Growing Change Application 2020

Funding Application Form

This is the application for Growing Change ONLY.  For our annual grants, click here.

Application Deadline: CLOSED

  • Please follow the instructions below very carefully.   Groundswell has no paid staff to process applications so we rely on your help to make the process work.  If you do not follow the instructions carefully, it could result in your application not being considered.  Thank you! NOTE: Applications submitted by email, and not using the form on our website, will NOT be accepted.
  • Growing Change grants are between $10,000 and $100,000.
  • Before you apply, review the funding priorities on the other tab of this page.

To submit a funding application to Growing Change, carefully complete the following steps:

  1. Download the Growing Change Application and complete the form.  Please pay attention to the word count limits for each question. Once you have completed the form, save it as a PDF. Make sure your file name includes the name of your project or organization and the words “Growing Change”.  For example, “Housing Now Growing Change.pdf”.  Remember to save as a PDF.
  2. Download the Growing Change Budget and fill in the relevant information. Note that the form has three sheets. Save it as .xlsx, and make sure your file name includes the name of your project or organization and the word “Budget”. For example, “Housing Now Budget.xlsx”.
  3. Download the Growing Change Work Plan and fill in the relevant information.  This is a one page excel spreadsheet.  Save it as a .xlsx and make sure your file name includes the name of your project or organization and the word “Work Plan.  For example “ Housing now Work Plan.xlsx“.
  4. Once you have completed your application, budget and work plan files, fill in the form below and upload your documents. This is also the time for you to upload your reference letters and supporting materials. Wait until you are ready with all your materials before you submit.

Funding Priorities

Who gets funded?

  • Our goal is to increase the capacity of organizations and movements collectively working towards social change that challenge the dominant, oppressive structures in our political, social, and economic system.
  • The money will be directed towards collective, constituency-led, grassroots initiatives or organizations that face difficulty raising funds needed for their work.
  • While we recognize how important it is to counter the criminalization of dissent, applications for legal defence costs will not be eligible for funding.
  • We also do not provide core funding for any organization funded by a government agency, nor by extractive industries or energy corporations.

Growing Change grants will go to organizations and projects led by Black and/or Indigenous communities/organizers.

The fund prioritizes the following things:

  • groups that are led by the communities they are organizing; specifically, folks who are most directly affected by oppression.
  • work that seeks to confront the root causes of oppression and not merely find temporary solutions to the conditions that it creates.
  • work that actively confronts power imbalances in meaningful ways and seeks to build up the power of oppressed communities.
  • work that serves to enhance  the infrastructure of organizations in ways that will better allow them to continue to do their work on a long-term basis.
  • work that cannot get adequate funding from other sources.
  • work taking place within Ontario; though, given our commitment to decolonize our work, Groundswell funding is not bound by colonial borders and is open to groups and projects in other places.

Groundswell does not provide funding to any organization that receives funding from government organizations, nor organizations funded by extractive industries or energy corporations. We may consider projects for funding housed by such organizations.

Only Black and/or Indigenous-led projects, communities, and organizations will be considered for these grants.

We know your time is valuable. Potential applicants are strongly encouraged to see if their work clearly falls under Groundswell’s mandate before applying.