Frequently asked questions submitted by OCASI and Member Agencies, and responses provided by CIC
(Posted July 14, 2015)
Q: We have been working on the creation of a social impact bond to support the delivery of mentoring. We have a commitment for signficant capital investment over three years to fund this work. We are looking for a partner or partners to provide the funds to remunerate the investor at the end of the project, with interest if we achieve our goals. The investment funds would be used to scale the Mentoring Partnership, with 75% of the funds going to our service delivery partners (agencies who deliver the program) and 25% going to our organization's costs to scale the program (staffing and IT).
Would we be able to apply through this call for proposals for the government of Canada to become the payer to our investor? This would require that, at the end of the term of the project, the results of the project would be evaluated and, based on a pre-set rate of return, the government would potentially pay back the investors plus interest. The goal of the project would be, for example, that 75% of the skilled immigrants who participate in the program find employment in their field or a related field.
A: Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC), under the Settlement Program is unable to provide funds to remunerate the investor of a social impact bond (SIB)/social investment fund (SIF). The current Settlement Program Terms and Conditions (Ts&Cs) do not allow for funding to be used as investments or to repay investors or to provide a return on investment, as it is not an eligible expenditure.
However, CIC could potentially provide funding for activities (such as staff or IT, amongst others) that are required to research, design and implement a SIB or SIF. A detailed list of eligible activities can be found under section 2.1.3 Settlement Program—Eligible Activities.
Specifically, one of the priorities under the Settlement Program National Call for Proposals is “Fostering Social Innovation” by testing new interventions and models to address ongoing structural barriers to settlement and enhance program efficiency and sustainability:
- Social Innovation Projects will research, prototype, test feasibility or implement direct service to achieve settlement and integration outcomes through innovation, including:
o Building multi-sectoral partnerships, including those that engage the private sector
o Supporting the development and use of social finance mechanism or social enterprise models that mobilize private capital to deliver social outcomes that benefit newcomers
See Section 2.1.4.3 Priorities for National Projects for further details.
(Posted July 13, 2015)
Q: We are currently funded by CIC for a number of Indirect Services as we work predominantly with employers, not directly with immigrants. We are looking at including development of a new program in our CFP2015 proposal whereby we will work with employers to assess the skills of immigrants they may be 'under-employing," such as call centre employees, who have skills that would allow them to work in higher-up positions within the organization.
We see that Canadian citizens are not considered eligible persons under the CFP. For indirect services such as this program, do we need to ensure that all immigrant employees participating fit the Eligible Clients criteria, or are the employer partners considered our clients, and we therefore do not track the immigrants, other than their employment outcomes?
A: In the case of indirect services, the proposed project activities must ultimately support/benefit the eligible clients described under section 2.1.2 of the Funding Guidelines (i.e., not including Canadian citizens). We do not consider the employer with whom you will be partnering to be a client under the Settlement program.
(Posted July 6, 2015)
Q: Accommodation expenses (for new staff hires and clients with disabilities) - will those be accepted as program costs? Agencies are being encouraged (and those in Ontario are mandated by law- AODA) to have accessible places of work and service.
A: Supporting activities aimed at removing barriers to client participation in receiving direct settlement services are eligible to a maximum 20% of the value of the CA. They include: child care, transportation assistance, translation & interpretation, and may also include crisis counseling and provisions for persons with disabilities. Provisions and arrangements for items costing more than $1,000 are considered capital expenditures. These costs cannot exceed $10,000 per client with disabilities with up to a maximum of $100,000 per year per CA. Furthermore, applicants are to research what financial assistance may be offered by building owners, other levels of government or funders.
Accommodation expenses for new staff hires would likely be considered administrative or capital costs. All budget costs will be reviewed at the negotiation stage with successful applicants to determine if they are directly related, necessary for the provision of services and reasonable. Please note that CIC does not normally fund capital assets for administrative uses. It is expected that applicants will have this capital infrastructure in place and any capital funding requests will need to be directly tied to the delivery of the project/services.
(*See list of Accessiblity Resources in the main OCASI Resource page for the CFP)
Q: Will ASL (a separate accommodation question) and first language interpretation costs be recognized as program costs?
A: Interpretation services are recognized and eligible Program Delivery costs. They are included in the sub-category of support services, which are eligible to a maximum 20% of the value of the CA.
Q: With a 15% cap on administrative costs, and additional activities expected to be moved from program costs to administrative costs, how can organizations budget accurate, real costs of service delivery?
A: Administrative costs are integral to the delivery of the Contribution Agreement's objectives and outcomes. As such, recipients will be reimbursed for eligible costs as part of CIC's funding. As per the Funding Guidelines, the negotiated administrative rate constitutes a percentage (not exceeding 15%) of CIC's total contribution for Program Delivery expenses. All successful applicants will be required to submit detailed budget information as to how they arrived at a flat rate percentage. Program Officers will work with successful applicants to ensure that the proposed administrative costs are eligible, reasonable and necessary. They will also determine if the costs have been categorized properly between the administrative and program delivery categories.
CIC recognizes that there could very well be exceptional cases where the prospective recipient could conceivably require an administrative flat rate percentage exceeding 15 percent. CIC will assess these on a case-by-case basis.
Q: Service uptake continues to be an issue. OCASI's 2012 research, Making Ontario Home, found that 30% of Immigrants surveyed said they had no knowledge of settlement and integration services. This is problematic. Will Outreach and promotion costs be covered in proposals?
A: Publicity is an eligible cost identified in the Funding Guidelines. It includes costs related to publicity, purchase of promotional items and advertising to market or promote a particular service funded by CIC but not to promote the recipient organization itself. At the negotiation stage, CIC will review all proposed costs with successful applicants to determine if they are directly related, necessary for the provision of services and reasonable.
Q: The Immigrant and Refugee Sector like other sectors have shifted towards evidence-based program planning and outcomes measurements. Will funding for program evaluations be available to agencies?
A: As per the Funding Guidelines, evaluation costs are eligible and can be listed under the Overhead Costs or Professional and Consulting Fees (in case of third party evaluators) line items. At the negotiation stage, CIC will review all proposed costs with successful applicants to determine if they are directly related, necessary for the provision of services and reasonable.
Q: Social Enterprise as an independent income generation stream is becoming more popular among non-profits. What areas of social enterprises will CIC support? Staffing? Space? Promotion? Other start-up expenses?
A: As per the Funding Guidelines, Social Innovation Projects (see Section 2.1.4.3. Priorities for National Projects) that support the development and use of social enterprise models can include researching, prototyping, testing feasibility, or implementing direct services to eligible newcomer clients. CIC will fund eligible costs related to administration, capital and program delivery. Please review Annex D for more information about eligible costs for all projects funded under the Settlement Program. As stated in the annex, start-up and operational costs for organizations (i.e., capacity building costs) are ineligible.
Q: Technology - Will agencies be able to budget for tech support, including new hardware (many organizations have not had computers replaced for the past 5-7 years) and new software?
A: Software costs are eligible and would fall under Administrative or Program Delivery cost categories (Overhead Costs line item), depending on whether it is a general software or one specifically for direct delivery.
Hardware costs are eligible and would fall under the Capital Costs category, which is defined as follows: Necessary costs to the operation of the program for capital assets, such as computers, furniture, other tangible property, purchased and/or leased (with option to buy). It also includes leasehold improvements as well as costs for arrangements and devices for eligible clients with disabilities. The Department will reimburse capital expenditures up to and including 15% of the Total Direct Program Delivery. Within this 15% threshold, the Department will not reimburse capital expenditures in excess of 50% of the Total Direct Program Delivery in any given fiscal year.
Please note that CIC does not normally fund capital assets for administrative uses. It is expected that applicants will have this capital infrastructure in place and any capital funding requests will need to be directly tied to the delivery of the project/services.
Q: Can agencies include a line for tech support as programming cost, specifically in relation to database costs? Because ICARE relates to program reporting requirements, can tech support related to ICARE be listed as program cost as opposed to administration cost? (Expenses include hardware, software, anti-virus, ongoing tech support, which are all costly)
A: Technical support costs are not to be included in the Program Delivery category, as it is a corporate function which falls under Administrative costs.
Q: Should LIP proposals (indirect services) especially the ones in Ontario be submitted as a stand-alone project or part of an agency proposal including other direct services? What if it involves several partnerships?
A: LIP proposals can be submitted along with other direct services as part of one application, including if it involved several partnerships.
Q: Many organizations have various sites of service delivery. Should proposals be per organization or per delivery site? For example, can/should organizations with services in both Toronto and York Region make one application for the organization (with different service points)?
A: Proposals should be per organization. On the organizational profile you will be asked to indicate all delivery sites of that particular organization.
Q: Can separate applications be submitted per theme? Secondly, in regards to applications per funding program, should each program have its own application?
A: We recommend that you apply for one proposals if you are including multiple themes in your application. You are only asked to apply for separate proposals if you are applying for different programs or for different regions.
Q: What is the definition of a francophone for the purpose of the CFP?
A: The definition of a francophone organization is indicated right above that particular question in the application form.
Q: Is there funding allocated specifically for francophone services?
A: There is no dedicated amount specifically for francophone services, however as it is a priority, CIC will certainly be providing a number of funds towards francophone services.
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