporated non-profit organization and/or charitable organization for a minimum of 5 years. (not applicable for First Nations)
  • Have the capacity (expertise, tools, skills, and resources) and infrastructure (policies, insurance, and staff) to support Grassroots Groups.
  • If applicable, they have experience with being a trustee or an Organizational Mentor

Tier 2 

With an annual revenue of over $500,000 to $1 million, an Organizational Mentor can have: 

  • A maximum of 2 grant applications for each grant application deadline with Grassroots Groups in either the Youth Innovations and/or Family Innovations grant streams. 
  • A maximum of 3 active grants through the Youth Opportunities Fund (including Youth Innovations, Family Innovations, or System Innovations grants).

Organizational Mentors in this category need to:

  • Meet OTF’s Eligibility Policy.
  • Be an incorporated non-profit organization and/or charitable organization for a minimum of 8 years. (not applicable for First Nations)
  • Have the capacity (expertise, tools, skills, and resources) and infrastructure (policies, insurance, and staff) to support Grassroots Groups.
  • Have a proven track record of being a trustee or an Organizational Mentor. 

Tier 3 

(By invitation only) With an annual revenue of over $1 million, an Organizational Mentor can have: 

  • A maximum of 3 grant applications for each grant application deadline with Grassroots Groups in either the Youth Innovations and/or Family Innovations grant streams.
  • A maximum of 7 active grants through the Youth Opportunities Fund (including Youth Innovations, Family Innovations, or System Innovations grants). 

Organizational Mentors in this category need to:

  • Meet OTF’s Eligibility Policy.
  • Be an incorporated non-profit organization and/or charitable organization for a minimum of 8 years. (not applicable for First Nations)
  • Have the experience of being an Organizational Mentor with OTF for two or more years.
  • Have the infrastructure to support Grassroots Groups (policies, insurance, and staff).

OTF may engage with organizations that meet the requirements in Tier 3 and invite them to be an Organizational Mentor to up to 7 groups. This invitation may also depend on the organization’s granting history with OTF. 

Support from directors and senior leadership

Applying to be an Organizational Mentor requires:

  • Authorization from the organization’s Board of Directors, and
  • Authorization from an individual at a senior leadership level in the organization who has signing authority.


Healthy infrastructure

Organizational Mentors need to have the infrastructure to support Grassroots Groups and their projects. This means that:

  • The Organizational Mentor has staff with expertise who can dedicate time to work with the Grassroots Group.
  • The roles, responsibilities, and support provided by the Organizational Mentor staff are clearly defined and shared with the Grassroots Group.
  • The work of the Grassroots Group is included in the Organizational Mentor’s human resources policies and procedures and included in its insurance and liabilities policy coverage. All policies and procedural documents need to be able to support the Grassroots Group's work and must be shared at the start of their partnership.


Capacity to mentor

Organizational Mentors need to have the capacity to mentor and provide administrative support to Grassroots Groups by:

  • Having staff with the expertise to offer guidance, advice, and feedback.  
  • Sharing tools, skills, and resources that help with project deliverables and learning.


Minimum annual revenue

Organizational Mentors need to have a minimum of $250,000 in annual revenues in each of the past 2 years.

Gather the following information that's required of your organization as part of the first step in the application process, submitting the Organizational Information. This information allows OTF to assess the eligibility of your organization. 

Organization details

  • Incorporation number and year of incorporation (not-for-profits only)
  • Charitable registration number and year of registration (registered charities only)
  • Business number (for all applicants)

Financial information

  • Financial statements for your organization's 2 recent fiscal years, which need to be completed within 6 months of your fiscal year-end
  • Accumulated surplus and deficit documentation (if applicable)

All applicants, except for First Nations, need to comply with and submit financial information that meet Financial Statement Requirements.

Governance information

  • List of current board of directors. Your board must meet application requirements
  • List of current senior staff, Director level and above
  • By-laws 

All applicants, except for First Nations, need to provide governance information.

Apply to be an Organizational Mentor

Organizations that meet all of the eligibility criteria for Organizational Mentors can start to plan their application and begin to build relationships with Grassroots Group.

1. Plan the application and documentation 


2. Review and assess eligibility 

OTF will review and assess if an organization meets the eligibility criteria for Organizational Mentors when they submit their Organization Information


3. Submit the Organizational Mentor application

Eligible organizations will be invited to complete the Organizational Mentor application.  


4. Build a partnership with a Grassroots Group 

  • The Organizational Mentor-Grassroots Group Collaborative Agreement outlines the roles, responsibilities, and terms between an Organizational Mentor and the Grassroots Group that is delivering a project funded through the Youth Opportunities Fund. 
  • Both the Organizational Mentor and the Grassroots Group must work together to complete, review, and sign the agreement.  
  • Grassroots Groups submit the final, signed Collaborative Agreement with the grant application on behalf of the collaborative. (This is required for all Youth Innovations and Family Innovations applicants that have been shortlisted, and invited to complete the grant application.  

Note: Organizational Mentors can also be the lead organization in a collaborative project for a System Innovations grant, however, they cannot exceed the Grant limits and other requirements

Find the right Organizational Mentor

Grassroots Groups choose their Organizational Mentor, supported by OTF resources. Here's a step-by-step approach to finding the right mentor.  

1. Build a shortlist of two or three potential Organizational Mentors

First, brainstorm a list of organizations whose work aligns with yours. Review the list of current and past grantees on the OTF website to see organizations that are, or have been, Organizational Mentors. 

You can also connect with other Grassroots Groups to see which Organizational Mentors they have worked with and discover the lessons they learned. 

Ask yourself: 

  • Do you have a mentor or adult ally who can recommend Organizational Mentors? 
  • Is your group already connected with organizations through past programs, volunteering, etc.? 
  • Are there eligible organizations in your community you would like to partner with?  


2. Learn more about the Organizational Mentors on your shortlist

Get a deeper understanding of the potential Organizational Mentors on your list and learn as much as you can about their work. Look into who they serve, what services they offer, and if you share a similar mission and mandate. 

  • Do they share your core values? 
  • Will this partnership be mutually enriching? 
  • Do they have the capacity to support your group’s project?  
  • Have they worked with other Grassroots Groups?  

Ensure that the Organizational Mentors on your shortlist meet OTF’s eligibility criteria. 


3. Select an Organizational Mentor and start building a relationship

Make an appointment with the organization’s Executive Director or other senior management staff and use the provided conversation guide. Frontline staff do not have the signing authority to agree to this partnership, so it is critical to connect with someone at the senior level or above. 

  • Ask about their capacity to support Grassroots Groups and interest in being an Organizational Mentor. They may not have the capacity to partner with you at this time, or they may already be partnered with another Grassroots Group.  
  • If they are not able to partner with you, ask if they recommend other organizations you could approach. 
  • Share the objective(s) of your project, the budget, and the project plan. Demonstrate the value your project brings to the organization and how it aligns with its mission and programming. 

Remember that you need to receive their approval before deciding to accept them as your Organizational Mentor and plan your Expression of Interest.  


4. Plan for Overhead and Administrative Support costs

While it can be hard to talk about money, it’s important to discuss project costs with the Organizational Mentor before applying for a grant. 

Organizational Mentors have access to 15% of the grant’s budget for Overhead and Administrative Support Costs.  

Have a successful conversation with an Organizational Mentor  

Ask them: 

  • Why are you interested in mentoring and working with Grassroots Groups? 
  • Is your organization familiar with being an Organizational Mentor?  
    • Can you share what you’ve learned from past experiences working with other groups? 
  • Do you have previous experience with OTF?  
  • Does your organization meet OTF’s eligibility criteria? 
    • Do you have the capacity (expertise, tools, skills, and resources) and infrastructure (policies, insurance, and staff) to support us?  
    • Tell us about how our work will be/is included in your human resources policies and procedures and included in your insurance and liabilities policy coverage. 
    • Share how your staff has the experience, skills, and expertise to guide us and provide advice and feedback.
  • What do you need from us to make this partnership positive and productive? 
  • What type of support can your organization offer as we implement our project? 
  • Would you be able to provide us with feedback as we deliver our project? 
  • Would you be open to creating a mechanism to share lessons learned and for problem-solving as we enter into this partnership? 
  • How frequently would you like to have meetings and check-ins? 
  • What process will you/we use to administer and reconcile funds? 
  • Will there be an opportunity to access space, resources, and/or tools from your organization? 
  • Can you provide a specific contact that has the expertise, time, and resources to support our project? Is there a secondary contact in the case of an absence, emergency, or change in staffing? 

Have a successful conversation with a Grassroots Group  

Ask them: 

  • Tell us about your group.  
    • How many members do you have and what is their experience of working together?  
    • What are the different roles that your members play? 
  • Tell us about your project.  
    • Are there any specific areas of your project that you would like our expertise in? 
    • What type of support are you looking for as you implement your project and plan for the future? 
  • What kind of partnership would you like to have if we worked together? 
  • Can you share your past experiences working with an Organizational Mentor? 
  • How frequently would you like to have meetings and check-ins?  
  • What is the frequency of the reporting, meetings, and check-ins that you would anticipate? 

Complete the collaborative agreement

Understanding the roles and responsibilities of the Organizational Mentor and Grassroots Group as partners is an important step.  

Take time to review the Organizational Mentor – Grassroots Group Collaborative Agreement. It outlines the commitments and terms of the partnership that both parties must comply with while delivering a funded project.  

The Collaborative Agreement is a fillable PDF, and it must be included with a Youth Innovations or Family Innovations grant application.  

While you review the Organizational Mentor – Grassroots Group Collaborative Agreement, discuss and plan the following expectations of the partnership: 

  • The main points of contact for both parties.  
  • The realistic goals for the support offered by the Organizational Mentor.  
  • The frequency of formal meetings, check-ins, and reporting. 
  • The financial and project reporting tools used by the Organizational Mentor. 
  • A schedule and process for the disbursement of funds, reporting, budget reconciliation, managing project expenses, knowledge sharing, and networking opportunities.  
  • A mechanism for problem-solving and giving/receiving feedback. 
  • The roles and responsibilities of both parties to prepare and submit the grant application.