Staff
Not-for-profit organizations in need of funding would benefit from attending a presentation the Ontario Trillium Foundation is holding at the Fort Frances Public Library Technology Centre this coming Tuesday (July 2).
Maureen Brophy, program manager for Northwestern Ontario, will be on hand to provide information and answer questions—looking to increase interest in a district that only submits a handful of applications to the OTF each year.
“We’re a foundation that provides grants to not-for-profit and registered charitable organizations,” Brophy explained.
“I’ll be talking about our funding program: how to apply, what our priorities are, eligibility, the application process, deadlines, how long it takes to hear back from us, the things we’re looking for in applications, and how we assess applications.
“We only fund for things happening in Ontario,” she stressed.
“We wouldn’t fund travel to Manitoba or northern Minnesota.”
“We haven’t had a lot of
applications from the Rainy River District, so we’re hoping that some information sessions will help people understand our process and our funding, and we’ll start getting more applications from that area,” Brophy noted.
“Anybody that works for a not-for-profit community organization, small municipalities, or First Nations” are welcome to attend the presentation, she said.
“We don’t fund individuals and we don’t fund businesses,” she added.
Brophy’s presentation will begin at 1 p.m. in the Shaw Room and last about an hour.
Those interested in attending are asked to R.S.V.P. Brophy by calling 1-807-623-3822 or via e-mail at mbrophy@otf.ca
“I invite people to attend the presentation and I’ll be able to answer specific questions at that time,” she remarked.
“I’ll try to give people an understanding of how it works and help them decide if their project would be a fit with our funding.”
Brophy noted the priorities of the OTF have changed, and that she will be informing people of these changes at Tuesday’s presentation.
“We might get between five to 10 applications from the Rainy River District each year,” she reiterated.
“We’re trying to encourage more organizations to apply.
Brophy said it usually takes roughly four months to hear back after applying, following three deadlines every year on March 1, July 1, and Nov. 1.
The time necessary to put into the application depends on the request, she noted.
For example, a small request application, such as a $5,000 small capital request, need not be as detailed as a group applying for two or three years’ of funding.
