Access to Action Grant Program

Access to Action is a national grant program that will support equity-deserving children and youth (including Indigenous, Black, cultural or ethnic minority, 2SLGBTQ+, students with disabilities, and newcomers) across the country, in accessing high quality sport and physical activity programming before, during, and after school.

Access to Action grants will support projects related to any areas in school sport, physical activity, and physical education. Grants typically range from $500 – $5,000 per recipient. However, all requests will be considered based on the potential impact, and up to $20,000 may be awarded as one grant.

All projects must take place during the 2022-2023 school year and must reach equity-deserving student populations in elementary, intermediate or secondary schools across Canada. Funds will be distributed throughout the funding period (October 2022-March 2023) with priority being given to projects supporting higher proportions of equity-deserving student populations, particularly those disengaged from sport and physical activity.

Grants will be reviewed in two funding levels:

• $1 - $5,000
• $5,001 - 20,000 - Grant applications at this level will be required to show higher impact (e.g., projects in northern, remote school communities, with a higher proportion of equity seeking students, that cross-over multiple schools or projects that show a higher potential for transformative impact)

Please note: schools are permitted to submit more than one application, however in order to distribute funds equitably our ability awarding multiple grants to the same school is limited.

All applications for Access to Action must comply with the following criteria to be eligible:

1. The primary applicant must be a registered school/board/division or Community Service Organization in Canada. Eligible applicants include:
   • Elementary, intermediate, or secondary publicly funded schools
   • First Nations, Métis, and Inuit elementary, intermediate, secondary schools and educational programs
   • Educational institutions in Canada (e.g., First Nations Education Departments, school boards/divisions, etc.)
   • Supervised alternative learning schools/boards/divisions (e.g., special education; Care, Treatment, Custody and Corrections Programs (CTCC) programs; schools for the deaf or hard of hearing and blind; demonstration schools; etc.) 
   • Private schools that serve higher proportions of equity-deserving populations, with a particular focus on those disengaged from sport and physical activity
   • Community service organizations 
2. Additional consideration criteria: 
   • The project must be focused on equity-deserving populations (e.g., Indigenous, Black, cultural or ethnic groups minority, 2SLGBTQ+, students with disabilities and/or Newcomers). 
     • Please note: Access to Action impact project grants will fund targeted projects or projects that are inclusive of all young people students in the classroom or school, but the project design should have the interests of equity-seeking students at the forefront.
   • The project must build connections between school and community sport, physical activity, and recreational organizations or community service organizations. At least one school and community partnership must be named in the application.
3. The project must take place in the 2022-2023 school year.
4. A Vulnerable Sector Screening (VSS) is mandatory for all non-school staff physical activity, recreation, and sport leaders engaging with students.
5. A budget for all eligible expenses must be provided. Eligible expensesinclude: removing participant fees and other barriers to participation, purchase of new or additional sport equipment, and/or covering program costs that may enable more participation (e.g., transportation, supplies, services).
   • Please note: the purchase of single assets (furniture,  equipment, apparatus, etc.) over $2,000 are not eligible.
6. Agreement to track and report back on some key program statistics including the number of students participating in the project (reporting requirements to be provided to successful applicants by PHE Canada once approved)
7. Agreement to recognize Sport Canada and PHE Canada in all events, promotions, and public communications regarding the project, as applicable and appropriate

The application will be available on the PHE Canada website (https://phecanada.ca/AccessToAction) on October 6, 2022 and will remain open until January 31, 2023.

Please note: submissions will be reviewed on an ongoing basis and funds will be distributed as applications are approved.

The online application form has 5 sections and should take approximately 60 minutes to complete. 

Please note: that you cannot save your progress on the online form, your submission will need to be completed in one sitting. Please make sure that a reliable internet connection is available. 

If you require additional support or assistance completing the application form, please contact [email protected].

Impact Project Applications will be scored based on their ability to demonstrate the following:

1. Project Design
   • The anticipated reach within the school community (i.e., how many students from equity-deserving populations will have access to the program? How many students will have access to the program overall?)
   • How partnerships will be developed with community sport, physical activity and recreational organizations
   • A realistic timeline for completing the project and reporting back to PHE Canada.
2. Impact and Outcomes
   • How the school's project/program will contribute to the Access to Action program goals
   • How the funded project will increase the participation and retention of equity-seeking groups in sport and physical activity
3. Knowledge of Community Needs
   • A demonstrated understanding of some of the key barriers’ students within the applicant's school community related to participation in sport or physical activity at school, and a rationale for how the project will assist in reducing these barriers and increasing access to sport.
4. Sustainability
   • Whether the impact of the project is likely to extend beyond the funding period (i.e. beyond June 2023)
5. Financial Information
   • How the funds will be used.

Preview Detailed Application Evaluation Criteria Rubric

Impact Projects

• Registration fees (e.g., ski-lift tickets, swimming pool access passes, recreation facility or gym passes, professional development opportunities, expeditions)
• Staffing Costs (e.g., contract for community part-time program staff, release time for staff) 
• Purchase of equipment
• Rental of space or transportation to nearby or adjacent venue
• Speaker fees (guest speakers, coaching, mentoring)
• Incidental project planning and meeting costs (e.g., meals/snacks, parking)
• Other expenses as deemed appropriate to advance/deliver the proposed project/project. (e.g. project insurance)

What expenses are not eligible to be funded?

• A single asset exceeding $2,000
• School staff wages
• School administrative costs (e.g., rent, phone/internet access, office expenses)

Applications will be reviewed on a monthly basis. Once an application has been submitted, a response can be anticipated by the end of the following month.

Successful grant recipients must provide the following information.

1. Preferred deposit information for the school (e.g., direct deposit, cheque).
2. A completed attestation form stating:
   • Confirmation that contact information and details of the application are correct;
   • Confirmation of a satisfactory Vulnerable Sector Screening for external individuals entering the school space (if applicable);
   • Confirmation that at the time of application there are no external barriers (e.g., public health restrictions on external visitors in schools, job action) that will impact the success of this application; and
   • Confirmation to submit an interim and/or final report with confirmation of expenditures.

Once both are submitted, projects can begin - PHE Canada will ensure expedient disbursement of funds to approved projects.

Each recipient will be required to complete an interim and/or final form which will include a short narrative around impact, as well as supporting financial documents for expenses. Final reports are to be returned by Feb 28^th, 2023. If the project will not be completed by Feb 28^th, 2023, the reporting requirements are to provide an interim report by Feb 28^th and a final report on May 1^st, 2023.