Rainbow Health Ontario Breakthrough Projects

Rainbow Health Ontario Breakthrough Projects

2015 Application Guidelines

What is Rainbow Health Ontario?

Rainbow Health Ontario (RHO) is a province-wide program working to improve access to services and promote the health of our lesbian, gay, bisexual,trans, and queer (LGBTQ) communities. We envision a province in which all LGBTQ people are healthy and valued members of their diverse communities and are supported by equitable services and public policy. RHO is funded by the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care. For more information, please visit our website at:rainbowhealthontario.ca

RHO believes that the social, cultural, political and economic context of peoples’ lives has a big impact on their health. We bring an anti-racist, anti-oppressivelensto our work. This means we understand that all kinds of power imbalances and historical wrongs come together to create and maintain unequal and unjust social conditions for individuals and communities. These conditions make it harder for some of us to live healthy lives, to have enough resources to care for ourselves, or to be able to find appropriate, welcoming services to help us stay well.

RHO Breakthrough Projects Overview

RHO Breakthrough Projectsare designed to support local groups and organizations across Ontario to carry out one-year projectsthat will achieve a significant step in creating greater health, well-being and equity for LGBTQ communities. In this document, “LGBTQ”includes people who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, queer, intersex, trans, non-binary, two-spirited, gender non-conforming, or any group who experiences discrimination and/or lacks access to appropriate services due to sexual orientation or gender identity/expression.

Breakthrough Projects will:

Improve LGBTQ health and well-being
Build local capacity and skills
Carry outa defined set of activities
Encourage partnership development and collaboration
Share lessons learned from the project

RHO will support four distinct projects for one year’s duration, providing consultation onproject development, implementation and evaluation and up to $20,000 in funding for each project. Projects must take place between April1st, 2015 and March 31st, 2016.

Eligible Applicants

Breakthrough Projects can be initiated by LGBTQ organizations or groups, or by organizations that have a history of contributing to the health and well-being of LGBTQ communities. All projects must be developed in partnership with LGBTQ community members and provide evidence of equitable involvement in planning and decision-making.

Lead applicants must either be incorporated as non-profit organizations, or must establish a partnership with a non-profit organization that will act as a Trustee for RHO Breakthrough Project funding and provide appropriate financial management.

RHO Breakthrough Project Priorities

The successful Breakthrough Projects will be selected based on the criteria below:

The project is a new initiative that addresses the needs of an underserved geographic or demographic group within Ontario’s LGBTQ communities.

The project will make a positive and lasting difference in the health or well-being of members of Ontario’s diverse LGBTQ communities.

The project enables LGBTQ groups or organizations to develop leadership skills, build capacity and develop solutions to issues relevant to LGBTQ people.

The project encourages meaningful partnership development.Where partnerships are not a part of the project plan, there will be a convincing rationale for this.

There is evidence that the applicants havethe skills and capacity to carry out the project.

The proposal has a clear plan to share project outcomes and lessons learned with a broader audience.

The project budget is detailed and feasible, and the project can realistically be carried out in a one-year period within that budget.

Examples of eligible projects

A coalition of LGBTQ groups might undertake the planning and facilitation of a Town Hall Meeting to assess unmet health and social service needs and to explore new partnership opportunities. A report and follow-up activities would involve engaging with mainstream health service planners and agencies or seeking alternative funding sources.

A community group or small agency might choose to run an educational program on LGBTQ related topics for the local population and service providers in a remote area. This could take the form of a small conference, a film series, or an arts-based presentation and discussion.

An LGBTQ network of local groups and organizations might create an on-line directory of programs and services that are available in the region including both mainstream and community-led initiatives.

A group of small agencies may wish to form a planning team to develop a partnership program and an application to a funder such as the LHIN, the Trillium Foundation, or the federal government. The project would allow for the formation of the team, focus groups, development of the model and the creation of a robust proposal.

RHO will not fund the following:

Projects seeking operating costs for an ongoing program or service.
Existing projects that will be almost complete by March 31st, 2015 (retroactive funding).
Direct service initiatives (e.g. support group, counselling) that have little likelihood of being sustained beyond the one-year length of RHO Breakthrough Project funding.
Requests for capital projects, debt repayment or fundraising campaigns/events.
Individuals seeking resources for their own educational studies or personal projects.
Hospitals, government institutions, universities, or for-profit businesses unless they are partners on a project led by a community organization or group.

Reporting requirements

If your project is funded, you will be required to submit:

Quarterly financial reports
A progress report at the project’s mid-point
A final descriptive report on the entire project
A brief 3-5 minute video showing project highlights and outcomes

You will also be encouraged to maintain regular contact with your assigned Rainbow Health Ontario staff to discuss how RHO can support you.

Timeline

The deadline to submit your application isMarch 2, 2015 at12:00pm(noon), Eastern time. Late submissions will not be accepted. You will be notified about the review committee’s decision by March 31st, 2015.

Additional information

Information sessions will take place in February via teleconference and web chat, in English and French.

For dates and times, please visit our website:

If you are not able to attend a session, please feel free to communicate with us:

EnglishFrench

Gael HinnighanChristelleThibault

Administrative CoordinatorFrancophone Services Coordinator

416-324-4100 x5308416-324-4100 x5252

Rainbow Health Ontario Breakthrough Projects

2015 Application Form

Instructions

Fill out all 6 parts of the application form.

Please limit your answers to 250 words or less in each box.
Please use 12pt font.

Applications that do not follow the instructions and format will not be considered for funding.

How to submit your application

To apply for RHO Breakthrough Project funding, you must submit the completed application form, along with supporting documents, in two ways:

Send an electronic copy to:

Send apapercopy by mail to: Rainbow Health Ontario

Sherbourne Health Centre

333 Sherbourne Street

Toronto, ON M5A 2S5

DEADLINE:Complete electronic applications must be received by noon (Eastern time) onMonday, March 2, 2015. The paper copy of application must also be postmarked bythis date at the latest.

Please use this checklist to ensure that all the required information is included in your application:

Included
Application form / ☐
Budget / ☐
Two reference letters* / ☐
Annual report and financial statement from lead applicant (if applicable) / ☐
Partnership agreement (optional) / ☐
Any additional documents (please list) / ☐
☐
☐

*Reference letters should detail:

The relationship between the referee and applicant
Why the referee supports the applicant and the project

PART 1 –PROJECT SUMMARY

Project name:
Project summary (50 words or less):
Geographic and/or demographic focus:
Project duration (up to 1 year beginning April 1, 2015):
Amount requested:

PART 2 –APPLICANT INFORMATION

LEAD APPLICANT
Group or organization:
Address:
Town/City: / Province: Ontario / Postal code:
Telephone: / E-mail:
Website:
Briefly describe your mission/purpose and main activities:
Are you incorporated as a non-profit organization? ☐Yes ☐No
Project representative:
Position:
Telephone: / E-mail:

N.B. If your group or organization is not incorporated as a non-profit, you will need to identify a Trustee to support the financial administration of your project.

PART 3 – PARTNERSHIP AND COLLABORATION

We encourage meaningful partnership and collaboration to advance the goals of your project. Please include the contact information of any other groups or organizations who will be involved.

PARTNER/COLLABORATOR 1
Group or organization:
Contact person:
Address:
Town/City: / Province: / Postal code:
Telephone: / E-mail:
Website (if applicable):
Briefly describe their mission/purpose and main activities:
How will they support this project? (Trustee, special expertise, space, resources, etc.)
PARTNER/COLLABORATOR 2
Group or organization:
Contact person:
Address:
Town/City: / Province: / Postal code:
Telephone: / E-mail:
Website (if applicable):
Briefly describe their mission/purpose and main activities:
How will they support this project? (Trustee, special expertise, space, resources, etc.)
PARTNER/COLLABORATOR 3
Group or organization:
Contact person:
Address:
Town/City: / Province: / Postal code:
Telephone: / E-mail:
Website (if applicable):
Briefly describe their mission/purpose and main activities:
How will they support this project? (Trustee, special expertise, space, resources, etc.)
PARTNER/COLLABORATOR 4
Group or organization:
Contact person:
Address:
Town/City: / Province: / Postal code:
Telephone: / E-mail:
Website (if applicable):
Briefly describe their mission/purpose and main activities:
How will they support this project? (Trustee, special expertise, space, resources, etc.)

If you have more than four partners or collaborators, please refer to Appendix A.

Partnership and Collaboration (max 250 words/answer)
How have you, as lead applicant, developed the relationships with your partner(s) and collaborator(s)? (e.g. previous collaboration on projects, development of a partnership agreement, multiple meetings, significant involvement in the planning process, etc.)
In the past, how have you addressed conflicts or differences of opinions with partners/collaborators?

You can visit our website to review some principles of partnership development:

PART 4 – PROJECT DETAIL

Please limit your answers to 250 words or less per box.

Issue / Need (max 250 words/answer)
1. What is the health-relatedissue that you plan to work on, and what type of breakthrough are you trying to make? (Describethe goal of your project)
2. What information do you have that demonstrates this need? (e.g. lived experience, community consultations, program evaluations, needs assessment, research, statistics, etc.)
Activities (max 250 words/answer)
1. What will you be doing to carry out this project? What are the main steps or tasks involved?
2. How is this project new or distinct in your community?
3. If you are an established agency or organization with funded LGBTQ programs and services, how is this project different from your usual or core activities?
LGBTQ Leadership and Involvement
1. How will LGBTQ people be involved in the leadership of your project?
2. What might be some of accessibility needs of the people involved in the project, and how will you meet them?
Capacity (max 250 words/answer)
1. What knowledge, experience and resources does your group/organization have which will enable you to plan, implement, and evaluate this project?
2. What expertise, skills or resources will be provided by your partners/collaborators?
3. What are the key risks and challenges your project faces, and how will you address them?
4. What supports do you hope to get from Rainbow Health Ontario? (e.g. promotion, evaluation, specialized knowledge, strategic advice, consultations, etc.)
Evaluation and Impact (max 250 words/answer)
N.B. Given the short duration and modest budget allocated to projects, Rainbow Health Ontario recognizes that not all projects will have large-scale impact. Depth (a larger impact on a smaller number of people) is valued as much as breadth (a smaller impact on a larger number of people).
1. How will you know that the project has been successful? What change or difference will it have made? (e.g. change in capacity, knowledge, resources, systems, quality of life, quality of care, etc.)
2. What changes or differences do you hope to see in the lives of the people connected to the project?How will you measure or assess these changes?
3. Are there ways that the impact can be sustained?
Learning and Knowledge Exchange (max 250 words/answer)
1. What new knowledge and skills will you and your partners gain through the process of planning, implementing and evaluating the project?
2. In addition to the required short video, how will you share what you have learned with others? (e.g. resource development, newsletter, community meeting, social media engagement, blog posts, podcast/video production, website, etc.)

PART 5 – BUDGET AND FINANCIAL ADMINISTRATION

This is a suggested budget template. Please make small modifications or add categories as needed.

Item / Amount / Justification/Details
Salary relatedcosts
Honoraria
Space or room rental
Supplies and materials
Travel and accommodation
Meeting expenses (e.g. refreshments)
Consultation and skills development
Minor equipment - rental or purchase(N.B. Cannot exceed 1/3 of total budget)
Other: (specify)
Subtotal
Accessibility supports
Interpretation
Translation
Child care
Attendant care
Mental health support
Other: (specify)
Subtotal
Marketing and outreach
Advertising/Media
Printing and graphic design
Other: (specify)
Subtotal
Communications
Telephone and teleconference
Internet
Mail and courier
Short video production (max $1000)
Other: (specify)
Subtotal
Overhead costs (e.g. bookkeeping, financial administration)
Cannot exceed 10% of total budget
TOTAL
In-kind support / Donations (e.g. meeting space, advertising, facilitation, equipment use, etc.)
Item / Amount / Organization/Group
TOTAL

Financial administration

Organizations that have registered non-profit status may administer their own project funds, produce financial records and use their own audit process.

Groups without registered non-profit status will need a signed agreement with a non-profit organization who will act as their trustee in order to receive funds.

RHO does not require aTrustee Agreement to be submitted at the proposal stage. However, if you are going to need a trustee, we strongly encourage you to engage an organizationto act as your Trustee as you develop your proposal. This will help to avoid unnecessary delays later on as funds cannot be flowed until a Trustee is in place.

Who will be providing financial administration to the project?

☐Finance personnel within the lead organization

☐Trustee organization (as listed amongst the partners/collaborators)

☐We do not have a trustee organization yet

PART 6 – DECLARATION/AUTHORIZATION

I have been given the authority to submit this application on behalf of my group/organization.

I declare that the information provided in this application is true and complete to the best of my knowledge and ability.

I certify that if funds are awarded, they will be used for the purpose described in this proposal.

______

Name (please print)

______

SignatureDate

APPENDIX A(Use only if needed)

PARTNER/COLLABORATOR 5
Group or organization:
Contact person:
Address:
Town/City: / Province: / Postal code:
Telephone: / E-mail:
Website (if applicable):
Briefly describe their mission/purpose and main activities:
How will they support this project? (Trustee, special expertise, space, resources, etc.)
PARTNER/COLLABORATOR 6
Group or organization:
Contact person:
Address:
Town/City: / Province: / Postal code:
Telephone: / E-mail:
Website (if applicable):
Briefly describe their mission/purpose and main activities:
How will they support this project? (Trustee, special expertise, space, resources, etc.)
PARTNER/COLLABORATOR 7
Group or organization:
Contact person:
Address:
Town/City: / Province: / Postal code:
Telephone: / E-mail:
Website (if applicable):
Briefly describe their mission/purpose and main activities:
How will they support this project? (Trustee, special expertise, space, resources, etc.)
PARTNER/COLLABORATOR 8
Group or organization:
Contact person:
Address:
Town/City: / Province: / Postal code:
Telephone: / E-mail:
Website (if applicable):
Briefly describe their mission/purpose and main activities:
How will they support this project? (Trustee, special expertise, space, resources, etc.)

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