The Ontario Trillium Foundation (OTF) is an agency of the Government of Ontario that makes grants to community organizations across the province. Its application is scored, so plan before you open the portal: choose the right stream, name one funding priority exactly, and prepare every answer with its evidence.
Choose the right stream
OTF's Community Investments grants come in four streams, alongside its Youth Opportunities Fund.
| Stream | What it funds | Amount and term |
|---|---|---|
| Seed | Research, development and testing of new ideas and different approaches | Check the Seed page when a window opens: its amounts have changed over time |
| Grow | Expanding, improving or adapting an existing program with a proven track record | $100,000 to $600,000 over 2 or 3 years ($50,000 to $200,000 a year) |
| Capital | Updating buildings, enhancing physical spaces, buying fixed and non-fixed equipment | $10,000 to $200,000, for 6 or 12 months |
| Sector | Capacity for Ontario's non-profit sector as a whole | $50,000 to $300,000 a year, for 1 to 3 years |
Grow requires at least 12 months of active operation, a program in sports and recreation, arts and culture, environment, or human and social services, capital costs within 20% and overhead within 15%. Capital does not accept collaboratives and needs at least one quote for each good or service above $5,000. Sector requires gross annual revenue of $500,000 in each of the last two fiscal years and audited statements, which rules out most small groups. Intake windows change from cycle to cycle, so read the stream page for the intake you plan.
The six funding priorities
OTF's Grant Investment Framework lists six priorities. Choose the one that fits your project best and use its exact name:
- Foster physically active lifestyles
- Help people build stronger connections and a deeper sense of belonging in their community
- Enrich lives through arts, culture and heritage
- Support youth to develop stronger social, emotional and leadership skills
- Support participation in the conservation and restoration of the environment
- Enable economically vulnerable people to meet their basic needs and/or strengthen their financial stability
Older "action areas" such as Active People still appear in some OTF documents. Use the six names above.
How OTF scores applications
For Grow, OTF checks organization eligibility, then project eligibility, then scores:
| Grow criterion | Weight |
|---|---|
| Community benefit and relevance | 30% |
| Project plan and feasibility | 30% |
| Project budget | 30% |
| Program participation for populations experiencing barriers | 10% |
The Capital page publishes the same criteria and weights. Seed uses its own criteria, and Sector weights Benefit and Relevance 35%, Project Plan and Feasibility 35% and Project Budget 30%. A Program Manager checks eligibility and completeness; Grant Review Team volunteers score independently, and rankings average their scores with the Program Manager's; OTF's Board of Directors approves each team's recommendations.
What the questions ask
OTF's published Seed application questions from a recent intake show the format:
- Mission and typical activities, maximum 200 words each
- "Describe your project", the need and who benefits, and populations experiencing barriers, maximum 200 words each
- One funding priority, and one objective chosen from OTF's list
- Anticipated results as counts, such as people reached
- A project plan of 1 to 3 deliverables, with up to 3 tasks each
- A budget in Direct Personnel Costs, Direct Non-Personnel Costs and Overhead and Administration, with up to 5 items per category
- A 20-word public description of the project
OTF's eligibility policy rules out core operational funding, deficits and costs incurred before the contract start date, and Grow also excludes taxes you can rebate and contingency costs. The Ontario Community Grant Kit's CA_OntarioCommunity_Application_Workbook_TEMPLATE.docx plans each of these questions with its evidence before you write in the portal.
Use the free support
OTF invites applicants to book a coaching call with a Program Manager. For Community Investments you book by postal code, and calls cover fit with the framework, the questions and assessment criteria, and OTF's policies. The Support Centre is at 1 800 263-2887, Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. The form even asks "What OTF supports did you use to prepare your application?" Book early in the window.
The numbers behind the competition
OTF's 2024-2025 Annual Report lists applications by stream: 1,832 for Seed, 1,797 for Grow, 1,503 for Capital and 86 for the Youth Opportunities Fund, or 5,218 by our addition. It reports 715 grants (677 community grants and 38 Youth Opportunities Fund grants), with $89.7 million awarded through Seed, Grow and Capital against $967.0 million requested in those streams. A clear fit with one priority, a feasible plan and a clean budget are what you control.
General information: this article is general information, not legal, tax or fundraising advice. No template can guarantee funding. Always follow OTF's own guidelines for the intake you apply to.
The Funder File is not affiliated with, endorsed by or connected to the Ontario Trillium Foundation or the Government of Ontario.
Sources
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