Who can apply
Eligibility
To apply, you must meet all the eligibility criteria found below.
Eligible applicants
- Not-for-profit organizations that have an established disability benefits navigation service and/or have experience and expertise in benefits navigation-related activities
Note: Previous funding under the 2024 Call for Proposals under the Disability Benefits Navigation program does not guarantee future funding. All applications will be evaluated against the current criteria and priorities.
Note: To be eligible, all organizations must have a CRA business number.
Note: ESDC will only accept 1 application per organization. Only the last application received before the deadline will be reviewed. Submitting multiple copies of the same application or submitting the same application by using various methods will cause longer processing times for your application.
Note: Only applicants located and operating in Canada are eligible.
Ineligible applicants
The following groups are ineligible for funding:
- for-profit organizations
- individuals, and
- provincial and territorial governments
Projects
Your application must:
- be received by October 8, 2026, at 3:00 p.m. EDT
- address the program objective of the Call for Proposals (CFP)
- have an end date that is March 31, 2029, or earlier
- request no more than $1,000,000 (up to $500,000 per year) over 2 years
Activities
Your proposed activities must clearly align with the project objectives of your application.
Mandatory Activities
Funded applications must include and focus on the following activities:
- Individualized Support
- Provide free, accessible and inclusive, one-on-one disability benefits navigation services virtually, or in person, targeting individuals with complex needs or intersecting barriers (for example, low income, homelessness, Indigenous persons, newcomers, rural/remote residents, or individuals with multiple disabilities).
- Community Partnerships
- Build and strengthen partnerships and referral networks with community organizations to expand reach. This includes equipping partner organizations with basic information on disability benefits and to make referrals for one-on-one navigation services.
- Community of Practice
- Participate in a collaboration and information sharing group with all organizations funded under this Call for Proposals, through a Community of Practice that meets once a month.
Applications will be evaluated on how you demonstrate how the proposed activities include all three mandatory activities and explain the purpose of any additional activities included in the project.
Additional Activities
Projects may include, but are not limited to, the following activities in addition to the mandatory activities:
- Outreach & Engagement
- Workshops for persons with disabilities and their families
- Accessible in-person information sessions on benefits and eligibility
- Visits to community-based organizations or service locations to provide information (including rural/remote areas)
- Pop-up information booths at local events
- Webinars or online information sessions
- Promotion & Awareness
- Newsletters, flyers, and brochures
- Social media campaigns
Ineligible activities
Funding under this Call for Proposals is intended to support the delivery, expansion or enhancement of existing disability benefits navigation services. Activities associated with the establishment or start-up of a service are not eligible.
Examples include but are not limited to:
- research activities, such as academic studies, policy research, or reports conducted for research or publication purposes
- development of a centralized online hub, platform or portal (these activities are funded separately through the Community of Practice under this Call for Proposals)
- activities that do not directly support individualized, one‑on‑one disability benefits navigation including general organizational operations unrelated to the project
What the funding can be used to pay for
Eligible costs
- Salaries, Mandatory Employment Related Costs (MERCs), and benefits directly related to disability benefits navigation services
- Fees for professional services including:
- consultants
- translation
- accommodations related to project delivery (for example, American Sign Language (ASL), Langue des signes québécoise (LSQ), Communications access real-time translation (CART) etc.)
- Materials and supplies in direct support of the expansion or enhancement of existing disability benefits navigation services
- Rent and related expenses specific to the expansion or enhancement of existing disability benefits navigation capacity
- Staff training and professional development related to the expansion or enhancement of existing disability benefits navigation capacity
- Printing and communications
- Evaluation, data collection and analysis
- Travel within Canada in accordance with the National Joint Council's Travel Directive
- Costs associated with convening in-person meetings will be considered if they directly relate to the provision of support to individuals when virtual options are not feasible.
- Other costs necessary to support the purpose of funding as approved by the Department
Ineligible costs
- Costs incurred by individuals associated with benefit applications or services across Canada from medical, disability, and/or other service providers, including but not limited to:
- Costs related to the completion of medical forms and/or notes
- Costs associated with obtaining, releasing, or transferring medical or disability-related information
- Costs for obtaining and/or replacing identification documents, status cards, health cards, or other documentation required to establish eligibility for disability services
- Costs for psychoeducational assessments (for example, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)) and/or other disability-related testing, assessments and documentation)
- One-time development of foundational navigation manuals, toolkits or similar resources that are already expected to exist for the organization (for example, websites that provide general information about applying for the Disability Tax Credit).
- Salaries or fees for executive, senior leadership, or managerial positions whose primary role is service or organizational management rather than direct DBN project delivery (for example, project coordinators)
- The purchase of real property
- Consultant fees for individuals who are also receiving a salary from your organization or its partner
- Any expenses incurred for the preparation or submission of the funding application.
- Entertainment costs
- Costs incurred before an agreement is approved and signed by the Department and after the end day of the agreement
- Fines or penalties
- Purchase of alcohol or cannabis
- International travel
Other eligibility requirements
- Eligible organizations can only submit 1 application to this Call for Proposals and it must be received by the deadline of October 8, 2026 at 3:00 p.m. EDT.
- Applications must be complete with the attestation checked
- Applications must include all supporting documents
Note to organizations located and operating in Alberta or Quebec
If your application is selected for funding, you may be required to obtain approval from the Alberta or Quebec government before you can accept funding from or enter into an agreement with Employment Social Development Canada (ESDC).
- Alberta: Please consult the Provincial Priorities Act (Bill 18)
- Quebec: Please consult the Act respecting the Ministère du Conseil exécutif (M-30)
If your application is successful, ESDC will allow a reasonable amount of time for you to obtain the authorization from the Government of Alberta or Québec. If you are unable to get the required authorization in a reasonable amount of time, your application may not be funded, even if it meets the Program's eligibility requirements.
How ESDC assesses your application
ESDC may refuse applications that are incomplete or contain errors.
ESDC will contact you to request any mandatory administrative information if missing from your application. ESDC will do this before determining if your application is eligible. If you receive such a request, you must respond within 5 business days of the date the request was sent. If you do not respond before the deadline, your application could be rejected.
ESDC will review your application in 3 steps:
Step 1: Screening for eligibility
ESDC will screen for eligibility based on whether the:
- application is received by the deadline
- application is complete and includes all supporting documents
- applicant organization is eligible
- project is eligible
It is important to submit a complete application. ESDC will assess your application only if all the eligibility requirements are met.
Things that may impact your eligibility:
Your past performance or issues of default in projects with ESDC may impact the eligibility of your application.
ESDC may review information in the public domain including, but not limited to, materials on your website and media articles.
Please note that each section of the application needs to be filled out and that the Department will not click on any links that are included in the application to find the required information.
Step 2: Assessing program criteria
ESDC will assess your application based on the following criteria:
- Project objectives (10% of total score)
- Demonstrate how the project will increase access to disability benefits for persons with disabilities and their families
- Demonstrate through relevant evidence, an identified gap or unmet need and how the project will address it
- Project activities (30% of total score)
- Demonstrate that project activities are achievable within defined timelines
- Demonstrate that project activities are eligible, clear and connected to the program objective(s)
- Demonstrate how the proposed activities include all three mandatory activities and explain the purpose of any additional activities included in the project
- Project results (15% of total score)
- Clearly describe the expected results (outcomes and outputs) of the proposed project and how they are linked to the program objective
- Demonstrate that the results are achievable through the project activities
- Demonstrate that the expected results are specific, concrete and measurable
- Organizational capacity (20% of total score)
- Demonstrate that your organization has the capacity, resources, and experience required to successfully deliver the proposed project and achieve the expected results
- Demonstrate your organization's current capacity, knowledge, and experience in providing benefits navigation supports. (ESDC will not use its knowledge to assess this criteria)
- Partnerships (10% of total score)
- Demonstrate how you will engage partners to broaden reach and scope of navigation services, including the roles and responsibilities of each partner related to disability benefits navigation
- Project costs (15% of total score)
- Clarity of the budget details
- Demonstrate reasonable and eligible costs
- Demonstrate the links between the expenditures and project activities/objectives
Step 3: Assessing other criteria to select a diverse range of projects to fund
Applications will be considered for funding based on their own merit, and the Department will also consider how they contribute to the diversity and inclusion of the projects selected. The following intersecting considerations could also be applied:
Consideration 1
- Projects based on geographical distribution to have coverage across Canada
Consideration 2
- Projects aiming to serve individuals who require intensive, one-on-one navigation, including those with complex needs and/or intersecting barriers.
Consideration 3
- Projects that include a diversity of partnerships, including collaborating with non-disability organizations such as:
- shelters
- newcomer agencies
- Indigenous organizations
- health providers
- community centres
Consideration 4
- Projects ensuring customized, meaningful access within the regions they will be serving. For example, this could include understanding interactions between federal disability benefits and relevant provincial or territorial benefits, and implementing strategies to serve rural, remote, and underserved areas.
Consideration 5
- Projects showing that persons with disabilities will be meaningfully engaged throughout the project, including providing:
- input
- oversight
- feedback
Consideration 6
- Projects that offer to serve individuals in both official languages