Official Languages Health Program Call for Proposals 2018-2023 Applicant Guide Letter of Intent
Table of Contents Section 1 About the program....... P. 3 Section 2 Funding priorities.......... P. 3 Section 3 Principles... P. 5 Section 4 Eligibility... P. 6 Section 5 Funding amounts and duration... P. 8 Section 6 Letter of Intent (LOI) submission process........ P. 8 Section 7 Submitting the letter of intent............. P. 9 Section 8 Lobbyist Registration Act...... P. 9 Section 9 Contact us........ P. 10 Applicant Guide > 2
The Call for Proposals (CFP) process consists of two stages. The first stage is the submission of a Letter of Intent (LOI), and the second is the submission of full applications. Applicants whose LOI submissions are successful will be invited to the second stage, which is the submission of a full application. LOIs that are incomplete or submitted late will not be considered. There will be no exception to this rule. Each stage will be a competitive process and subject to a review process to determine the eligibility and merit of each proposal. This document provides guidance on the first stage of the CFP process. 1. About the program The (hereafter referred to as the Program ) was established in 2003 and is designed to help reduce language and cultural barriers to health care for English and French linguistic minority communities in Canada. The Program supports the federal government s commitment to maintaining a strong and effective publicly funded health care system by ensuring that official language minority communities (OLMCs) have access to health services in the language of their choice. The activities of the Program also support Health Canada s responsibility for enhancing the vitality of OLMCs pursuant to Section 41 of the Official Languages Act (2005). The Program fosters collaboration and innovation in the areas of training and retention of health care professionals, health networking activities and innovative projects aimed at improving access to health services for OLMCs. 2. Funding priorities Projects funded under this process should support, within the OLMC context, innovations in fields that advance the Common Statement of Principles on Shared Health Priorities recently adopted by the federal, provincial and territorial governments. These principles show the commitment of the federal, provincial and territorial governments to working together to ensure that our health care systems meet the needs of all Canadians. Projects/initiatives should foster improved access to health services for OLMCs in shared priority areas for OLMCs and the federal government, including: 1. Home and community care; 2. Mental health and addiction services; and 3. Palliative and end-of-life care. Applicant Guide > 3
The proposed projects/initiatives must also align with at least one of the Program s innovative project components aimed at improving access to health services for the period of 2018-2023, such as: 1. Health human resource integration; 2. Knowledge development and dissemination (including data collection activities and tools, needs assessment, and research); and 3. Community health improvement (via improved access to health services) Submissions under this letter of intent process must provide detailed information on one or more of the following priority areas, which will be addressed by the proposed project. 2.1. Home and community care Objective: Foster access to home and community care that makes it possible to maintain and/or maximize the health, well-being and functional independence of OLMC clients. Put in place innovative initiatives that will result in an increased offer of bilingual home and community care services in OLMC communities in various regions of the country. Conduct studies to collect new data on OLMC needs, expectations and satisfaction with their access to home and community care services in their language, both in urban and rural settings. Identify existing services in the majority language and adapt and implement them in OLMCs (e.g., using technology to eliminate barriers to service access). Develop tools and approaches to eliminate/reduce language barriers to support services for OLMC caregivers. 2.2. Mental health and addiction services Objective: Foster access to mental health and addiction services offered to OLMC clients in the language of their choice. Put in place innovative initiatives that foster an increase in the offer of bilingual mental health and addiction services in communities or facilities serving OLMCs across various regions of the country. Conduct studies to collect new data on OLMC needs, expectations and satisfaction with their access to mental health and addiction services in their language, both in rural and remote areas. Identify innovative approaches/processes that foster improved access to frontline mental health and addiction services tailored to the needs and culture of OLMC clients. Develop awareness tools for early intervention on mental health and addiction issues that are sensitive to sex, gender, and diversity of the OLMC population (e.g., awareness Applicant Guide > 4
campaign to reduce the stigmatization of mental health and addiction patients, aimed at youth, men, women and seniors from a variety of cultural backgrounds). 2.3. Palliative and end-of-life care Objective: Improve access to palliative and end-of-life care for OLMC clients. Put in place innovative initiatives that foster an increased offer of bilingual palliative and end-of-life care services in communities or facilities serving OLMCs across various regions of the country. Conduct studies to collect new data on OLMC needs, expectations and satisfaction with access to palliative and end-of-life care services in their language, both in urban and rural/remote areas. Identify approaches/procedures that foster improved support/guidance for family members and caregivers providing palliative or end-of-life care for a loved one. Develop tools to raise awareness among health professionals about barriers to accessing appropriate palliative or end-of-life care services for OLMC family members/caregivers. 3. Principles Initiatives must incorporate the following principles: Use of evidence Evidence is required to support the rationale, the need for the proposed initiative and the target population(s), to ensure solid results. If possible, data from a variety of sources and types (quantitative, qualitative, case studies, needs assessments, gap analyses, literature reviews, evaluation results, consultation reports, studies or relevant statistics) should be used to illustrate the need the proposed initiative is designed to address and ensure measurable results and sustainability. Innovation Innovation and health care service integration are key factors in improving the care experience, service quality and availability, as well as supporting the viability of the health care system through increased effectiveness and accountability. This includes integration of a variety of care providers within and between organizations, improved planning and integration of care pathways within and across sectors and organizations, and enhanced communication across the health care system. Proposals should illustrate how they encourage innovation in the health care system. Applicant Guide > 5
Multi-sectoral collaboration A number of health system stakeholders, including the federal government, provincial and territorial governments, health care providers, professional health associations, schools, universities and not-for-profit health sector organizations play a key role in improving services to the Program s target populations. The results obtained through the activities funded under this Program will help improve the health care system s response to the needs of OLMCs. Proposed initiatives should include multi-sector approaches involving organizations from a range of groups, sectors and disciplines with complementary areas of expertise (e.g., not-for-profit organizations, other levels of government, community care organizations, care providers and supplier organizations, patient populations, university health care centres and long-term care facilities). Sustainability Sustainability can also be an important means to demonstrate the impact of your project and value for money. In this context, sustainability refers to the fact that the project, in whole or in part, will continue once Program funding ends. Projects should demonstrate how they will be sustainable over time. Cultural sensitivity Understanding the cultural contexts of populations is a key element in designing and delivering information as well as appropriate and effective health programs and services. These contexts and values have a strong influence on health-related behaviours and positive outcomes. The candidates must demonstrate their knowledge and understanding of the cultural context of the targeted population in the implementation of the proposed initiative. Sex and Gender-Based Analysis Health Canada requires the use of sex and gender-based analysis (GBA) to develop, implement and evaluate Programs addressing the different needs of women, men, boys, girls, and gender diverse individuals. 4. Eligibility As part of this call for proposals for letters of intent, the following applicants will be eligible: 1. Provinces and territories; 2. Regional health agencies/authorities; 3. Health and social services institutions; 4. Academic institutions; 5. Other incorporated not-for-profit organizations. Applicant Guide > 6
N.B.: Not-for-profit organizations that are currently funded by Health Canada under the Official Languages Health Program for the improvement of OLMC access to health services, as well as federal government departments, agencies and corporations, are not eligible for funding under this call for project proposals. Eligible Expenses Eligible expenditures include: Personnel, including salaries, wages and benefits of employees; Professional services, i.e., contractual personnel; Travel and accommodation, subject to guidelines set out by the National Joint Council Travel Directive (http://www.njc-cnm.gc.ca/directive/travel-voyage/index-eng.php); Materials and supplies, including office supplies, audiovisual materials, costs for printing, copying, and postage; Rental or purchase of office equipment when required to carry out the project activities. Note that prior written approval must be received from Health Canada for such capital expenses; Rent and utilities, including telephone charges; Other expenses directly related to the proposed project activities that do not fall within the categories above, such as bank charges and audit, subject to the approval of Health Canada. Ineligible expenses Ineligible costs include, but are not limited to: Pure research in any discipline; a Provision of services that are the responsibility of other levels of government not directly related to the approved project activities; a Research is often categorized as basic or applied. Basic research adds to the existing body of knowledge, but does not necessarily provide results of immediate, practical use, while the primary purpose of applied research is to solve an immediate, practical problem. The strives to fund projects that support federal strategic objectives for improving access to health care for official language minority communities. Given this focus, the program will only support applied health policy research. Applicant Guide > 7
Costs of ongoing activities of an organization, including ongoing service delivery, operational support, or overhead/administrative fees expressed as percentage of ongoing activities of the organization; Capital costs, such as the purchase of land, buildings, or vehicles, other than those approved by Health Canada for rental or purchase of office equipment to support project activities; Unspecified miscellaneous fees; Expenses related to profit-making activities. 5. Funding amounts and duration As part of this call for proposals, approved projects will have a maximum duration of four years, beginning in fiscal year 2019-2020. The total budget of each project must not exceed $250,000 per year. Preference will be given to projects that include collaborations with other organizations, including obtaining financial and non-financial contributions. Note that letters of support from collaborators/partners will be required for the full application stage to identify the cash or in-kind contributions being provided in support of the project. To avoid duplication and enhance the sustainability of the projects/initiatives, a letter of support from the province or territory will be required. 6. Letter of intent (LOI) submission process SUBMITTING AN LOI As indicated above, the call for proposals process involves two steps the LOI and the detailed funding application. The information below applies to the first step, i.e., submitting an LOI. Applicants must complete the LOI template. Please note that only this application template will be accepted. Part 1 Information on the applicant This section includes basic information about the proposed project and the applicant s organization, including the project title, duration, and requested Health Canada funding, the name of the organization and business number, and information on the resource person. Important notice: Any recipient corporation must remain in good standing under the laws under which it was incorporated, i.e., in compliance with the requirements of the legislation under which it was incorporated (federal or provincial/territorial), including under the Canada Not-for-Profit Corporations Act. Applicant Guide > 8
For organizations located in the province of Québec, please refer to the Act Respecting the Ministère du Conseil Exécutif at: http://legisquebec.gouv.qc.ca/en/showdoc/cs/m-30. Part 2 Project summary In this section, applicants must provide a general description of the proposed project. The project description must be brief while being sufficiently detailed to provide a clear understanding of the project. You must also demonstrate in this section how your project aligns with the principles set out in section 3 of this guide. 7. Submitting the letter of intent All LOIs must be completed using the application template provided. LOIs must be emailed to hc.olcdb-baclo.sc@canada.ca no later than 11:59 p.m. EST on March 1 st, 2019. Submissions received after that date will not be considered. Receipt of your LOI will be acknowledged via email. Please ensure that your current email address is indicated on your application form. In order for your completed application to be assessed, it must be signed by the official representative of your organization in accordance with your organization s by-laws or other constituting documents. Health Canada reserves the right to: Reject any submission received in response to this invitation; Accept any submission in whole or in part; and Cancel and/or re-issue this invitation at any time. Please note that Health Canada will not reimburse an applicant for costs incurred in the preparation and/or submission of an LOI. Health Canada is under no obligation to enter into a funding agreement as a result of this invitation to submit an LOI. 8. Lobbyist Registration Act Recent amendments to the Lobbying Act and Regulations have broadened the definition of lobbying. Applicants are encouraged to review the revised Act and Regulations to ensure compliance. For additional information, visit the Office of the Commissioner of Lobbying website or contact the Office of the Commissioner of Lobbying of Canada directly. Applicant Guide > 9
9. Contact us To obtain additional information about this invitation to submit a Letter of Intent, please contact Health Canada at: hc.olcdb-baclo.sc@canada.ca Applicant Guide > 10