Identify ‘N Impact Grant Program

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:

• Is youth-led and includes at least three or more youth, ages 15 to 29 years old.
• Is based in Toronto (use the Find Your Neighbourhood tool to find out which neighbourhood you live in).
• Is a non-profit that is proposing project activities that will run in Toronto only (Unless specifically for Indigenous-based cultural activities outside of Toronto as per the City of Toronto Grants Policy)

For the INI grant program, a group is considered “youth-led” if the following criteria are met:

• A majority of the group’s leadership are youth between the ages of 15 to 29 years old.
• The group makes decisions about its activities independent from any other community organization.
• Youth are the leaders in the project planning/design, management and delivery.

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 need to work with a Trustee. The City of Toronto has launched a dedicated trusteeship pilot program, which means the City will directly fund the trusteeship fees of trusted non-profit organizational partners. Funded groups are also able to work with an existing trustee, as long as the City of Toronto’s trusteeship requirements are met.

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 people living with disabilities: Up to $2,000 in additional funds may be made available to support youth leaders and members of youth-led groups or participants who are deaf and/or living with disabilities lead and/or participate in your INI project.

Some examples of eligible accessibility costs for deaf and/or disabled individuals includes the following:

• American Sign Language (ALS) interpretation
• Audio description
• Closed captioning
• Communication assistance
• Attendant care
• Support worker(s)
• Assistive device equipment rentals

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.

Toronto Grants, Rebates and Incentives Portal (TGRIP) Account

If your group already has a TGRIP account, you can log into your TGRIP account to access the INI grant application, found under “My Funding Opportunities”.  Please make sure to update your organizational profile if any information has changed since you last logged on.

If your group does not have a TGRIP account, 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 applications.

If your group is a grassroots group or unincorporated non-profit, please select “community group” when registering your account for the first time and select “resident led-group” when completing the organization profile.

How do I complete and submit the organization profile if we do not have documents to upload (i.e. we are a youth-led grassroots or unincorporated non-profit group)?

• When setting up your organization profile in TGRIP, answer “Yes” to the question, “Is your group a resident-led group leading a project in your neighbourhood?”
• You do not need to sign and complete the Declaration of Compliance with Anti-Harassment/Discrimination Legislation & City Policy. This will need to be completed by groups once they are approved for funding. To bypass this step, click “Save”. Then log out and then log back on.

Finding the INI application in TGRIP after I have registered an account and completed the organization profile.

• Once you have completed registering and setting-up your organizational profile, log out and then log back in.
• Once you have logged back in you can then access the INI application form by clicking on “My Funding Opportunities” and finding the INI application listed there.

2025-2026 Grant Guidelines

Download the grant guidelines for more information.

Application Process

1. Review the grant guidelines to ensure your group/organization and project proposal are eligible to apply for funding.
2. Attend an optional grant information session if you have any questions about the application process.
3. Register your group on the Toronto Grants, Rebates and Incentives (TGRIP) Portal if you have not created a TGRIP account before. Review the instructions on How to Register for a TGRIP Account or watch the TGRIP video before you begin your application.
4. Complete your group’s eligibility self-assessment found on the City of Toronto’s online grant system – TGRIP (Toronto Grants, Rebates and Incentives Portal):
5. Complete and submit your INI online grant application, including your project budget and work plan

Note: Only one application per group is permitted. Only eligible and complete applications will be considered for funding.

In partnership with the Toronto Youth Cabinet, the Grant Review Committee (GRC) is a volunteer panel made up of diverse youth from across the city of Toronto, including Indigenous, Black and/or 2SLGBTQ+ youth. All eligible and shortlisted INI grant applications will be reviewed by the GRC who will make the INI grant recommendations for approval.