Welcome to the City of Toronto website

Municipal, academic, social and health care organizations that meet the following criteria:

• City of Toronto departments, agencies, boards and commissions
• Charitable organizations
• Organizations incorporated as not-for-profit in Ontario

TAF will not provide grants to:

• Individuals
• Organizations incorporated as for-profit
• Other municipalities or other levels of government

To be eligible, an applicant must be located within the City of Toronto. Exceptions may be made if TAF deems the proposed project to provide compelling direct emissions reduction benefits to the City of Toronto.

TAF focuses on those projects that will, directly or indirectly, make a significant contribution to improving local air quality and/or result in significant greenhouse gas emissions reductions in the City of Toronto.

TAF's grants program goals:

1. To catalyze action on the highest impact, most cost-effective opportunities for greenhouse gas emissions and/or air pollution reductions in Toronto.
2. To use TAF's grants, loans and investments to leverage additional funding for greenhouse gas emissions and/or air pollution reduction initiatives.
3. To transfer the knowledge developed by grant recipients to key decision-makers and stakeholders.

Examples of recently approved grants:

• Pilot technology testing
  • The Toronto Zoo's feasibility assessment of solar cooling technologies to meet the cooling needs of their exhibits and other City buildings.
  • Harbourfront Centre's evaluation of the performance of building integrated solar photovoltaic technologies on their campus.

• Business case development
  • Pollution Probe's evaluation of the business case and environmental impacts of electric vehicles in commercial fleets.
  • Tower Labs Research Alliance's third-party testing of energy-efficient technologies for multi-unit residential space heating and cooling.

• Financial innovation
  • The Centre for Social Innovation's documentation and promotion of the use of community bonds to finance energy efficiency retrofits in community buildings.
  • The Community Power Fund's development of a green bond to help community-owned renewable energy projects access much-needed bridge financing.

• Market transformation/acceleration initiatives
  • The University of Toronto's Solid State Lighting Network's third-party support for the local development and deployment of energy efficient lighting technologies.
  • The Toronto Renewable Energy Co-operative's SolarShare program development to empower community-owned renewable and energy efficiency projects.

• Identification of policy barriers and proposed solutions
  • The Ontario Clean Air Alliance's economic analysis of best opportunities for accelerating energy efficiency opportunities in the electricity and natural gas sectors.
  • Environmental Defence's work to resolve barriers to electric vehicle development and deployment in Ontario.

• Concept development
  • The University of Toronto Department of Civil Engineering's research on the emissions impact in Toronto of off-peak (i.e. weekend) travel to identify potential transportation efficiency options.
  • Development of the Pembina Institute's Commuter 2.0 project to engage top employers in Toronto to identify the most effective commuter choice programs.

You may wish to review our current and past grants to get a better sense of the kinds of initiatives TAF supports.

All grant proposals are assessed according to the following criteria:

• Direct relevance to TAF's mandate and current priority interests
• Clear, measurable and realistic objectives
• Quantifiable emission reduction opportunities, including direct and potential reductions that help Toronto achieve its emission reduction targets
• Potential to leverage additional financial support and investment
• Clear and reasonable budget
• Sound plans for measuring results and communicating outcomes
• Ability to implement the project with excellence
• Well-developed and realistic strategies to grow and sustain the proposed activities
• Engagement with key partners and stakeholders

Each year, TAF holds two grants rounds - spring and fall:

Please note that a consultation with TAF staff must take place in advance of submitting an application.

Please contact Ben Marans, Manager Grants & Special Projects
(416-393-6367 or bmarans@tafund.org) to discuss your project's eligibility.

TAF requires grantees to provide interim and final reports directly addressing progress against agreed-to objectives. This includes reporting on measurable emissions reduction achievements by using TAF measurement standards and reporting on financial expenditures.

TAF maintains an open and transparent application and review process. All proposals are assessed by TAF staff for eligibility and relevance to TAF's priorities. In addition, proposals may be reviewed by external advisors selected for their knowledge of specific issues or sectors. All short-listed applications are reviewed by the TAF Grants & Special Projects Committee.

The funding recommendations of the Grants and Special Projects Committee are forwarded to the TAF Board of Directors for final approval. Applicants are notified of the Grants and Special Project Committee's recommendations and, if so desired, can appear before the Board of Directors to appeal the Committee's recommendation.

The first step is to contact Ben Marans, Manager of Grants & Special Projects, at 416-393-6367 or bmarans@tafund.org.

Your preliminary discussion with TAF staff will be to assess project eligibility, discuss the emission reduction opportunity associated with your proposed work and determine the size and duration of the grant. Grant amounts range from $10,000 for concept development to up to $100,000 per year for multi-year program incubation projects.

While your project may not result in direct emission reductions in the hundreds or thousands of tonnes, consideration should be paid to the potential impact based on the large-scale replication and policy reform as a result of your project outcomes.

In an effort to cut down on the consumption of paper, TAF is requesting all application materials to be submitted electronically in PDF format. This includes the complete application form and all appended documents (e.g. most recent audited financial statements, list of current Board of Directors, etc.).

Instructions for completing TAF Grant application (PDF)

Send one electronic copy of your complete grant application to bmarans@tafund.org.

Other questions?

Please do not hesitate to contact Ben Marans, Manager of Grants & Special Projects, at 416-393-6367 or bmarans@tafund.org.