Our Community Development Grants have two funding streams: Program Support and Operational Support. These grants help organizations who provide programming for kids between the ages of 4-18 in financial need or youth with disabilities between the ages of 4-25.
Programming Support: Grants are awarded to help organizations develop or sustain the delivery of sport or physical activity-based programs.
Operational Support: Grants are awarded to help organizations build their capacity to provide more inclusive, equitable, safe sport participant experiences.
While organizations can apply more than once within the same application intake period, the requests must be clearly justified and not duplicate nor be dependent on funding from another Jumpstart Community Development Grant application. Funding is determined on the quality and eligibility of each application and overall demand.
Provides organizations with support to manage the costs of delivering sport and active recreational programming, including but not limited to:
Program leaders, instructors, and coaches;
Facility rentals;
Equipment needs;
Transportation needs.
Operational Support
Provides organizations with assistance to build capacity to provide more inclusive, equitable, and safe sport participant experiences, including but not limited to:
Build staff and/or volunteer experience/expertise through training and education;
Organization intersectionality approaches to reduce or eliminate systemic barriers to participation (i.e., policies, programs, practices, and spaces).
Jumpstart strongly recommends you reach out to your Regional Manager before applying for an Operational Support grant to ensure that your initiative is eligible and aligns with the funding stream criteria. Please click here to set up a call with the Regional Manager in your area.
Each application is reviewed and scored using a framework developed with consultation from a panel of industry experts. All eligible applications will be evaluated and prioritized using an Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion score based on the efforts made to address systemic barriers to sport and recreation in the following communities:
Families in financial need, and
Children with disabilities.
With a further focus on communities facing intersecting barriers to access:
BIPOC children and youth, and
Girls and young women.
Eligible Organizations
To be eligible for a Community Development Grant, applicants must be qualified donees (as defined by the Canada Revenue Agency). Visit the CRA website for more information on qualified donees and to check your organization’s eligibility.
Your organization should focus on engaging participants aged 4-18 from families in financial need, or 4-25 years of age for programs primarily serving children and youth with disabilities.
Eligibility for Programming Support
Applications must:
Primarily focus on engaging participants aged 4-18 from families in financial need, or 4-25 years of age for programs primarily serving children and youth with disabilities; and
Consist of at least five sessions, totaling at least five hours over five separate days, and requiring a child to be registered for the entire duration.
Need Help?
If you are not sure if your organization qualifies for funding, please email jumpstart@cantire.com and provide the following information:
Organization name
Organization address
Contact name
Contact phone number
Type of Organization (e.g., Charity, Society, Government, Not for Profit, For Profit Business, Other)
Funding Timelines
Intake 1
Programs Starting Between:
January 1, 2025 – April 30, 2025
Application Opens:
September 30, 2024
Application Closes:
October 18, 2024 at 11:59 PM EST (8:59 PM PST)
Decisions Issued:
Beginning December 6, 2024
Intake 2
Programs Starting Between:
May 1, 2025 – August 31, 2025
Application Opens:
January 6, 2025
Application Closes:
January 31, 2025 at 11:59 PM EST (8:59 PM PST)
Decisions Issued:
Beginning March 21, 2025
Intake 3
Programs Starting Between:
September 1, 2025 – December 31, 2025
Application Opens:
May 5, 2025
Application Closes:
May 30, 2025 at 11:59 PM EST (8:59 PM PST)
Decisions Issued:
Beginning July 18, 2025
Disbursement
Approved funding for Programming and Operational applications will be disbursed in two intervals:
70% upon acceptance
30% upon completion of mandatory training requirements, and approval of a Community Impact and Recognition Report.
Questions
If you have questions about your application, please reach out to your Regional Manager or email jumpstart@cantire.com.
Training
At Jumpstart, the safety and well-being of the communities we support is our top priority. A requirement of being a recipient of Jumpstart funding is that all sport leaders (employees and/or volunteers) involved in the direct delivery of the program successfully complete four Respect in Sport Training Modules prior to the program start date. These modules are:
Respect in Sport Youth Activity Leader
Keeping Girls in Sports
Supporting Positive Behaviors
Welcoming All Abilities
The introduction of this requirement came as the result of consultation with our partners and participants across Canada to ensure we are collectively providing safe and inclusive spaces for all.
To support this requirement, Jumpstart will cover the participation fees associated with this training for successful grant applicants. Instructions on gaining access to the training modules will be sent with the grant approval letter.
Reporting
All approved grants will be required to submit a Community Impact and Recognition Report.
Questions
If you have questions about your application, please reach out to your Regional Manager here.
Regional Manager Support
Book a call with the Regional Manager in your area to learn more about the application process and to discuss questions specific to your program. As dedicated Jumpstart leaders, our regional managers offer a wealth of knowledge for first-time applicants or returning organizations with expanded requests.
General Inquiries
For general information about Jumpstart’s funding, including organization eligibility, and for questions related to your account administration, please contact Jumpstart administration at jumpstart@cantire.com.
Before You Apply
Review the ' Before You Apply ' checklist to ensure your organization and program are aligned with Jumpstart’s eligibility criteria and you are prepared to submit a strong application.
