Announcing $12 million in new Jumpstart Sport Relief Funding

Sport has the power to unite communities and the nation – the spark we’ll need more than ever post-pandemic. In its absence, the importance of sport and play has become more apparent than ever. But with ongoing stoppages, the organizations that Canadian kids rely on are more at risk than ever before.

In the final months of 2020, we helped nearly 700 organizations, impacting over 70,000 kids from coast-to-coast-to-coast. Thanks to a generous gift of $12 million from Canadian Tire Corporation to our Sport Relief Fund, we are able to continue to provide much needed financial support to sport organizations to help build back sport and play through 2021.

Learn More About the Sport Relief Fund

Available Support

The Jumpstart Sport Relief Fund has two funding streams. Qualified organizations may apply for either stream or both within each period, however, the requests must be clearly justified, and funding will be dependent on overall demand.

Operational Support

Assists organizations with operational and administrative costs, including:

Rehiring or training of staff or new employees to meet changing needs;
Payment of past due/overdue accounts;
Organization Development, including fundraising/revenue generation strategies and operational efficiencies; and
Equipment procurement, personal protective equipment, and program delivery adaptations (including start-up expenses related to establishing online programming).

A maximum of $15,000 can be requested for Operational Support.

Programming Support

Covers programming support in place of our Jumpstart Community Developments Grants and Para Sport Jumpstart Fund.

Assists organizations with the costs of delivering sport and recreational programming, including:

Program supervisors, instructors, coaches;
Facility costs;
Equipment costs;
Costs incurred to meet return to play guidelines/provincial health protocols/regulations (e.g., PPE, cleaning supplies, individual equipment for participants, etc.); and
Transportation costs.

Application rEVIEW

Jumpstart staff will be reviewing and scoring each application using a framework that was developed with input from a panel of industry experts, including:

BECKIE SCOTT

Olympic Gold Medallist and CEO of Spirit North

Beckie Scott retired in 2006 as Canada’s most decorated cross-country ski racer in the history of the sport. A three-time Olympian, Beckie won gold in Salt Lake City in 2002, becoming the first Canadian (and first North American woman) to win an Olympic medal in cross-country skiing. She followed that up with Olympic silver in 2006, and a record 17 World Cup podium finishes. In the final year of her career, she finished second in the Overall World Cup Standings.

On retirement, Beckie was elected to the International Olympic Committee’s Athlete Commission for an eight-year term. A widely respected leader in anti-doping, Beckie served as Chair of the World Anti-Doping Agency’s Athlete Committee from 2013-2019. Beckie is recognized globally for her advocacy and work on behalf of athletes’ rights and clean, fair, doping-free sport.

Beckie is an Officer of the Order of Canada, and an inducted member of the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame, Canadian Olympic Hall of Fame and the Canadian Ski Hall of Fame. She is a member of the Alberta Order of Excellence, holds Honorary Doctorate of Law degrees from the Universities of Alberta and British Columbia and frequently works for CBC Sports as a broadcast analyst.

Beckie is the founder and CEO of Spirit North, an organization committed to improving the lives of Indigenous children and youth through the transformative power of sport and play. Spirit North is recognized as one of Canada’s leading sport-for-social-development organizations.

DR. CHERI L. BRADISH

Chair, Loretta Rogers Research in Sport Marketing, Ryerson University

Dr. Cheri L. Bradish was the Loretta Rogers Research Chair in Sport Marketing with the Ted Rogers School of Management from 2013-2018. She is currently Director of the Future of Sport Lab and Chair of Marketing Management. She comes to Ryerson after sixteen years at Brock University where she was the first faculty hire and founder of their successful Bachelor of Sport Management (BSM) degree. At Brock, she served in a number of leadership roles during her tenure, including in the Chair capacity. A sport marketing expert, her area of scholarship interest is with regards to sport business strategy and trends including innovation and entrepreneurship, sport and social impact, and women in sport leadership.

Among a number of conference proceedings and publications, her research has appeared in leading journals including: the Journal of Sport Management, the International Journal of Sport Management and Marketing, the Sport Management Review and the Sport Marketing Quarterly. Cheri also has significant experience in the sport industry, including work with the Florida Sports Foundation, Nike Canada Inc., Florida State University Department of Athletics (NCAA), Vancouver Grizzlies (NBA), and the Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Games (VANOC). She has been widely acknowledged for her teaching, receiving the 2013 Brock University Faculty Award for Excellence in Teaching; and in 2011 was chosen as the Canadian Olympic Committee’s representative to attend the International Olympic Academy (IOA) Session for Educators of Higher Institutes of Physical Education in Ancient Olympia, Greece. In 2017, she received a Research Recognition Award from the Ted Rogers School of Management. She is a member of the Canadian Association for the Advancement of Women and Girls in Sport (CAAWS) Board of Directors, as well as a former varsity athlete (volleyball) at the University of Guelph (Ryerson University Communications, 2016).

NORM O'REILLY

Director, International Institute for Sport Business and Leadership

Norm O’Reilly is recognized as one of the leading scholars in the business of sports. He is currently Professor and Assistant Dean of Executive Programs in the College of Business & Economics at the University of Guelph. Dr. O’Reilly is also the founding Director of the International Institute for Sport Business & Leadership at Guelph, a think-tank devoted to improving the sport business globally.

He was previously the Richard P. and Joan S. Fox Professor of Business and Chair of the Department of Sports Administration at Ohio University’s College of Business. Dr. O’Reilly has expertise in a range of business topics, including analytics, marketing, sponsorship, social media, sport finance, social marketing, tourism management, and management education. He has authored or co-authored eight books, 14 case studies in the Harvard/Stanford series, and more than 100 peer-reviewed journal articles. Dr. O’Reilly is the lead researcher on the Canadian Sponsorship Landscape Study, a highlight of the annual Canadian Sponsorship Forum since 2007, currently in its twelfth edition.

BENOÎT HUOT

Paralympic Gold Medallist and Jumpstart Ambassador

Highlights:

20-time Paralympic medalist (9 golds)
Flag bearer closing ceremonies 2012 Paralympic Games in London
9-time Athlete of the Year by Swimming Canada
Diamond Jubilee Medal of Queen Elizabeth II (2012)
Inducted into the Hall of Fame for people with disabilities

Member of the Order of Canada, Benoît Huot C.M., was born with a disability in his right leg commonly known as clubfoot. It never slowed him down in everyday life and even started swimming at the age of 8 years. Over 2 decades, he became one of Canada's most decorated Paralympic athletes with 20 medals in five Paralympic Games, 9 of which were Gold.

He was an active member of the Canadian national swim team from 1998 until his retirement in January 2019. He has won 32 medals in six World Championships, lowering more than 60 world records in his category, and he had the honour of carrying the Canadian flag at the closing ceremonies of the 2012 Paralympic Games in London.

Ben is very involved in various causes involving youth, physical activity, accessibility, inclusion and sport. He is an avid ambassador for Canadian Tire Jumpstart and his biggest dreams are now to help the next generation, to inspire others to look beyond their own boundaries and motivate anyone who aims to realize their dreams, which he does well by sharing his passion for life.

Benoit completed his MBA at the Smith School of Business at Queen’s University in December 2019. He and his partner Annie welcomed their first child, Mila-Grace, in September of 2018.

Swimmer Benoît Huot’s accomplishments include 20 Paralympic Game medals, 32 World Championship medals, and the Diamond Jubilee Medal of Queen Elizabeth II.

FABRICE VIL

Founder and Executive Director, Pour 3 Points

Fabrice Vil is a certified integral development coach, participative agility practitioner, lawyer and former basketball coach. In 2011, he founded Pour 3 Points, an organization which transforms sports coaches so that they also play the role of life coaches with young sportspeople in disadvantaged areas. Driven by equal opportunities, he regularly speaks on issues that concern this ideal, notably as a columnist at La Presse +, speaker and facilitator of business workshops.

Fabrice is fascinated by the question of human conscience. He wishes that people were curious about the invisible violence in which they participate and that they respond with more kindness to themselves and to others.

Photo by Alain Wong.

All applications will be evaluated and prioritized using an Equity, Diversity and Inclusion score based on the applicant’s efforts to address systemic barriers to sport and recreation.

Eligibility

Eligible Organizations

To be eligible for a Jumpstart Sport Relief Fund Grant, applicants must be qualified donees (as defined by the Canada Revenue Agency).

Check Eligibility

Eligibility for Operational Support

Prior to the pandemic, your organization should have engaged participants aged 4-18, or 4-25 years old for programs primarily serving children and youth with disabilities.

Eligibility for Programming Support

Eligible programs must meet the following requirements:

Focus on engaging participants aged 4-18 from families in financial need, or 4-25 years old for programs primarily serving children and youth with disabilities.
Consist of at least 5 sessions and 5 hours.

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 Details and tIMELINES

Funding Timelines

The Jumpstart Sport Relief Fund will begin accepting applications beginning February 11, 2021 through to the end of the year.

Please submit your application per the timeline below:

Intake 1

Applications open Feb. 11, 2021
Applications Close Feb. 25, 2021 at 11:59pm PT
Decisions issued the week of March 21, 2021

For Programming Support, programs may start between March 1 and May 31, 2021.

Intake 2

Applications open March 22, 2021
Applications Close May 2, 2021 at 11:59pm PT
Decisions issued the week of May 24, 2021

For Programming Support, programs may start between June 1 and August 31, 2021.

Intake 3

Applications open June 4, 2021
Applications Close Aug. 8, 2021 at 11:59pm PT
Decisions issued the week of Sept. 5, 2021

For Programming Support, programs may start between September 1 and December 31, 2021.

Applications submitted for programs that start outside of the periods identified above will not be considered for funding. Organizations applying for Operational Support may apply during any intake period.

Disbursement

Approved Programming and Operational Applications will be disbursed in a single installment, triggered upon application approval.

Reporting

All approved grants will be required to submit an Impact and Recognition Report.

Questions

If you have questions about your application, please email jumpstart@cantire.com.

Apply for Support

Any applicant who previously applied for a Jumpstart Sport Relief Fund, Community Development or Para Sport Fund grant will need to re-register for this intake by clicking on the Register button.

Apply Online