Do you have a passion for improving your community? Are you a youth-led group (ages 15-29) with a great idea that needs funding? Consider applying for a grant to help make an impact in your community.
Since 2006, the City of Toronto’s Identify ‘N Impact (INI) Grant Program continues to provide funding supports for youth-led initiatives in Toronto.
The purpose of the Identify ‘N Impact Grant Program is to:
You can also access the funding program Guidelines to learn more about this funding opportunity.
To learn more about this funding opportunity for youth, the City of Toronto is hosting youth virtual information sessions to inform and advise applicants on how to write the grant application. Please see below for more details.
The Toronto Youth Equity Strategy (TYES) recognizes that there are various and intersecting factors that affect youth’s resilience and vulnerability to involvement in serious violence and crime. The term MVP youth (Most Vulnerable People) is used to describe youth who face multiple and/or intersecting vulnerabilities identified in the Ontario Ministry of Children and Youth Services’ Roots of Youth Violence report. These roots include poverty, racism, community design, issues in the education system, family issues, health/mental health, lack of economic opportunity and issues in the justice system. Through the City’s work on gender-based youth violence, ability, homophobia, transphobia, and community violence exposure, these have also been added as roots of youth vulnerability.
Identify ‘N Impact (INI) was developed to support emerging (new, small, grassroots) youth-led groups. Your group is eligible to apply if it:
For the INI grant program, a group is considered “youth-led” if the following criteria are met:
Youth-led groups that are not incorporated and do not have audited financial statements can still apply for INI funding. If recommended for funding, your group will work with an Organizational Mentor (OM), also referred to as a trustee or administrative partner. Groups will be provided with a list of potential Organizational Mentors to choose from. Funded groups are also able to work with an existing OM if the City of Toronto’s trusteeship requirements are met.
Organizational Mentor (also referred to as a trustee or administrative partner)
Qualified OMs are incorporated non-profit or charitable organizations with recent audited financial statements.
The deadline to submit your online application using the Toronto Grants, Rebates and Incentives (TGRIP) Portal is Tuesday May 2, by 12 p.m.
Note: Late applications will not be considered.
To apply, you will need to sign-up / register your group on the Toronto Grants, Rebates and Incentives (TGRIP) Portal. Review the instructions on How to Register for a TGRIP Account or watch the TGRIP video before you begin your application. Once your account is activated, step one is to confirm your eligibility. Once eligible, you will be moved forward to the fill application, sept two, including completing a work plan and budget.
To improve your TGRIP experience and access to the INI application in the new online system, we have identified a few helpful tips.
When registering your TGRIP account, signing-up:
How do I complete and submit the organization profile (we do not have documents to upload -we are a youth-led group)?
Finding the INI application in TGRIP after I have registered an account and completed the organization profile.
Download the application package below:
Note: Only one application per group is permitted.
Groups can apply for up to $17,000 in project funding for youth to lead and deliver projects up to one year in length. Review the Guidelines for more details and examples of eligible project costs.
Additionally, accessibility costs for deaf and/or disabled individuals: up to $2,000 in additional funds may be made available for projects involving Deaf and/or disabled individuals. These funds are being made available to support youth participants or members of your group that are Deaf and/or disabled.
Some examples of eligible accessibility costs for deaf and/or disabled individuals includes the following:
To apply for these additional funds, applicants must complete extra questions in the online grant application form in TGRIP. Documentation may be required.
Please note: It is not guaranteed these accessibility funds will be approved even if the project grant is successful. If these funds are approved and unused, they must be returned to the City of Toronto. Please contact a staff person to request approval for other supports not listed here before you submit your application.
“I am extremely grateful and honoured to have been an Identify ‘N Impact grant recipient, as Rise In STEM would not be where it is today without this initial funding opportunity. The INI program allowed us to pilot our very first after school STEM program and introduced us to our organizational mentor who continues to support us to strengthen and scale our work. It allowed us to see what we were capable of, provide leadership opportunities to youth, and propelled us to see the importance and impact of our work.
Irene Duah-Kessie, Rise In Stem, Identify ‘N Impact (INI) Grant Recipient 2019
Eligible and completed applications will be reviewed by a panel of youth and youth sector leaders and they will make the INI grant recommendations for approval. You will find out the outcome of your application by June 2023.