FUNDING & SUPPORT PROGRAMS
SHIFT provides funding and support to multi-stakeholder teams working on socially transformative projects.
Multiple funding streams available to support socially transformative efforts in Montreal
Gateway Program
Total of $50,000 available
$5,000 per project
The Gateway program is for you if:
- You are working from within or without Concordia on a community-driven project that is tackling injustice, inequity or unsustainability in Montreal and you wish to join the SHIFT Learning Community.
- You need support to develop the socially transformative potential of your work, to connect with additional partners at Concordia and beyond or to create plans for moving your project forward.
Deep Investment Fund
Total of $300,000 available
Expansion grants of $25,000 - $50,000 per project, per year (up to a 2-year commitment)
You should apply to the Fund if:
- You are part of the SHIFT Learning Community through a previously funded project.
- You are a multi-stakeholder team closely affiliated with both Concordia and the community-ies most affected by your work.
- You are ready to expand on or repeat an existing project or to deepen the impact of your ongoing work.
- You hold a vision of collaborating with SHIFT to deepen your relationship with Concordia and the Montreal community and enhance your impact.
Ongoing Connections Grant (OCG)
Total of $50,000 available
Funding renewals of $5,000 or $10,000 per project
You are eligible for the OCG if:
- You are an active member of the SHIFT community and have previously received funding for your socially transformative project.
- You continue to be engaged in work that aligns with SHIFT’s values and mission.
- You need additional financial resources to support your efforts.
Program objectives
With an emphasis on supporting multi-stakeholder teams who are leading projects that connect Concordia and the community, SHIFT’s funding and support programs strive to:
- Support socially transformative work by providing funding, coaching, training and other resources to project teams as needed.
- Invest in high-potential projects that are connected to Concordia and aligned with SHIFT’s values and ways of working and to support them in reaching their next level of impact.
- Identify existing and emerging multi-stakeholder projects that are working to make Montreal more just, equitable and sustainable
- Recruit project teams into a Learning Community in which knowledge and expertise are shared between SHIFT staff and project teams, as well as between projects and the broader SHIFT community.
Learn about the Deep Investment Fund
Guiding principles
In our ongoing work to design programs and develop processes for selecting projects and allocating funds, we’ve sought feedback from community members and partner organizations.
This is what we’ve heard so far:
- Provide support: Ease the administrative burden on teams throughout the process by helping them to identify metrics, make budget projections, process expense claims, etc.
- Recognize the value of what already exists: Don’t overvalue newness, and make it possible for projects that are already underway to receive support.
- Stay consistent: Include options for ongoing funding to ensure project sustainability.
- Communicate clearly: Make sure it is easy to understand what qualifies for funding and what doesn’t; host workshops and office hours so applicants can ask questions.
- Keep it simple: Ensure that the application forms are easy to understand and not too burdensome to complete.
- Stay flexible: Consider having an ongoing open call for proposals so that you can support projects when they need it most.
- Avoid unnecessary constraints: Don’t over-restrict how funding can be used.
Contributing to community learning
The SHIFT community plays a key role in nourishing our collective learning about social transformation. Through workshops, skill sharing and collaborative evaluation processes, recipients of SHIFT funding are asked to share their expertise and experience with the SHIFT community.
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