The Catapult Access Innovation Fund supports youth-serving organizations in Canada to design, build, scale up and evaluate the impact of initiatives to better support Canadian youth in their learning goals, especially those underserved by the education system and disengaged from education and/or career pathways.
The objectives of the fund are to:
- Support community organizations to scale-up current practices related to improving youth learning outcomes to increase reach and effectiveness;
- Support community organizations committed to improving the educational and career pathways of opportunity young learners;
- Support community groups and organizations interested in learning more about what works (and what doesn’t work) in supporting opportunity youth (youth disconnected from career and learning opportunities);
- Build organizational capacity, particularly with respect to leadership.
- Support creative and effective practices for building organizational long-term sustainability;
- Support initiatives that foster greater community engagement and partnership across the sector;
- Distribute and disseminate promising practices related to improving youth learning outcomes across Canadian communities; and
- Foster a community that supports promising practices and peer-to-peer learning opportunities.
The Rideau Hall Foundation’s Catapult Canada Access Innovation Fund invites applicants to submit proposals in its second open call process. Proposals are designated for registered non-profits or charities (qualified donnes) as well as grassroot groups or unincorporated organizations working with a shared platform (non-qualified donees). Applications should focus on project description, including alignment with the Catapult Canada mandate; what the project will do and the impact it will have. We recognize the importance of national learning and local context, as well as promoting strong coordination and partnership across government, funders, delivery organizations and educational systems.
The Access Innovation Fund will prioritize initiatives that:
For the second open call, in addition to alignment with the objectives of the Access Innovation Fund, we will also be prioritizing initiatives that:
- Involve beneficiary youth in their design, delivery or evaluation
- Seek to learn and share what works, or did not work
- Demonstrate good value for money
- Demonstrate strong impact on their communities of focus
- Show strong relationship with the communities of focus
- Are Rural and/or Northern led
- Support youth living with disabilities
The first round of funding through the Access Innovation Fund was awarded to 12 community-based organizations from across Canada. Learn more here.
About the Rideau Hall Foundation
The Rideau Hall Foundation is a national registered charity established in 2012 to focus on amplifying the values and initiatives which serve to further unite us as a country. We collaborate on projects that span four key areas: (1) learning initiatives that strive for excellence and equity; (2) strengthening Canada’s culture of innovation, (3) widening the circle of giving and volunteering; and (4) investing in Canadian leaders with transformative potential. You can learn more about the nation-building work of the RHF by visiting our website at www.rhf-frh.ca.
Connect with us via @RideauHallFdn on Twitter or subscribe to the RHF newsletter for updates and announcements of key dates for subsequent open calls.
Joining the Catapult Community
Catapult is committed to building a sustainable and dynamic eco-system of youth-serving organizations in Canada that facilitates peer-to-peer learning and problem solving; the sharing of resources, promising practices and innovative ideas; and providing community support and partnership. To that end, all grantees will be part of a community of practice, facilitated by Catapult and co-developed by grantees to meet their evolving needs.
