Family Services Community Grants
The Family Services Community Grants (FSCG), presented by Toys“R”Us and Babies“R”Us, is committed to enhancing services to improve the quality of life for individuals with autism and their families by acting locally and thinking nationally. Based on the current needs, the FSCG program;
- drives collaboration,
- fosters innovation,
- promotes replication,
- establishes open sharing of resources, learnings and practices.
The purpose of these grants is to build the field of services for individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and their families by funding service providers to increase their capacity to effectively serve this growing community.
Grants are chosen through a rigorous review process, including a community panel of individuals with ASD, family members, friends, service providers and research experts across Canada. In 2017, Autism Speaks Canada awarded $427,069 to support 48 organizations across the country. Since 2010, $4 million has been granted to over 250 organizations across Canada to increase their capacity through the creation, expansion and development of programs to support individuals and families impacted by Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).
- 2017 Family Services Community Grants
- 2016 Family Services Community Grants
- 2015 Family Services Community Grants
- 2014 Family Services Community Grants
- 2013 Family Services Community Grants
- 2012 Family Services Community Grants
- 2011 Family Services Community Grants
- 2010 Family Services Community Grants
2018 Family Services Community Grants
Autism Speaks Canada is excited to announce that we are now accepting applications for our 2018 round of Family Services Community Grants. Since opening the grants in 2010, over $4 million has been granted to support programs and services in Canada.
Grant Program
The 2018 Family Services Community Grants program has been structured to reflect the need for more collaborative service delivery approaches and build the scope of promising evidence-based practices across the country.
The focus of our Family Services Community Grants are:
- To promote autism services that enhance the lives of those affected by ASD
- To expand the capacity of service providers
- To establish promising practices and encourage evidence-based service delivery
- To foster collaborative approaches to service delivery
- To reflect current needs and service gaps
To this end, Autism Speaks Canada will focus on two key streams of funding. Both streams will be collaborative in nature, where a minimum of two (2) organizations must jointly submit for a grant:
- Innovation Grants
- Replication Grants
Innovation Grants
The intention of innovation grants are to promote cooperation and partnership to enhance innovative service delivery approaches. The maximum award for each grant is $40,000. Each grant will be awarded to a project involving two or more organizations. All partner organizations much show an active role and responsibility in program creation, implementation and evaluation.
Eligibility
- A minimum of two (2) organizations must jointly submit for an innovation grant
- One organization must be identified as the lead. This lead organization must have charitable status within Canada
- Partnering organizations can include service providers, researchers, educational institutions, ministries and municipalities, professionals, healthcare institutions and corporations
Area of Focus
Innovation grants will be awarded to proposals that address new and unique service delivery solutions to support the needs of individuals with ASD across Canada. Funds are provided to support programs to deliver service, build evaluation surrounding the program and demonstrate impact in the community. Projects must focus on capacity building to establish promising practices and build evidenced-based service delivery. Funded projects will inform service delivery methods for other communities across the country.
Replication Grants
The intention of replication grants is to increase the availability of evidence-based programs for individuals with ASD across Canada. The maximum award for each grant is $40,000. Each grant will be awarded to a project involving two or more organizations. All partner organizations much show an active role and responsibility in program creation, implementation and evaluation.
Eligibility
- A minimum of two (2) organizations must jointly submit for an innovation grant
- One organization must be identified as the lead. This lead organization must have charitable status within Canada
- Partnering organizations can include service providers, researchers, educational institutions, ministries and municipalities, professionals, healthcare institutions and corporations
Area of Focus
Replication grants will be awarded to proposals that address the expansion of evidence-based services. This includes site expansion to a new geographical community or population, program adoption from another service agency, and hub & spoke model. Funds are provided to support programs to deliver service, build evaluation surrounding the program and demonstrate impact in the community. Projects must focus on capacity building to establish promising practices and build evidenced-based service delivery. Funded projects will inform service delivery methods for other communities across the country.
Key Areas
To promote services to underserved communities, special consideration will be given to programs which are developed that intentionally support any of the following 10 key areas:
Note: the 10 key areas are not mandatory to be eligible for the Family Services Community Grants, however, special consideration will be provided for applications which have developed programs accessible for any of these areas.
Aging and Autism
- Program delivery targeted to support senior citizens with ASD.
Cultural and Language
- Programs focused on addressing challenges related to cultural and linguistic diversity.
Dual Diagnosis
- Autism plus another health-related issue (mental health, obesity, epilepsy, ADHD, etc.)
Housing
- Addressing housing solutions to support independence and enhance quality of life
Indigenous Peoples
- Inclusion and addressing of needs specific to, and collaborating with, Indigenous peoples including First Nations, Aboriginal, Inuit, Métis, Non-Status and Native communities both on and off-reserve.
- Innovative Use of Technology
- Implementation of technology for innovative program delivery methods (e.g.: screening, intervention, networking, virtual reality, etc.)
Rural and Remote Communities
- Focus on capacity building in rural and remote communities.
Self-Advocate Leadershi
- Inclusion of individuals with lived experience in program development and support in leadership roles
Sexual & Gender Diversification
- Equitable gender involvement, inclusion of individuals with diversities of sex characteristics, orientations and gender identities, programs addressing sexual and gender diversification.
Social Inclusion
- Inclusion of individuals with ASD in broader community and engagement of non-ASD community.
Overview (.pdf)
Frequently Asked Questions (.pdf)
How to Apply
The Family Services Community Grants program uses an online application system.
The organization registering an account will be listed as the lead organization for the summited proposal. Lead organizations must have a registered charitable number. The contact person for the application does not have to be associated with the lead organization. Once an organizational account has been made, you will be directed to apply for either an innovation or replication grant.
All interested applicants must submit a Letter of Intent form by Friday, June 1, 2018 to be considered for the Grant Proposal. If you are having difficulty with the online application process, please click here to go to the online Grants Application portal. If you have difficulty with the online application process, please contact fscgrants@autismspeakscan.ca.
Grant Review Volunteers
As a supporter of Autism Speaks Canada, we want your input on what programs we fund by participating on our Community Review Panel. This role involves volunteers across Canada reviewing grant applications over the summer. If you are interested in being a reviewer, please contact fscgrants@autismspeakscan.ca.
We encourage you to forward this on to any friends, service providers or professionals you feel would be interested in learning more about Autism Speaks Canada’s Family Services Community Grants. For more information, please contact us at 1-888-362-6227 or email fscgrants@autismspeakscan.ca.
