With goals of increasing physical activity in Ontario, the province created the Ontario Sport and Recreation Communities fund in 2013. Since the program’s inception, it has supported over 400 projects province-wide, aiding over 425,000 residents in getting involved in physical activity.
The backbone of the program is predicated on embedding physical literacy as a foundation for lifelong physical activity among individuals of all ages. In addition to strengthening the community sport and recreation sector by providing training in key areas such as coaching, youth development and volunteer development, the program provides residents with additional opportunities to remain physically active. This also applies to those who experience barriers to participation and those who might be traditionally less active.
After investing nearly $30 million since the program launched, the application period for 2017-2018 funding is now open. Last year’s round of funding was able to support 129 projects, including a learn-to-curl program, sport and recreation camps for 500 indigenous youth across Ontario and a learn-to-dive program for 2,000 children.
The application period is set to run from December 12, 2016 until the February 1, 2017 deadline. The program was designed to support projects ranging from one to two years in length that operate at either the local/regional and provincial levels.
To learn more about other grants available across North America, visit our Grants page.