Funding Resources
Community organizations work hard to respond to the needs of the community and funding initiatives to help to support this work are available from many sources, including the federal and provincial governments, business and other funding organizations. This page will post funding opportunities that may be of interest to local organizations and other resources that can help in the application process.
Questions? A series of frequently asked questions and answers is at the bottom of the page.
Find Tips for Writing Grant Applications and helpful Data Sources for Grant Applications.
Funding Opportunities Update e-Newsletter
The Funding Opportunities Update is a bi-monthly e-newsletter that provides information about upcoming grants, funders and funding deadlines. You can find links to the most current issues below.
The updates are not exhaustive lists of funding opportunities and should not preclude you investigating funding opportunities on your own. If you find a grant that you think should be added to the list, please let us know by emailing funding@durham.ca.
Current Issue
Funding Opportunities Update: May 2025: This update includes upcoming funding opportunities with deadlines for applications.
Sign up to receive the Funding Opportunities Update by emailing funding@durham.ca.
Local Funders and Community Organizations
211 Durham
Learn more at durham.211central.ca or call/chat/text/email 2-1-1.
Current Funding Opportunities
The current funding opportunities listed below opened after the most current Funding Opportunities Update was released and so were not included in the e-newsletter.
Canadian Race Relations Fund: Event and Youth Initiative Grants
Available funding for any proposed Event or Youth Initiative is up to a maximum of $10,000.
Events are community-based, planned public, social, and/or learning occasions and activities relating to the themes and objectives of the National Anti-Racism Fund. Formats include conferences, summits, workshops, galas, festivals, exhibits, and reconciliation or intercultural activities.
Youth Initiatives are initiatives that are youth-led or focused on youth. Youth are defined as persons under the age of 30. Formats include conferences, summits, workshops, galas, festivals, exhibits, and reconciliation or intercultural activities.
Submission deadline: Sunday, July 4, 2025.
Catapult Fund
Established by the Rideau Hall Foundation, Catapult Canada supports youth-serving organizations in Canada to design, build, scale up and evaluate the impact of initiatives to better support Canadian youth in their learning goals, especially those underserved by the education system and disengaged from education and/or career pathways.
There are two funding streams available in the Spring 2025 Open Call. Please note that each organization is eligible to submit only one (1) application per open call. Please select the funding stream most relevant to your project and submit only one application.
General Stream: This funding stream is open to all initiatives that align with the Catapult Funded Project Objectives. Initiatives will directly or indirectly support learners in communities across Canada to eliminate barriers to learning opportunities and to increase equity of access to learning pathways.
Eligibility Criteria:
- Project must fulfill one or more of the Catapult Funded Project Objectives.
- Project primary beneficiaries must be youth in Canada (ages 12-29).
- Applying organizations and project operations must be based in Canada.
- Applying organizations must be Canadian registered charities or registered non-profits.
Funding:
- Available funding range is $25,000 to $150,000 CAD per project.
- Maximum project funding duration is 18 months; projects must end by March 31st, 2027.
Targeted Stream: Newcomer, Refugee, and NEET Youth (NEET Stream): This funding stream is for projects that are specifically designed to address the needs of newcomers to Canada, refugees, youth fleeing violence/trauma, and youth not in education, employment, or training (NEET youth).
Eligibility Criteria:
- Project must fulfill one or more of the Catapult Funded Project Objectives.
- The project’s design must prioritize the needs of youth who are newcomers to Canada, refugees, youth fleeing violence/trauma, and/or NEET youth.
- Project primary beneficiaries must be youth in Canada (ages 12-29) who are either newcomers to Canada, refugees, youth fleeing violence/trauma, and/or NEET youth.
- Applying organizations and project operations must be based in Canada.
- Applying organizations must be Canadian registered charities or registered non-profits.
Funding:
- Available funding range is $25,000 to $100,000 CAD per project.
- Maximum project funding duration is 12 months; projects must end by September 30th, 2026.
- Priority will be given to small and medium sized organizations with annual budgets of <$1M.
- Both funding streams will be accepting applications until June 20, 2025, 12:00 PM (ET).
- Funding decisions/Application status will be communicated to all applicants in September 2025.
- Funding for all projects will begin in October 2025.
Durham Community Foundation Community Fund(s)
Grantstream is open - Apply today!
Funding is made possible by the permanent endowment funds established by many families throughout Durham Region who love our community. Durham Community Foundation offers a broad grantmaking program to create a healthy and vibrant place for all to live. To date, Durham Community Foundation has granted over $6.5 Million to 400+ local charities. Get more information!
Key granting areas: For key granting priorities please review our Vital Signs 2023 Report.
Additional granting areas: Applications not successful in the main granting stream may be eligible for funding through a Donor Advised or Unrestricted fund on a case-by-case basis.
Unrestricted funding: We value your work in the community and we hope that unrestricted funding will provide you with the opportunity to allocate funds to where it is needed the most within your organization.
Submission deadline: Sunday, July 4, 2025.
Durham Region Para Sport and Recreation Opportunities Fund
As a legacy of hosting the Durham Region 2023 Ontario Parasport Games, the Region of Durham has partnered with Durham Community Foundation to establish two funds to support parasport activities, programs, equipment and events offered within The Regional Municipality of Durham, to grow para sport and recreation opportunities and participation.
The intent of these funds is to support growth of diverse para sport and recreation opportunities. The maximum allowable grant per organization per year is $3,000.
Durham Community Foundation is currently accepting applications for the Durham Region Para Sport & Recreation Opportunities Fund
- $15,000 total available to grant
- Recipients will be notified in November
- Grants will be issued in December
Maximum grant size awarded: $3,000
Application deadline: Sunday, July 4, 2025.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Can an organization apply to more than one of the funding opportunities listed? |
| Yes. You can apply to different opportunities, but typically organizations cannot receive funding for the same activities from different sources. Some applications may include a request for consent to share application/proposal details with other funders to ensure coordinated funding. |
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What if we can't find data to support our funding application? |
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Data will strengthen a grant application. Although specific local population level data on the impacts of COVID-19 may be scarce at this time, we have linked some data sources below that provide information at the Durham community level and may help to support your application for funding. Community Social Investment Program (CSIP) Resources
Other Data Resources
211 Ontario Information Services: A live dashboard showing regional needs of residents inquiring about human and social services Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation: Data and research page, including reports and the Housing Market Information Portal (interactive map) Community Development Council of Durham 2021 Point in Time (PiT) Report: Report measuring the scope and nature of homelessness in Durham. Community Safety and Well-Being (CSWB) Data Dashboard: Find data about the Community Safety and Well-Being priority risk areas:
Durham Child and Youth Planning Network: Data portal with interactive charts for key indicators in child and youth health and well-being Durham Community Foundation - Durham's Vital Data Dashboard: Durham’s Vital Data Dashboard is an interactive platform where users can explore the indicators and data used as part of Durham’s Vital Signs and Durham Community Foundation's 2023 report, Together we Thrive. Durham Workforce Authority Research and Reports: Current labour market information videos and skills and labour market research reports Durham Workforce Authority Census Tool: Interactive map data showing labour and population data Health Neighbourhoods Interactive Map: Interactive map data showing social determinants of health and population data Health Neighbourhoods Reports and Neighbourhood Profiles: A more in-depth look at various Health Neighbourhoods Region of Durham Open Data: Data bank portal with spatial data files to download. Includes community services, housing, planning, business, environment, and recreation spatial files and may be previewed with an online webmap. Rural Ontario Institute (ROI) Knowledge Centre: Find information specific to rural Ontario Rural Ontario Institute (ROI) Resource Centre: Find data specific to rural Ontario communities. Statistics Canada Census Data: All population-related data across CanadaDurham's Vital Signs Report 2023: The Vital Signs report captures how people are living, as well as how they could be living. It includes data around how Durham is doing over eight different domains: Community, Civic Engagement and Belonging, Housing, Health, Income and Work, the Environment, Children and Youth, and Safety.
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