Grants for Nonprofits in Canada 2026: Real Award Data

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Grants for Nonprofits in Canada by the Numbers (2026)

Federal departments signed 27,766 grant and contribution agreements with not-for-profits and charities that started in fiscal 2024-25, worth about $8.9 billion in agreed amounts, according to Grantsights analysis of the Government of Canada's Proactive Disclosure of Grants and Contributions data. That headline is misleading for a small group, though. About $2.8 billion of it had no Canadian province recorded, mostly international development agreements, and a few hundred national organizations hold the multi-million-dollar agreements.

Foundations are the other big source. According to Grantsights analysis of Canada Revenue Agency T3010 charity return data, 6,771 grantmaking foundations made 108,001 gifts worth about $9.5 billion to 26,852 charities and other qualified donees in fiscal periods ending in 2024. The median gift was $6,566.

Grantsights analysis of Proactive Disclosure of Grants and Contributions data and CRA T3010 data. Federal amounts are agreed amounts and can span several years.

By province, federal money to nonprofits looks like this:

Grantsights analysis of 27,766 agreements in the Proactive Disclosure of Grants and Contributions data. Province is the recipient's address, so national organizations based in Ottawa or Toronto push Ontario's total up.

The medians are the useful number here. In the Atlantic provinces, the typical federal agreement with a nonprofit was under $5,000, because Canada Summer Jobs placements dominate the count.

Charity or Nonprofit: Why It Decides Which Grants You Can Get

The Canada Revenue Agency draws a hard line between the two, and it affects roughly $9.5 billion a year in foundation gifts. According to the CRA's page on the difference between a registered charity and a non-profit organization (opens in a new tab):

Who can receive foundation gifts. Foundations are registered charities, and by default they give to qualified donees. The CRA's qualified donees page (opens in a new tab) lists registered charities, registered Canadian amateur athletic associations, registered journalism organizations, registered low-cost housing corporations for the aged, registered municipalities and public bodies performing a function of government, and a few others. An incorporated nonprofit that isn't registered isn't on that list.

The 2022 change. According to the Canada Revenue Agency, Bill C-19 received Royal Assent on June 23, 2022 and lets registered charities make grants to "grantee organizations" that aren't qualified donees. The CRA's guidance, CG-032, Registered charities making grants to non-qualified donees (opens in a new tab), sets three conditions: the grant must further one of the charity's own charitable purposes, the grantee must use the money only for charitable activities, and the charity must keep records showing both. When a charity gives one grantee more than $5,000 in a year, it reports the grantee's name, purpose and amount on its T3010, and that information is public.

So a nonprofit can now receive foundation money directly, but nobody has to give it. A common mistake is reading the 2022 rule as a right to apply. Most foundation programs still say "registered charities and qualified donees" in their eligibility section, and the extra reporting work makes some funders reluctant. Government programs are a different story: Canada Summer Jobs, New Horizons for Seniors and most provincial programs accept incorporated nonprofits as well as charities.

Federal Programs That Fund the Most Nonprofits

Canada Summer Jobs signed 17,989 agreements with not-for-profits in 2024-25, about 65% of all federal agreements with nonprofits that year, according to Grantsights analysis of the Proactive Disclosure data. Here are the programs that signed the most agreements with not-for-profits and charities:

Grantsights analysis of Proactive Disclosure of Grants and Contributions data, not-for-profit and charity recipients, agreements starting April 2024 to March 2025. Unnamed Environment and Climate Change Canada programs (224 agreements, about $141.7 million) are left out because the program name is blank in the file.

Canada Summer Jobs. The CSJ applicant guide (opens in a new tab) lists the application period as October 27, 2026 to December 3, 2026, at 11:59 pm Pacific Time. According to the CSJ 2027 backgrounder (opens in a new tab), not-for-profit employers can get up to 100% of the provincial or territorial adult minimum hourly wage plus mandatory employment costs, while public and private employers get up to 50%. Jobs must run between April 19 and August 28, 2027, last 6 to 16 weeks at 30 to 40 hours a week, and go to youth aged 15 to 30. The 2027 priorities include construction, environmental work, digital skills and not-for-profits serving underserved and equity-deserving communities. CSJ's who can apply page (opens in a new tab) names faith-based organizations among eligible not-for-profit employers. Case in point from the data: the biggest single CSJ agreement starting in 2024-25 was $300,935 to The Recreation Association of the Public Service of Canada in Ottawa, but the typical nonprofit agreement was under $10,000. Our Canada Summer Jobs guide covers the application in detail.

New Horizons for Seniors. The 2026 community-based call ran June 2 to July 14, 2026 and is closed, according to the New Horizons for Seniors page (opens in a new tab). It let groups request up to $50,000 for a project of up to 52 weeks, with up to $25,000 of that for capital costs, and seniors must lead the project or help plan or deliver it. Every New Horizons agreement starting in 2024-25 was $25,000 or less, so the $50,000 cap is new money worth planning for. See our New Horizons for Seniors guide.

Community Volunteer Income Tax Program grant. The CRA's CVITP grant terms (opens in a new tab) pay a base amount ($100 for 10 to 49 returns, $400 for 50 or more) plus $5 per return filed, less other government assistance, up to $20,000. You need at least 10 e-filed returns and two CRA-screened volunteers. The median of $950 shows it's a small top-up, not a program budget.

Canada Fund for Local Initiatives. This one's international. Global Affairs Canada (opens in a new tab) says it funds small projects in over 120 countries, averaging about $31,000, mostly through local organizations in those countries. Canadian nonprofits are eligible, but most money goes to local civil society groups abroad, and calls are run country by country. Skip it unless you have a partner overseas.

Women's Program and Victims Fund. Both fund through calls that open and close. The Women's Program median of $465,650 reflects multi-year projects. Justice Canada's Victims Fund sexual offences call (opens in a new tab) ran September 14 to October 26, 2026 and offered up to $450,000 per project over three fiscal years.

Canada Community Security Program. According to Public Safety Canada's CCSP information sheet (opens in a new tab), the program accepts applications year-round from not-for-profits linked to a community at risk of hate-motivated crime, at sites like places of worship, community centres and child care centres, and generally covers up to 70% of eligible costs. Our church grants guide covers it for congregations.

Enabling Accessibility Fund. The 2026 call was for $500,000 to $1 million projects and closed March 16, 2026, according to ESDC's call page (opens in a new tab). EAF grant agreements starting in 2024-25 had a median near $98,000, so watch for the next call.

Foundation Money: The Biggest Pool Most Nonprofits Can't Reach

Foundations gave about $9.5 billion to other charities in fiscal periods ending in 2024, more than federal departments agreed to give nonprofits in 2024-25, according to Grantsights analysis of Canada Revenue Agency T3010 charity return data. That's 108,001 gifts from 6,771 grantmakers to 26,852 recipients, with a median gift of $6,566.

Three things shape what that means for you:

1. It's mostly for qualified donees. The CRA file records gifts to registered charities and other qualified donees. Gifts to non-qualified grantee organizations are reported separately, so if you're an unregistered nonprofit, this pool is mostly closed to you unless a funder uses the 2022 rules.
2. Private foundations rarely take cold applications. Many family foundations give to the same charities every year. They show up in the data, but they don't publish a program.
3. The median is small. A first ask to a foundation for $50,000 is roughly eight times the typical gift. That's a red flag for a program officer unless the foundation's own history shows gifts that size.

You can read any foundation's gift history in the CRA qualified donees file before you apply. If a foundation gave 40 gifts last year and none was to a group like yours, move on.

Community Foundations: The Most Accessible Foundation Route

Canada has 206 community foundations in the Community Foundations of Canada network, and in Grantsights analysis of the 2024 CRA data, 149 of them reported 14,445 gifts worth about $500 million, with a median of $5,000. Unlike most private foundations, they run open, competitive programs with published deadlines, and some now fund non-charities under the 2022 rules.

The Winnipeg Foundation, The Calgary Foundation and the Vancouver Foundation are among the biggest, but small-town community foundations are often easier to win because they get fewer applications. Our community foundation grants guide lists open programs, gift sizes by province and how to find yours.

Provincial Grants for Nonprofits: Ontario, BC and Alberta

Provincial programs often pay $50,000 or more per grant, well above the federal median for small groups. Here's what three of the biggest showed on October 28, 2026:

Ontario Trillium Foundation. OTF is Ontario's biggest community granting agency, and it's competitive. According to OTF's 2024-2025 Annual Report, 8% of Grow applications, 13% of Seed and 19% of Capital were funded. The OTF grant deadlines page (opens in a new tab) has current dates, and our Ontario Trillium Foundation guide has award data by stream.

BC Community Gaming Grants. The Community Gaming Grants page (opens in a new tab) caps program grants at $125,000 a year for local organizations and $250,000 for regional or provincial ones. Programs must already be running, since start-up and seed funding isn't available, and you can submit only one application per calendar year. The province's apply page (opens in a new tab) lists the Human and Social Services intake as August 1 to November 30, with notification by February 28. Arts and Culture runs February 1 to April 30 and Sport March 1 to May 31. One warning: renewed funding applications aren't available in the 2026 intake because of a new grant system.

Alberta Community Initiatives Program. The CIP Project Grant (opens in a new tab) pays up to $75,000 for new community-led initiatives, programs and events, on a matching basis: your organization must contribute at least the amount requested, and total Government of Alberta funding can't exceed 50% of project costs. Deadlines are February 15 and August 15, and the next is February 15, 2027. You must be registered under an act such as Alberta's Societies Act or be a federal charity operating in Alberta, have run for at least one full year, and register in the GATE portal at least 10 business days before the deadline.

Arts organizations have their own federal funder; see our Canada Council for the Arts guide.

What Grant Lists for Canadian Nonprofits Don't Tell You

Most "grants for nonprofits in Canada" lists put Canada Summer Jobs, a $1 million accessibility call and a private family foundation side by side as if they were the same kind of opportunity. They aren't, and the gap shows up in the data.

The big federal numbers belong to a few hundred groups. The Youth Employment and Skills Strategy agreed $367.6 million across 205 nonprofit agreements, a median of $1.29 million each. Those go to national and regional delivery organizations. A local group with a $200,000 budget won't win one, and it's a waste of time to try.

Most federal community money comes in calls that close. Of the ten programs in our table, only Canada Summer Jobs was open on October 28, 2026, and the CCSP takes applications year-round. New Horizons, the Enabling Accessibility Fund, the Women's Program and the Victims Fund were all closed. Plan a year ahead and watch each department's funding page.

Charity status still matters more than people think. The 2022 grantee organization rules opened a door, but most foundation programs haven't walked through it. If your nonprofit's work is charitable and you expect to seek foundation money for years, registering as a charity is often worth the paperwork. If you won't register, partner with a charity that will hold the grant.

The median is your planning number. The typical foundation gift was $6,566 and the typical community foundation gift $5,000. A $150,000 budget gap usually takes a mix: a provincial grant, a few foundation gifts, a federal program for one piece, and your own fundraising.

Federal agreed amounts aren't payments. The Proactive Disclosure file shows what was agreed, often over several years, and departments sometimes amend amounts down. Use it to judge scale and who wins, not to count cash.

How to Build a Nonprofit Funding Plan in Canada

The groups that do well usually stack 3 or 4 sources rather than chase one big grant. Here's a hypothetical example, not a real organization.

Hypothetical: a food bank in Halifax, Nova Scotia, incorporated as a registered charity, needs $80,000 for a year-round youth volunteer and nutrition program. It could apply for Canada Summer Jobs in the current window for two summer positions at full minimum wage, ask its community foundation for about $10,000 in the next open intake, approach two or three private foundations whose CRA gift history shows gifts to food security charities, and file returns through the CVITP for a small top-up if it runs a tax clinic. Each funder sees a clear, separate share of the budget.

A few rules apply almost everywhere:

1. Check your legal status first. Know whether you're a registered charity, an incorporated nonprofit or an unincorporated group, because that decides eligibility for most programs.
2. Match the program's median. Ask for what the funder typically gives, not its maximum.
3. Watch for matching rules. Alberta's CIP and the CCSP both require you to cover part of the cost.
4. Don't spend before approval. Most programs won't pay costs incurred before the agreement starts.
5. Write a tight proposal and budget. Our guides on how to write a grant proposal and how to write a grant budget apply in Canada too.

Where to Go Next

Start with Canada Summer Jobs if you can hire a student next summer, since its window closes December 3, 2026. Then find your community foundation through our community foundation grants guide. Ontario groups should read our Ontario Trillium Foundation guide, seniors' groups our New Horizons for Seniors guide, and congregations our church grants guide. If your nonprofit runs a social enterprise and needs a loan, our Futurpreneur and startup funding guide covers Futurpreneur's program for nonprofit entrepreneurs.

Sources Checked

All pages read and files downloaded on October 28, 2026.

• Open Government Portal, Proactive Disclosure: Grants and Contributions (opens in a new tab)
• Open Government Portal, 2024 List of charities from the Canada Revenue Agency, including the Qualified donees file (opens in a new tab)
• Canada Revenue Agency, What is the difference between a registered charity and a non-profit organization (opens in a new tab)
• Canada Revenue Agency, Qualified donees (opens in a new tab)
• Canada Revenue Agency, CG-032 Registered charities making grants to non-qualified donees (opens in a new tab)
• Canada Revenue Agency, CVITP grant terms and conditions (opens in a new tab)
• ESDC, Canada Summer Jobs applicant guide (opens in a new tab), who can apply (opens in a new tab) and 2027 backgrounder (opens in a new tab)
• ESDC, New Horizons for Seniors Program community-based projects (opens in a new tab)
• ESDC, Enabling Accessibility Fund 2026 call for proposals (opens in a new tab)
• Global Affairs Canada, Canada Fund for Local Initiatives (opens in a new tab)
• Women and Gender Equality Canada, Women's Economic and Leadership Opportunities Fund 2026 (opens in a new tab)
• Justice Canada, Victims Fund: funding to support victims and survivors of sexual offences (opens in a new tab)
• Public Safety Canada, Canada Community Security Program information sheet (opens in a new tab)
• Ontario Trillium Foundation, Grant Application Deadlines (opens in a new tab)
• Government of British Columbia, Community Gaming Grants (opens in a new tab) and Apply for Community Gaming Grants (opens in a new tab)
• Government of Alberta, CIP Project Grant (opens in a new tab)
• Community Foundations of Canada, Find a community foundation: https://communityfoundations.ca/find-a-community-foundation/