How To Fund Youth Entrepreneurship Partnerships

Transcription

1 Youth Entrepreneurship Partnerships (YEP) Call for Proposal Building a Vibrant Youth Entrepreneurship Ecosystem 1.0 Context The Youth Entrepreneurship Partnerships (YEP) program supports projects that provide educational and entrepreneurial opportunities for youth aged YEP encourages unique, innovative and cooperative initiatives to promote a culture of entrepreneurship among Ontario youth. YEP complements other entrepreneurial programs offered by the Government of Ontario by creating opportunities for the full diversity of the province s youth. As the Government of Ontario s Youth Jobs Strategy programs continue to support youth employment and entrepreneurship opportunities through training, mentorship, experiential learning opportunities, and access to capital, this round of YEP funding will focus on leveraging these investments to develop and strengthen Ontario s entrepreneurship ecosystem. The YEP is administered by the Ministry of Economic Development, Employment and Infrastructure (the Ministry). 2.0 Objectives This call for proposal invites Ontario not-for-profit organizations including municipalities, Aboriginal communities, publically funded post-secondary institutions, and publicly funded boards of education to apply for Youth Entrepreneurship Partnerships funding. In continuing to build a vibrant and diverse youth entrepreneurship ecosystem, the Ministry is seeking proposals (involving one or more partners) to deliver the following: Entrepreneurship Events: Short-term activities that acknowledge and support young entrepreneurs. Activities must meet at least one of the following objectives: 1. Recognize and celebrate the contributions of young entrepreneurs in Ontario. 2. Provide youth with short-term opportunities to explore entrepreneurship applications. Eligible activities include, but are not limited to: young entrepreneur awards and recognition events youth entrepreneurship conferences and forums youth entrepreneurship business competitions. OR Entrepreneurship Initiatives: Projects that support knowledge-transfer and capacity building within or across organizations offering youth entrepreneurship programs and services. Projects must meet at least one of the following objectives: 1. Foster collaboration and formalize coordination at the local and/or regional level. 2. Establish sustainable delivery of programming and services. 3. Increase community involvement in youth entrepreneurship programming. Eligible projects include, but are not limited to: implementation of sustainability plans for community-based programs creation of local or regional delivery networks scaling-up of successful program initiatives across or within organizations. 1

2 The following activities are not eligible for funding: Ongoing youth entrepreneurship exploration or experiential projects. Development of new youth entrepreneurship programs, services or tools. Project Duration: Projects must take place between May 1, 2015 and March 31, ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA: Applicant eligibility The following organizations may apply for funding under this program: not-for-profit organizations in operation a minimum of 2 years as of the application date, and a presence in Ontario Aboriginal communities publicly funded postsecondary institutions municipalities publicly funded boards of education. The applicant must be one of the primary project partners and will be responsible for the following: signing the funding agreement, receiving and managing the funds, ensuring the overall coordination of project partners and activities, and communicating with the Ministry on behalf of all partners. The lead organization must be a legal entity incorporated in Ontario or federally. All applicants must provide proof of their status. Youth participant eligibility If youth are participating in the project, they must be: between the ages of 12 and 29 resident of Ontario Canadian citizen or permanent resident. 4.0 FUNDING Successful applicants may be eligible for funding in the form of a conditional grant. It is anticipated that YEP will fund up to: $15,000 per Entrepreneurship Event; and $50,000 per Entrepreneurship Initiative. The Ministry, in its sole discretion, may approve a higher grant amount. Successful applicants must enter into a formal funding agreement with the Government of Ontario and provide a detailed budget breakdown that clearly indicates how government funding will be utilized. The Youth Entrepreneurship Partnerships program is a discretionary, non-entitlement program with a limited budget. Therefore, notwithstanding any other statement or provision in these guidelines, even if an applicant meets all stated criteria there is no guarantee that funding will be awarded, as there may be other applicants that more effectively meet the Ministry s objectives. The Government of Ontario reserves the right to take into consideration regional location and diversity of projects to ensure an equitable distribution across the province. 2

3 5.0 PERFORMANCE INDICATORS Projects will be expected to set performance targets for the following key outcomes: # of partner organizations, sponsors, stakeholders engaged in the event or initiative # of sustainable initiatives developed out of capacity-building activities (Entrepreneurship Initiatives only) # of participating youth aged Additional performance indicators will be tracked on a project-by-project basis. 6.0 APPLICATION PROCESS YEP has a two-phase application process. In the first phase, all applicants are required to submit a Statement of Interest. The Ministry will review the Statement of Interest and invite eligible applicants to submit full proposals for the second phase of the application process. Statement of Interest The mandatory Statement of Interest will be used to assess the eligibility of applicants and provide an opportunity for applicants to submit a brief overview of their proposed project including: size and composition of target audience how youth will be engaged key partners, sponsors and stakeholders involved with the event or initiative level of funding requested. Applicants should follow these steps to submit a Statement of Interest: 1. Carefully review the YEP guidelines. 2. Applicants are encouraged to attend an in-person information session which will take place on Wednesday, February 25, 2015 in Toronto or by teleconference/webinar which will take place on Thursday, February 26, Please confirm your interest in attending the in-person information session or webinar (and your questions in advance) to Youthpartnerships@ontario.ca. 3. Complete all sections of the attached Statement of Interest template and have it signed by a designate with the appropriate authority. 4. an electronic MS WORD file of the Statement of Interest no later than 4:00 p.m. on Thursday, March 5, 2015, to Youthpartnerships@ontario.ca Full Proposal Applicants will be notified of their eligibility to submit a full proposal. The timing of the invitation will be based on the date of the applicant s project. There will be two review periods in 2015: Review Period Full Application Deadline Events / Initiatives that Take Place or Begin #1 April 23, 2015 May 1, 2015 to September 30, 2015 #2 August 21, 2015 October 1, 2015 to March 31, 2016 *Note: All dates and timelines are approximate and subject to funding availability and may change without notice. 3

4 Full proposals must be received by 4:00 p.m. (Toronto Time) on or before each submission deadline. Please submit one (1) electronic version to: Please mail two (2) signed hard copy versions to: Ontario Ministry of Economic Development, Employment and Infrastructure Research, Commercialization and Entrepreneurship Division Entrepreneurship Branch 56 Wellesley Street West, 5 th Floor Toronto, ON M7A 2E7 Attention: Youth Partnerships Youthpartnerships@ontario.ca 7.0 EXPENSES Eligible Project Expenditures In order to be eligible for reimbursement under YEP, costs must be incurred and paid after the effective date of the funding agreement between the Government of Ontario and the applicant. Eligible expenditures are actual costs directly attributable to and necessary for the completion of the project and are not wholly or partially for another purpose. All expenditures are subject to the terms and conditions of the funding agreement, subject to review and approval by the Government of Ontario. Eligible Project Expenditures are one-time costs directly attributable to the development and implementation of the project. Eligible Costs do not include ongoing costs of production or operations. Eligible Costs are actual cash outlays that must be documented through invoices, receipts, or recipient records acceptable to the Government of Ontario and are subject to verification by an independent auditor. Evidence of payment must be maintained for audit purposes. Additional information on the eligibility of expenses will be included with the full submission package. Ineligible Project Expenditures No monies provided under a YEP grant shall be used to cover costs for alcohol or cash prizes to participants. 8.0 SELECTION PROCESS The Government of Ontario will evaluate projects based on their ability to: Build awareness of youth entrepreneurship in Ontario. Recognize achievement in youth entrepreneurship skills or celebrate youth entrepreneurship success. Provide short-term opportunities for youth to explore and experience applications of entrepreneurship. Exhibit regional and/or community partnership and collaboration. Provide a forum for youth-serving organizations to exchange knowledge and resources and/or engage in professional development. Improve access, quality, and sustainability of youth entrepreneurship programming through improved coordination Provide visibility and participation opportunities for the Government of Ontario Demonstrate value for money. The Government of Ontario, in its sole and absolute discretion, may evaluate and select an application prior to the submission deadline due to the following considerations: 4

5 strategic government priorities time sensitivity of the project partnership availability to support the project regional distribution requirements 9.0 CONDITIONS OF APPLICATION All applications must be complete and signed by a designate with the authority to bind the applicant to the terms and conditions to be included in the funding agreement for this program. Additional materials other than those requested will not be accepted or reviewed by the Government of Ontario. The Government of Ontario reserves the right to ask applicants with similar or complementary YEP projects to consider collaborating in broader partnerships subject to project timelines and funding availability. Applicants should not take any action, or incur any costs related to the project, that is predicated on receiving Youth Entrepreneurship Partnerships funding from the Government of Ontario until an application is approved and all parties have entered into a funding agreement acceptable to the Government of Ontario. The Government of Ontario shall not be responsible for paying for any cost incurred by an applicant should the application not be approved or if the applicant fails to enter into a funding agreement acceptable to the Ministry. The Government of Ontario reserves the right to impose whatever conditions it deems advisable in the acceptance of an application and in the funding agreement CONFIDENTIALITY Please note that the Government of Ontario is subject to the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (the Act ). The Act provides every person with a right of access to information in the custody or under the control of the Government of Ontario, subject to a limited set of exemptions. Section 17 of the Act provides a limited exemption for third party information that reveals a trade secret or scientific, commercial, technical, financial or labour relations information supplied in confidence where disclosure of the information could reasonably be expected to result in certain harms. Any trade secret or any scientific, technical, commercial, financial or labour relations information submitted to the Government of Ontario in confidence should be clearly marked. The Government of Ontario will provide notice before granting access to a record that might contain information referred to in Section 17 so that the affected party may make representations to the Government of Ontario concerning disclosure. The applicant is advised that among other things, the amount of grant awards, and the purpose for which grants are awarded is information the Government of Ontario makes available to the public. 5