FUNDING & SUPPORT PROGRAMS
SHIFT provides funding and support to multi-stakeholder teams working on socially transformative projects.
$250,000 is 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 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.
Social Transformation Fund
Total of $150,000 available
$15,000 or $30,000 per project
You should apply to the Fund if:
- You are a multi-stakeholder team affiliated with Concordia.
- You are ready to implement a socially transformative project for the first time, to repeat an existing project that you’ve already had success with or to deepen the impact of your ongoing work.
- You wish to contribute to SHIFT’s Learning Community and ecosystem.
Ongoing Connections Grant (OCG)
Total of $50,000 available
$5,000 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.
Results to date
SHIFT is proud to support 15 multi-stakeholder teams whose projects were selected in the first rounds of our Funding and Support Program. Discover these transformative efforts, and the 15 additional projects that were funded through our Transformative Responses to COVID-19 program.
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 Social Transformation 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.
For any questions, contact us or book a virtual meeting with a staff member.
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