Housing Initiatives Grant

Housing Initiatives Grant

Status: ACTIVE
Funder: Catherine Donnelly Foundation
Amount: C $10,000 - C $50,000
Last Updated: December 26, 2025

Summary

The Housing Initiatives Grant, offered by the Catherine Donnelly Foundation, aims to combat homelessness and promote affordable housing solutions in Canada. This funding supports projects that prioritize the prevention of homelessness, advocating for a rights-based approach, and fostering collaborations among various sectors. With a focus on partnerships, the Foundation seeks initiatives that address systemic barriers and empower marginalized communities, ultimately working towards sustainable housing solutions and collective impact.

Overview

NOTE: Potential applicants are strongly advised to contact the Foundation office prior to submitting a Letter of Inquiry. Mobilizing, engaging and advocating for effective housing solutions Each day in Canada, some 35,000 people experience some form of homelessness and another 1.5 million pay more than they can afford for housing. The shelter crisis has spread to rural and remote communities and youth, women and families are all much more likely to experience homelessness than in the past. Indigenous people are ten times more likely than non-Indigenous to make use of emergency services. Homelessness is so visible in our communities it feels like it will always be with us, but today’s tragic situation was preventable and lay in decades of government cuts to investments in affordable housing and mental health services. Despite the current outlook, we can end homelessness and provide safe, secure housing for everyone residing in Canada. In fact, many of the solutions are beginning to be implemented. Most importantly, we need to immediately make available permanent housing with adequate supports to those experiencing homelessness and retain and expand our supply of affordable housing. The Foundation is proud to work with our partners toward both those goals. Our Funding Objectives Housing initiatives prioritize the prevention and elimination of homelessness as well as the provision of safe and affordable housing. We advocate a shift from an emergency-response model to a rights-based approach that removes systemic barriers preventing marginalized and low-income populations from accessing housing. Our Approach The Foundation supports projects that advance public policy development in the housing sector; educate the public and animate action toward sustainable solutions to Canada’s homelessness and affordable housing crisis; and strengthen networks and collective strategies among non-profit housing groups and organizations. The Catherine Donnelly Foundation is particularly drawn to projects that involve partnerships across organizational and sector lines (non-profit, public and private) and that value collaboration in pursuit of collective impact and sustainable change in the housing sector. In our most recent funding cycle, Fredericton, NB’s Partners for Youth received a grant to address the service gap related to ongoing mentorship and support for youth who seek mental health treatment, while Logifem in Montreal, QC was supported in their work to shift from an emergency-only response for women who experience housing instability to a sustainable approach. In Vancouver, Shareholder Association for Research and Education (SHARE) in partnership with Columbia Institute, received funding to help actors in the financial system address practices driving housing unaffordability. Investors for Affordable Cities will encourage institutional investors to implement responsible real estate strategies and enlist policy makers to stop predatory behaviors and promote housing investment that support inclusive communities. Funding The Catherine Donnelly Foundation provides one-year project grants generally in the $10,000 to $50,000 range. Our average grant amount is $25,000. The maximum you may request is $50,000.

Eligibility

You can learn more about this opportunity by visiting the funder's website. Applicants to the Catherine Donnelly Foundation can be Canadian registered charities or qualified donees under Canada Revenue Agency guidelines. Non-profit groups working in partnership with a Canadian sponsoring charitable organization or a qualified donee can also apply. We also accept applications from registered non-profit organizations without charitable status.Organizations and submissions that are rejected at one stage in the granting process, can re-apply at the next grant cycle.

Ineligibility

The Catherine Donnelly Foundation will not consider funding the following:Retroactive funding Fund raising campaigns Operating deficits Projects outside of Canada Emergency appealsPurely commercial recordings or film projectsFor-profit businesses are not eligible to apply.