The Heart and Stroke Foundation, a volunteer-based health charity ...

Heart and Stroke Foundation of Ontario
Community Advocacy Fund
The Heart and Stroke Foundation, a volunteer-based health charity, leads in
eliminating heart disease and stroke and reducing their impact through the
advancement of research and its application, the promotion of healthy living, and
advocacy.
1. Background
In Ontario, 28% of children ages 2 – 17 are overweight or obese. Today’s youth could be the first
generation of children that will not live as long as their parents.
The Heart and Stroke Foundation of Ontario is gravely concerned about the growing rates of
childhood obesity and its impact on the current and future health of Ontario’s children. The
Foundation is committed to improving the health of Ontario’s children through supporting an
environment that encourages and enables children to be active and have access to healthy food.
The Heart and Stroke Foundation of Ontario’s KidFit TM Community Advocacy Fund provides
opportunities for parents and community groups to advocate for and implement change within their
children’s school and community environments. Community Advocacy Fund grants support
advocacy initiatives directed at children in Ontario. Activities must be designed to help increase
opportunities for physical activity and/or to improve access to healthy food for children in Ontario.
2. Grant Categories
Advocacy Planning Projects
Funds are to assist with coalition building, and/or to aid in the early planning of specific
advocacy efforts to key stakeholders (ie. school boards, municipal or provincial
government) that support and/or promote physical activity and access to healthy food for
children in Ontario.
Funds available: up to $2,000
Advocacy Development Projects
Funds are to aid groups in the development phase to carry out specific advocacy efforts
that support increased physical activity and access to healthy food for children in Ontario.
Funds available: up to $5,000
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Community Action Grant Projects
Funds are for projects to mobilize communities to make significant change that will have a
sustainable impact in supporting increased physical activity and access to healthy food for
children in Ontario.
Funds available: up to $25,000 per year, for a maximum of two years
3. Why Advocacy?
The focus on advocacy and policy change is highly significant to these grants. The Heart and
Stroke Foundation believes that public policy change must be part of any long-term solutions to
Ontario’s health issues. Advocacy is how we transform public attitudes into action. Successful
advocacy can lead to the development of policies to support sustainable change in school and
community environments.
The goal of the Community Advocacy Fund is to enable school and community groups to advocate
for increased children’s access to physical activity and healthy foods. We define advocacy as a
wide range of activities conducted to engage and influence players at every level in the
policymaking process. In addition to traditional/typical advocacy work such as influencing
legislation, this also means coalition building, awareness raising and education, and community
mobilization.
A. Priority will be given to projects that:
‣ Seek to influence decision makers to increase opportunities for physical activity and access
to healthy food for Ontario children.
‣ Seek policy development and/or change.
‣ Demonstrate sustainability or lasting impact.
‣ Involve collaboration with other partner organizations.
‣ Respond to the needs of Aboriginal, African/Caribbean-Canadian, South Asian or Chinese
communities.
B. There are many elements that contribute to successful advocacy:
Mobilize Neighbourhoods and Communities – Mobilize communities to advocate for programs and
policies that are effective in increasing children’s access to healthy food and physical activity.
Foster Coalitions and Networks – Engage the community and other stakeholders in identifying key
community issues that affect children’s access to healthy food and physical activity, and work with
these coalition partners to develop a strategic plan for intervention and solutions.
Promote Community Education – Support media campaigns that educate the community about
healthy eating and physical activity, and eliminate the environmental barriers that prevent these
healthy lifestyle behaviours.
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Influence Policy and Legislation – Advocate for and support policies that restrict the availability,
accessibility, placement, promotion, and discounted pricing of high-calorie, low-nutrient foods.
Advocate for policies that encourage sound nutrition, physical activity and education programs
throughout schools and school boards.
Change Organizational Practices – Advocate for the implementation of policies and procedures
within organizations and groups that serve children and their parents, to improve access to healthy
food, eliminate access to unhealthy food, and increase access to physical activity for all children.
The following is a list of project ideas for KidFit TM Community Advocacy Fund grants.
This list is provided as a guide, and is not a list from which applicants must choose:
• Establish a coalition of community partners to work with local school and community
organizations to seek and achieve consensus on policy direction in areas related to access
to healthy eating and physical activity for Ontario children.
• Advocate to municipal government to improve access to community based programs.
• Bring together parents and decision-makers from the community and from schools to
discuss the development and implementation of a health promotion strategy to promote
healthy eating and physical activity in schools.
• Establish a parent group coalition to advocate to the school board and the municipality to
adapt recreation and sports programs to make them culturally appropriate for immigrant
students, particularly females.
• Advocate to municipal government to require that zoning regulations support the creation
and maintenance of green space and public parks.
• Conduct a campaign to implement a 1% milk only policy in schools.
• Advocate to school boards for access to schools and school owned physical activity
facilities by students, staff and community members during non-school hours.
• Advocate to school boards to implement a policy for healthy options at school fundraising
initiatives.
• Advocate to local municipal decision-makers (ie. Parks and Recreation) to modify policy
governing access to local municipal facilities to provide priority access to local neighbouring
school groups.
• Conduct an assessment of what is happening in the school in terms of nutrition and
physical activity – what is working and what is not.
• Advocate to school principals and/or school boards for the implementation and/or
evaluation of the required 20 minutes of Daily Physical Activity.
C. Examples of what the Community Advocacy Fund WILL NOT support:
• Developing or delivering a physical activity program
• Developing or delivering a healthy eating or nutrition program
• The purchase of equipment or sports supplies
• Funds to provide access to sports and/or recreation facilities (ie. fees)
• Funds to supplement healthy eating choices (ie. a fruit purchase program)
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For a description of current projects funded through the KidFit TM Community
Advocacy Fund, visit www.heartandstroke.ca/kidfit.
4. Funding Criteria and Review
Applicants must demonstrate how their project supports the key Foundation priorities of
reducing childhood obesity and increasing healthy eating, thereby contributing to the
overall goals of reducing the incidence of heart disease and stroke related to these
particular risk factors.
A committee of outside experts will review all funding applications and will recommend which
applications should receive funding. Each application will be assessed on its individual merit.
Applicants will be notified of the results of their application within 60 days of the application
deadline date. The Heart and Stroke Foundation of Ontario has the final approval of all Community
Advocacy Fund grants.
In addition to assessing an application’s fit with Community Advocacy Fund granting priorities, the
Foundation will assess all organizations and their applications against the following criteria to
ensure fairness and accountability:
‣ The applicant’s ability to complete the project and achieve results. For e.g., project
resources and sustainability (financial, human and other).
‣ The extent of outreach to priority groups, including their involvement in various stages of
the project.
‣ The issue being addressed must be well-defined and substantiated, and the project
components suitable in light of the project objectives.
‣ Value for money; project outcomes compared with project costs.
‣ Other criteria that may pertain to the project such as action on policy, etc.
‣ The soundness of the project, including its evaluation plan.
‣ Collaborations and partnerships are highly recommended.
Eligibility for Past Grant Recipients
Successful applicants may apply for a new grant only after the active grant has been completed
and all reporting requirements have been met.
5. Terms and Conditions of KidFit TM Community Advocacy
Fund Grants
All grants awarded by the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Ontario are governed by terms and
conditions. By submitting this application form to the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Ontario, the
applicant is agreeing to be bound by these general terms and conditions if a grant is awarded.
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In addition to these terms and conditions, the Foundation may specify other terms and conditions
which will be contained in subsequent correspondence from the Foundation. The applicants will be
asked to agree to those terms and conditions by signing and returning that correspondence to the
Foundation. Once the applicant signs that correspondence and returns it to the Foundation, the
terms and conditions contained in that correspondence will form part of the applicant’s agreement
with the Foundation.
The Foundation will not disburse grant funds to the applicant until the applicant signs and submits
to the Foundation both the Letter of Agreement and the HSFO Logo Usage Agreement, and any
subsequent correspondence containing any additional terms and conditions. All pre-conditions will
also have to be satisfied.
The applicant is advised that the names and addresses of grant recipients, the amount of grant
awards, and the purpose for which grants are awarded is information made available by the
Foundation to the public including posting of grant awards on the Foundation’s internet site.
A. Term of the Agreement
The term of the Agreement shall commence on the date that the grant recipient receives the
Approval Letter and the Letter of Agreement, and shall expire on the date that the Final Report is
due to be submitted.
B. Funds and Carrying out the Project
The Foundation shall provide funds to the grant recipient for the amount approved and confirmed
in the Letter of Agreement.
For two year grants, the Foundation shall not provide the second funding installment unless there
is demonstrated progress with respect to the original funding application, and as outlined in the first
year report.
The grant recipient shall:
Use the funds only for the purpose of carrying out the project as outlined in the proposal.
Spend the funds only in accordance with the approved budget, and
Carry out the project in accordance with the agreement and in compliance with all federal
and provincial laws or regulations, all municipal by-laws, and any other orders, rules or bylaws
related to any aspect of the project.
The grant recipient shall not make any significant changes to the project, the timelines or the
budget without prior written consent of the Foundation.
The Foundation may impose additional terms and conditions on the use of the funding as it
considers appropriate for the proper expenditure and management of the funding and the carrying
out and completion of the project.
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C. Recipient Obligations
1. Acknowledgement of Heart and Stroke Foundation
Unless otherwise directed by the Foundation, the grant recipient shall ensure that all materials,
including a copy of reports and all advertising and publicity relating to the project shall include:
The Heart and Stroke Foundation of Ontario logo, and
Written acknowledgement of the Foundation’s contribution to the project.
The grant recipient will sign and submit the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Ontario Logo Usage
Agreement upon receipt and as supplied by the Foundation to the grant recipient.
The grant recipient will prominently acknowledge the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Ontario’s
support at any events or activities that are undertaken throughout the duration of the funded
project, in any project materials that are produced, and during any project media events. The
following statement must be used: “This project was made possible through funding from the
Heart and Stroke Foundation of Ontario.”
Any such acknowledgement must be approved by the Foundation in advance.
The Foundation’s logo must appear on all project materials that are produced. The logo will be
provided to the grant recipient by the Foundation’s contract administrator. The HSFO logo provided
to the grant recipient is not to be altered in any way, and is the only HSFO logo that is to be used.
The grant recipient must sign and return the HSFO Logo Usage Agreement to the Foundation’s
grant administrator by the required date, and agrees to disclose the details of the logo’s use with
their HSFO contract administrator.
Any use of the logo must be approved by the Foundation in advance.
2. Press Coverage
Applicants must agree to participate in a Foundation press release highlighting their project, and
are required to identify a spokesperson to communicate with the media. The Foundation will agree
to inform the grant recipient of any potential media coverage of the grant recipient’s project, and,
the grant recipient will agree to inform the Foundation of any potential media and/or promotion
generated by the grant recipient.
3. Organization Contact
Collaborative proposals from a group of two or more organizations must identify one organization
as the lead applicant with full signing authority. The lead applicant is responsible for signing off on
the completed application, and accepting responsibility for any approved grant. The lead
organization must identify a lead individual who will act as the main contact for all grant
correspondence.
Should the lead contact for the grant depart from the organization or the project prior to the
completion of the grant project, the funded organization must immediately identify a replacement
individual who will take over the responsibility of being the primary contact for the grant. Failure to
do so could result in the recall of the grant funds.
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4. Project Evaluation
All Community Advocacy Fund grant recipients are required to conduct an evaluation to show the
success of the project in achieving its desired outcomes. An evaluation plan must be incorporated
into the project design and budget prior to the start of the project. A plan of this nature enables
applicants to identify and obtain the tools and resources necessary to carry out the evaluation.
Evaluation plans should consist of activities to measure the success of the project in achieving its
own outcome goals. Qualitative and quantitative methods may be employed to measure the
success of a project.
The following resources may assist you in developing your project evaluation plan:
Imagine Canada: “Project Evaluation Guide for Nonprofit Organizations: Fundamental Methods
and Steps for Conducting Project Evaluation.”
http://nonprofitscan.imaginecanada.ca/files/en/misc/projectguide_final.pdf
Public Health Agency of Canada: “A Guide to Project Evaluation: A Participatory Approach.”
www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/ncfv-cnivf/familyviolence/html/fvprojevaluation_e.html
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (US): “A Physical Activity Evaluation Handbook”
www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dnpa/physical/handbook/pdf/handbook.pdf
5. Reporting and Accounting
All Community Advocacy Fund grant recipients are required to report on the work for which they
have received funding.
One-year projects must be completed and the final report submitted by June 30, 2009. Two-year
projects must be completed and the final report submitted by June 30, 2010; first year deliverables
of two year projects must be completed and reported on by June 30, 2009.
The grant recipient shall submit to the Foundation the required report(s) as requested by the
Foundation, by the due date(s) stated in the Letter of Agreement.
All reports must be completed on the required report form supplied by the Foundation to the grant
recipient. HSFO staff review all reports and may request additional information if they have further
questions.
The grant recipient shall, if requested to do so by the Foundation in writing, participate in a
Foundation-conducted annual project evaluation process.
The grant recipient shall for a period of seven years from the date of the expiry or termination of
the Agreement:
Keep and maintain all financial records, invoices and other financially-related documents
relating to the funds or otherwise to the project in a manner consistent with generally
accepted accounting principles and clerical practices;
Keep and maintain all non-financial documents and records relating to the funds or
otherwise to the project in a confidential manner consistent with all applicable law.
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6. Insurance and Liability
Throughout the Term of the Agreement, the grant recipient covenants and agrees to use its
reasonable best efforts to take out and maintain, at the grant recipient’s sole cost and expense, in
full force and effect in the Province of Ontario, insurance policies of Employer’s Liability,
Commercial General Liability (including contractual liability) and property insurance in the amount
of two million dollars.
The grant recipient agrees to indemnify, defend and hold harmless the Heart and Stroke
Foundation of Ontario from all claims (whether valid or invalid), suits, judgments, proceedings,
losses, damages, costs and expenses, of any nature whatsoever (including reasonable attorneys’
fees) for which the Foundation may become liable by reason of HSFO’s funding of and presence
during the event.
7. Disclosing Conflict of Interest
The grant recipient shall carry out the project and use the funds without an actual, potential or
perceived conflict of interest.
A conflict of interest includes any circumstances where the grant recipient or any person who has
the capacity to affect the grant recipient’s decisions, has outside commitments, relationships or
financial interests that could, or could be seen to, interfere with its, his or her objective, unbiased
and impartial judgment relating to the project and the use of the funds; provided that nothing in this
section shall prevent volunteers from receiving reasonable out-of-pocket expenses incurred as a
result of the project.
The grant recipient shall:
Disclose immediately to the Foundation any situation that a reasonable person would
interpret as either an actual, potential or perceived conflict of interest; and
Comply with any terms and conditions that the Foundation may subsequently prescribe as
a result of the disclosure.
Thank you for your application to the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Ontario’s
KidFit TM Community Advocacy Fund. All applicants will receive the results of their
application within 60 days of the application deadline date.
Application Deadline: May 1, 2008.
Completed applications must be submitted electronically at www.heartandstroke.ca/kidfit.
For more information, contact the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Ontario at 416-489-7111
(Vonnie Barron, Ext. 390).
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