The Canadian Alternative Investment Foundation (CAIF) is pleased to announce a Call for Letters of Inquiry in 2017.
CAIF builds on CAIC’s (Canadian Alternative Investment Cooperative’s) three decades of experience as a social lender. We recognize that it takes more than capital (debt) to strengthen the charitable sector. There is also a need for expertise and capacity building grants to ensure that debt is used for the maximum benefit of the borrower.
Very few organizations will qualify for CAIF grants because the first criteria in assessing grant requests is determining whether debt financing is likely to play a role in the successful completion of the project being proposed. This grant is not a grant for ongoing program support or for the sole purpose of writing a social enterprise business plan. It is meant to enhance an organization’s ability to effectively use debt. Any applications not meeting this requirement will not be considered.
Deadline for Submission: Friday, June 9, 2017
The foundation will provide grants in the $5,000 to $15,000 range in three granting streams:
Stream I: Project Feasibility Study
This stream provides a preliminary level of support meant to help charitable organizations scope out need and do some analysis around it to better understand the issues and potential solutions.
Stream II: Business Plan Development
Once you have completed the feasibility study and decided that the project is viable and that financing is required the next logical step is a business plan. This will allow your organization to move from the theoretical to the practical in how they will meet their objectives and reach their goals. In order to access a Business Plan Development grant you must demonstrate that you have completed a Feasibility study (financed by CAIF or otherwise).
Stream III: Capacity Building
Grants would be made available to assist in the execution of a project. Grants would be directed towards retaining/hiring Project Management expertise and/or Financial Expertise.
