Granting
Guidelines
The
primary criterion by which the Foundation evaluates proposals
is the degree to which the proposed work aligns with the Foundation's
mission:
Max
Bell Foundation
reflects the spirit and intent of its founder
to improve Canadian society.
We encourage the development of innovative ideas
that impact public policies and practices
with an emphasis on health and wellness, education,
and the environment.
We
are a western Canadian foundation with a national mandate.
We prefer to develop project proposals in collaboration with
applicants rather than reacting to proposals which are already
fully developed. We seek opportunities to partner with other
grant making agencies.
-
value
responsibility and self-sufficiency at levels of the individual,
family, community, and society
-
identify,
develop, and assess alternatives rather than perpetuating
the status quo
-
if
alternatives are not the focus, add value to 'mainstream'
activities without duplicating them
-
are
driven by demonstrable public needs rather than intellectual
curiosity
-
focus
on practical issues and approaches
-
recognize
and address the complexities of public policy making
-
are
outcome oriented (i.e., toward social and/or institutional
change), not output oriented (i.e., toward delivery of a
product or service)
-
give
careful consideration to uptake of project outputs (e.g.,
outputs will be timely and useful for decision makers)
-
are
likely to generate transferable results so that the project
can impact more than its local domain
-
effect
change by building and leading collaborations
-
promote evidence-informed decision making
-
do
not receive public sector funding
The
Foundation can make grants only for charitable purposes, and
only to organizations which have been issued a registered
charity number under the Income Tax Act of Canada.
We encourage any organization which meets these criteria and
whose project aligns with our mission and the above granting
guidelines to apply for support.
Our
Process
The
Foundation carefully reviews every application which falls
within its program areas and granting guidelines. An unfavourable
decision from the Foundation should not be seen as a reflection
of the quality of the endeavour. Rather, it is the result of
the difficult choices which must be made from amongst the
many worthy applications we receive from across Canada. The
Foundation recognizes the efforts and aspirations of grant
applicants, and appreciates the opportunity to consider their
proposals.
The
Foundation realizes that a significant amount of work can
be required to develop project proposals. Assessing the availability
and accessibility of data, reviewing the appropriate literature,
conducting preliminary analyses, doing detailed planning,
and so on, all require time and resources. Many research organizations
lack the financial and human resources required to undertake
these activities. In such cases, applicants may wish to review
the Foundation's internship program,
which could be a source of support for such developmental
work.
Final
decisions on grant proposals are made by the Foundation's
Board of Directors. The Board meets three times each year,
usually in May, September, and December. Applications are
accepted throughout the year, and the Foundation requires
three to six months of lead time to work with proposals prior
to each Board Meeting.
It
should be noted that the Foundation seldom provides 100% of
the support required for any given project. To encourage applicant
organizations to develop a broader base of support for proposed
projects or initiatives, the Foundation will make challenge
or matching grants when appropriate.
The
Foundation makes use of a wide range of referees who are experts
in our program areas, and we are very grateful for their perspective
as a key component of the assessment process.
The
Foundation receives hundreds of applications annually. We
cannot, therefore, either return application packages or provide
reasons for unfavourable decisions
