QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS 2017 CITIZENSHIP AND IMMIGRATION PROGRAMS CALL FOR PROPOSALS Newcomer Settlement Program Version 3: Updated July 4, 2017 This document will be updated regularly and posted on the Newcomer Settlement Program Grants Ontario portal page. For updated list of questions, scroll to the end of the document. Submission Deadline and Documents 1. Q. When are applications due? A. The deadline to submit applications is 4pm on Tuesday, July 18, 2017. 2. Q. What if my proposal is submitted after the deadline? A. The Grants Ontario system will not accept applications after the stated deadline. 3. Q. Where can I find the application documents online? A. The Application Guide and all Supplementary Attachments can be found on the Newcomer Settlement Program Grants Ontario portal page. 4. Q. How do I submit my application? A. All applications must be submitted through the Grants Ontario system. This system requires a computer with internet access. Applicants must be enrolled with Grants Ontario in order to access and complete the application. Applicants should enrol in Grants Ontario as soon as possible, as it may take up to five (5) business days for the Grants Ontario system to complete the registration and provide access to the system. MCI recommends that Applicants register with the Grants Ontario system at least two (2) weeks prior to the CFP submission deadline. Documents not submitted through Grants Ontario will not be considered. Asking Questions 5. Q. How do I submit questions regarding the Call for Proposals (CFP)? A. All inquiries regarding the Call for Proposals must be submitted by e-mail to NSPCFP@Ontario.ca. 6. Q. How long will it take for my e-mail inquiry to be answered? 1
A. MCI will compile all questions received and provide answers through regular updates to this Questions and Answers document, which can be found on the Newcomer Settlement Program Grants Ontario portal page. 7. Q. What is the deadline for submitting questions regarding the CFP? A. Questions may be submitted until Tuesday, July 4, 2017. Completing an Application 8. Q. What must be included in a complete application? A. Applications for funding must include: 1. Completed Grants Ontario Application Form 2. Completed Supplementary Attachments: Additional Questions Form Budget Template Bylaws Conflict of Interest Declaration Financial Policies Letters Patent Most Recent Audited Financial Statements Organization Risk Assessment Organization Risk Assessment Supporting Documentation (where applicable) Partner Letters (where applicable) 9. Q. Can I make changes to the application form or attachments? A. No, applicants must reproduce the template exactly. 10. Q. Can we use the same Supplementary Attachment forms Organization Risk Assessment and Conflict of Interest Declaration for multiple proposals, since the information is the same? A. Yes, though Applicants should attach those same Attachment Application Forms Organization Risk Assessment and Conflict of Interest Declaration to each proposal. 11. Q. Does MCI require copies of any reports, studies, or literature that is cited in an application? A. No, the Ministry will contact you if it wishes to receive additional information for the purposes of completing the evaluation of the proposal. Only the material requested in the application form will be evaluated. Grants Ontario Application Form 12. Q. How do I enrol in the Grants Ontario system? 2
A. Applicants should refer to the Grants Ontario Applicant Registration Guide for instructions on how to enrol. 13. Q. Is there a limitation as to how many attachments can be submitted with the online application form? A. No, there is no limitation. 14. Q. Do the attachments have to be in any particular order? A. No, they do not need to be in any particular order. 15. Q. Can MCI extend the timeout period on the Grants Ontario system? A. Unfortunately we cannot extend the timeout period at this time. 16. Q. Can you save and come back to the application form? A. Yes, you can fill out the application form on your own time. If you have downloaded the document and saved it on your computer, be sure to save it every time you work on it. Once you are complete, you can upload the document to the Grants Ontario site. 17. Q. Is the application form password protected? A. Yes, you will need to log onto the Grants Ontario system in order to access the application form. You can also download the form to your computer and complete it that way. 18. Q. How do you attach documents onto Grants Ontario? A. The steps are as follows: 1. Click on My Organization s Applications. 2. Select the Application that you wish to attach documents to. 3. In the ATTACHMENTS section, click on Add. 4. Next to the ATTACHMENT NAME, click on the pick list button. Then, click Browse and select the file name you wish to attach and click Open. 5. Next to DOCUMENT TYPE, click on the pick list button. Select the ATTACHMENT TYPE and click OK. 6. Enter a description of the documents in the COMMENTS section. 7. 7. Finally, click Save, and the document will appear in the attachment lists. Supplementary Attachment Budget Template 19. Q. Is there a specific list of items that should be included in the budget? A. The budget should outline the staff and benefit costs, program costs and administrative costs required to undertake your proposed project. Please see the Application Guide for a list of eligible and ineligible expenses. 20. Q. Is there a limit for administrative costs? 3
A. Yes, administrative costs have been capped at up to 15 per cent of the total Ministry funding. 21. Q. What expenses are not funded by MCI? A. Eligible and ineligible expenses are outlined in the Eligible and Ineligible Expense section of the Application Guide. Supplementary Attachment Form - Organization Risk Assessment 22. Q. Do I have to attach an Organization Risk Assessment form to every proposal I submit? A. Yes. However, Applicants can attach the same Organization Risk Assessment form to each proposal they submit through this CFP. 23. Q. Should we attach documents to demonstrate compliance with the requirements in the Organization Risk Assessment attachment? A. If the document is available online, please provide a link to the document, along with reference to a specific page number/section. If the document is not available online, you can attach a document, but please provide a reference to the specific page/section of the document that relates to your response. The Applicant is responsible for ensuring that any links and references to specific page number/section are correct. Frequently-Asked Questions: Updated June 26, 2017 24. Q. Is there a limit to the number of applications that may be submitted by an organization? A. No. 25. Q. Are there any restrictions on the type of staff that can be included in the budget? A. Salaries and benefits for staff necessary to carry out the project are eligible for funding under this CFP. Staff costs related to central administration must be included in the Central Administrative Expenses section of the budget template. MCI will provide up to 15 per cent of the total Ministry for Central Administrative Costs. 26. Q. What are the funding maximums for each stream? A. Generally, projects are eligible to receive up to $130,000 per year, per stream. Grants over $130,000 per year may be awarded in exceptional circumstances to projects that may involve multiple partners and/or demonstrate extraordinary need for funding. 27. Q. I am having trouble accessing/downloading/deleting an application, viewing Grants Ontario information, or updating prepopulated information as part of the Transfer Payment Common Registration. A. For Grants Ontario technical support, please contact Service Ontario via Phone: 1-855-216-3090 or 416-325-6691 or by email: GrantsOntarioCS@Ontario.ca Monday to Friday from 4
8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time. TTY/Teletypewriter (for the hearing impaired): 416-325-3408 / Toll-free: 1-800-268-7095. 28. Q. Are we required to upload attachments under Required Attachments? A. Yes, even if they are already uploaded under Organization Attachments. 29. Q. Where can I find the template for the Organization Risk Assessment? A. The Organization Risk Assessment can be found on the Newcomer Settlement Program Grants Ontario Portal Page. 30. Q. Is there a maximum funding amount for staff salaries and benefits? A. No, however, salaries and benefits must accurately reflect the level of the position and the responsibilities involved. MCI reserves the right to reject proposed budgets or request additional information. 31. Q. Where in the Application(s) should information regarding performance measurement and mechanisms to monitor results demonstrated? A. This information should be captured in questions 9 and 10 in both the Settlement and Integration Additional Questions Form and the Newcomer Youth Settlement and Integration Services Additional Questions Form. 32. Q. Are the Supplementary Attachments/Forms listed on page 14 of the Newcomer Settlement Program Application Guide required for every application to this Call for Proposals? A. Yes. 33. Q. I previously submitted these attachments as part of a previous Newcomer Settlement Program Call for Proposals. Do I need to submit these attachments again for this Call for Proposals? What are the required attachments for this Call for Proposals? A. Yes. A list of required attachments are included on page 14 of the Newcomer Settlement Program Application Guide. 34. Q. Can I save, download, and complete the Supplementary Attachments/Forms and then upload them to Grants Ontario? A. Yes. 35. Q. Our 2017 Audited Financial Statements will not be ready before this CFP deadline. Can we submit our 2016 Audited Financial Statements? A. Yes. 36. Q. What is the eligible project start date and funding period? A. Successful applicants for projects should expect delivery of funded projects to commence April 1, 2018. The Ministry will fund projects under NSP for a period of up to three (3) years, April 1, 2018 March 31, 2021. 37. Q. How many newcomers/newcomer youth are we expected to serve? 5
A. Proposals should include target outputs that demonstrate a logical alignment between the proposed number of service hours and the needs of the region served. 38. Q. Can you provide feedback on the development of my specific proposal? A. The Ministry cannot provide advice on the development of an individual application. 39. Q. The Organizational Profile of the Additional Questions Forms request the total number of FTE positions dedicated to the delivery of settlement services? Does this refer to only NSP-funded services or all settlement services? A. This refers to all settlement services provided by your organization. 40. Q. Do proposed activities have to the same from year to year or is it acceptable for them to change depending on the scope of the project? A. It is acceptable for proposed activities to change from year to year depending on the scope of the project. 41. Q. Is it possible to change the prepopulated information on an application form? A. Yes. Please contact Service Ontario via Phone: 1-855-216-3090 or 416-325-6691 or by email: GrantsOntarioCS@Ontario.ca Monday to Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time. TTY/Teletypewriter (for the hearing impaired): 416-325-3408 / Toll-free: 1-800-268-7095. 42. Q. Is it possible to ask for more funding than we currently receive under NSP? A. Yes, for up to $130,000 annually, per stream. Grants over $130,000 per year may be awarded in exceptional circumstances to projects that may involve multiple partners and/or demonstrate extraordinary need for funding. 43. Q. Are there going to be any information sessions or webinars for the NSP Call for Proposals? A. No, however we encourage you to submit questions to NSPCFP@Ontario.ca by July 4, 2017. The Ministry cannot provide advice on the development of an individual application. 44. Q. Are you able to email me the application form to complete and then send back to you? A. No. All applications and relevant attachments must be submitted through the Grants Ontario system. Documents not submitted through Grants Ontario will not be considered. Frequently-Asked Questions: Updated July 4, 2017 45. Q. This CFP does not have a dedicated stream for targeted and innovative projects. Is the intention to discontinue support for such projects? A. No. Applicants currently funded under the Targeted and Innovative stream are encouraged to consider submitting proposals under either the Settlement and Integration Services or the Newcomer Youth Settlement and Integration Services streams. 6
46. Q. Can our proposed project focus on a singular newcomer need? For example, skills training/employment services. A. Proposals must demonstrate strong alignment with the outcomes stated in the Application Guide. 47. Q. We are currently not an eligible organization to apply. May we apply as a partnership, where the lead applicant would meet all the required eligibility criteria? A. Yes. In addition, the lead and partnering organizations must sign a Memorandum of Understanding outlining their role and contribution to the proposed service delivery plan. For more information on Applications from Partnerships, see page 8-9 of the Application Guide. 48. Q. We operate in an area where there are currently no settlement services offered. Would the Newcomer Settlement Program help respond to this need? A. Part of funding determinations will include consideration of geographic coverage and responsiveness to regional needs. 49. Q. I would like clarification about Question 7 of the Additional Questions Form. A. Responses should demonstrate how the proposed project fits within the broader suite of services offered by your organization and surrounding community. The proposed services should complement, rather than duplicate existing services. 50. Q. I would like clarification about Question 9 of the Additional Questions Form. A. Applicants whose proposals do not include partnering organizations will be the lead for each activity and should indicate as such with a Y response under the Lead header. If there are no partnering organizations, the response for the Name of Partner(s) response can filled with a N/A as it is not applicable. 51. Q. I understand that separate charts are required for each location s target outputs/service delivery cycle. Is a separate response for each location required for Question 10? A. While a separate response is not required, the answer must be relevant for all proposed service locations. 52. Q. Are applicants who are not settlement organizations ineligible for applying to this program? A. No. Refer to page 5 of the Application Guide for a complete breakdown of applicant eligibility criteria. 53. Q. Could you clarify what settlement services is intended to include? A. Settlement services include the activities that help meet the individual needs of eligible clients. The list of eligible activities for each stream are available on pages 6 and 7 of the Application Guide. 54. Q. Will the Ministry issue another similar Call for Proposals next year? 7
A. At this time, it is envisioned that the Ministry will not issue another Newcomer Settlement Program Call for Proposals next year. 55. Q. Is it a requirement that our application be approved by our Board of Directors? A. Approval requirements are detailed in Section Z Declaration / Signing of the Grants Ontario Online Application Form. It is recognized that in many cases, the person completing the grant application is not a signing authority. It is the responsibility of the grant contact to ensure that they have documented proof from the signing authority(ies) to request grant funds. This documentation needs to be kept and produced if necessary. 56. Q. Are Canadian-born citizens and visitors eligible for NSP clients? A. Yes. 57. Q. Is it permissible to submit Financial Statements that are not audited? A. No. It is a requirement that applicants submit their most recent audited financial statements. 58. Q. For Question 9, is a Description of Activity chart required for each service location? A. Yes, even if the information is the same. 59. Q. For the Newcomer Youth Settlement and Integration Services stream, is it permissible to achieve only 3 of the 4 identified outcomes? A. Proposals that demonstrate an ability to contribute to all the identified outcomes (for either stream) would be perceived as stronger proposals than those that only contribute to some of the outcomes. 60. Q. We are considering applications for both the Settlement and Integration Services and the Newcomer Youth Settlement and Integration Services streams. One involves partners, while the other does not. Will this impact how our proposals will be assessed? A. No. All proposals are evaluated independently of other submitted proposals. 61. Q. Would you provide an example for Question 6 (Additional Questions) where a client need is addressed through a referral to another organization? A. See the below an example. Note that there may be additional programs / services offered by other organizations to address the client need of Healthcare. Client needs (Please list one need per row) Name of the programs / services identified to meet this need Name of organization/s delivering these programs / services? Healthcare Dental Clinic Toronto Public Health Address/es where programs / services are provided 400 University Avenue, Toronto, ON, M7A 2R9 Please add rows as needed *Itinerant location means an address outside of your organization. Is this an *itinerant location? Y/N N 8
62. Q. We are submitting proposals for both NSP streams. Should the Supplementary Attachment Forms be distinct for each proposal? A. The following Supplementary Attachments may be the same across NSP stream proposals: Conflict of Interest Declaration, Organization Risk Assessment. The Budget Template and Additional Questions Forms should be distinct for each proposal. 63. Q. Is there an alternative contact where questions can be submitted after July 4, 2017? A. Questions received after July 4, 2017 will not be answered. Please refer to the list of previous questions previously answered. 64. Q. We previously submitted an NSP proposal in 2015 but were not successful. Are you able to provide any feedback? A. The deadline to request feedback for proposals submitted as part of the 2015 NSP CFP has now passed. Unsuccessful applicants for the 2017 NSP CFP will receive the same opportunity to request feedback on their proposals. 65. Q. We are a Francophone organization that has not applied before. Are we eligible to apply to this Call for Proposals? A. Francophone organizations are eligible to apply if they meet the eligibility criteria. Please refer to page 5 of the Application Guide for a complete breakdown of applicant eligibility criteria. 9