Canada Life Capacity Building Program

⁠

Imagine Canada⁠

and

Canada Life⁠

are thrilled to announce the launch of the Canada Life Capacity Building Program. This transformative initiative is designed to empower charities and nonprofits across Canada by supporting them in their pursuit of accreditation and operational excellence.

About the Program

The Canada Life Capacity Building Program offers support to help selected organizations to achieve

Imagine Canada Standards Accreditation⁠

. This includes:

Twelve months of free access to the Standards Community, featuring guidance, templates, and peer support.

Standards application fees covered by Canada Life.

Personalized support from the Imagine Canada team throughout the accreditation process.

Connections with peer organizations to address challenges, refine strategies, and implement best practices.

Complimentary tools like the Gap Analysis Tool for self-assessment and improvement planning.

Eligibility and Application

The program is open to all charitable and public-benefit nonprofit organizations in Canada. We particularly encourage applications from organizations led by or supporting Black and racialized communities.

How to Apply

We recognize that the accreditation application and the internal practice improvement that goes along with it requires substantial effort for organizations’ staff. To mitigate this constraint and make the program more accessible, we have kept the application process simple.

Wondering when and how to bring this to your Board of Directors? Many organizations consult their Board about Accreditation before proceeding with the second stage of the application. Board review or approval is not required for Stage 2, but recommended.

Stage 1

We invite all interested applicants to complete a brief online statement to help us understand your organization and your interest in applying to the program. Expressions of interest will be reviewed to assess alignment with the program’s goals and eligibility criteria. All applicants will be informed of whether they have been selected to advance to Stage 2 of the application process. The deadline for completing the statement of interest is by March 28, 2025 11:59PM EST.

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APPLY NOW

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Stage 2

For applications advancing to Stage 2, a joint selection committee composed of representatives from Imagine Canada and Canada Life will evaluate submissions in late April. In cases where the number of applications exceeds the program’s capacity, the committee will use the following criteria to guide their decisions:

Rationale: Has the organization strongly articulated how being accredited will impact their ability to deliver on their mission? Have they articulated a strong case for why this in-kind assistance will bolster their efforts?

Approach: Are the project timelines for getting accredited reasonable? Does the organization have a team with the ability to execute, and strong leaders with experience in operational change? Have they previously attempted to pursue accreditation? (If so, what did they learn?).

Strategy: Does the organization have a vision and plan for social impact? Do they show a desire for learning and continuous improvement? What other organizations does the applicant collaborate with to achieve their mission?

Diversity: Is the staff, board members, and executive team representative of diverse backgrounds? Does the organization specifically focus on supporting marginalized communities?

Contact Information

For any questions, contact us at

standards@imaginecanada.ca⁠

or 1-800-263-1178

Founding and Presenting Partner

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