NHS Research and Planning Fund

The National Housing Strategy Research and Planning Fund provides support to the following organizations undertaking housing research:

• not-for-profit organizations
• registered charities
• Indigenous governments
• Indigenous organizations

The objectives of the Fund are to:

• build collaboration, engagement and alignment with stakeholders working to achieve common goals
• support the housing community’s research capacity development

This stakeholder-focused funding opportunity helps promote interest and involvement in housing research outside of government by:

• supporting data development
• cultivating and supporting highly focused expertise to rapidly overcome challenges
• developing solutions to improve affordable housing for communities across Canada

This fund provides financial support in 4 different streams:

1. funding support for individual research projects
2. funding support for a “program of research”
3. funding support for planning activities designed to identify research priorities or lay the groundwork for research
4. funding support for knowledge mobilization projects

Details about each stream can be found in the NHS Research and Planning Fund Applicant Guide.

This year, we will be funding projects focusing on populations that have been under-represented in the previous calls for proposals. We will be funding proposals related to racialized persons or communities, Indigenous people, survivors fleeing situations of family violence, LGBTQ2S, Veterans and those experiencing mental health challenges.

There is $750,000 available in 2019-2020 to cover all streams:

1. Research Project: You can request up to $100,000 for an individual research project grant from CMHC. You must provide a minimum of 25% (cash and/or in-kind contributions) of the total project cost.
2. Program of Research: You can request up to $250,000 for a program of research grant from CMHC. You must provide a minimum of 25% (cash and/or in-kind contributions) of the total project cost. Grants can be distributed over 2 years.
3. Planning Activity: You can request up to $50,000 from CMHC. You must provide a minimum of 25% (cash and/or in-kind contributions) of the total project cost.
4. Knowledge Mobilization Project: You can request up to $50,000 from CMHC. You must provide a minimum of 25% (cash and/or in-kind contributions) of the total project cost.

CMHC’s contribution to the amount available for this initiative is subject to availability of funds. These funds are determined by an annual vote by parliamentary appropriations and the conditions that may be attached to them.

Duration: Funds must be used within 2 years of release.

In-Kind Contributions

Applicants can request funding from CMHC up to the maximum for the application stream:

• $50 000 for a planning activity or knowledge mobilization project
• $100 000 for a research project
• $250 000 for a program of research

The total project cost will be the CMHC fund request plus the in-kind contributions. Ultimately, CMHC’s contribution is a maximum 75% of the total project cost.

The types of in-kind contributions that are recognized and considered eligible are:

• equipment
• access to unique databases/software
• professional, analytical, or other services
• employee salaries (i.e. the salary of an employee not listed on the application form)
• use of facilities
• materials and technology
• licenses

Eligible Activities:

A) Research Project and Program of Research

Projects may include (but are not limited to) research activities such as:

• literature reviews
• environment scans (domestic and international)
• surveys, interviews
• testing
• evaluations
• data gathering and analysis
• profiles
• case studies
• reporting findings

Funding can also be used to support hiring of consultants to conduct this work.

B) Planning activities

Activities may include, but are not limited to the following:

• stakeholder consultations, including citizen engagement activities
• environmental scan or preliminary synthesis of relevant literature, activities or programs
• gatherings of stakeholders to facilitate regional/national and/or international collaboration among individuals or groups from a variety of backgrounds
• hiring consultants to prepare research applications for groups that don’t have the capacity to do so on their own

C) Knowledge mobilization activities

Activities may include, but are not limited to the following:

• designing, developing and delivering knowledge mobilization strategies such as brochures, posters, presentations, mock-ups and models, in person or on-line forums, information sharing platforms, educational seminars, etc.
• engagement and facilitation activities
• summary reporting

Budget

The budget should include be broken down by fiscal year (April 1 – March 31), project phases (if applicable) and key deliverables. It should describe all:

• costs associated with the proposed project activities
• proposed sources of revenue for these activities

The budget must be inclusive of taxes if applicable.

Reasonable overhead costs are an allowable budget line item.

There is no maximum or minimum allocation for administrative overhead, however the reasonableness of the overhead cost will be assessed by the proposal evaluation committee, relative to the overall funding request as well as other projects of similar nature, size and complexity that have been funded.

Note: All travel costs must reflect the most economic means available for transportation, accommodation and facilities. Compensation rates for vehicle use, meals, etc. must comply with applicant organization's standards, but cannot exceed federal government rates.

Applicants may submit a project that is part of a larger initiative, however, the application must clearly identify:

• the activities and deliverables of the proposed project (distinct from the larger initiative)
• what incremental work CMHC is being asked to fund (distinct from other sources of funding)

Note: Applications will be evaluated based on the project for which CMHC funding is requested, not on the larger initiative.

All applicants must meet the following eligibility criteria:

Lead Applicant Eligibility

• Lead applicant must be an active not-for-profit organization, registered charity, Indigenous government, or Indigenous organization in Canada.
• Lead applicant should be able to demonstrate how the organization engages in housing issues, and their existing or proposed linkages to the housing sector.

Note: partners and team members are not limited to these organizations; lead applicants are encouraged to engage with collaborators in other sectors (e.g., academia, private sector, municipal government).

Project Eligibility

• Project must address one or more National Housing Strategy Priority Area and Population Group.
• At time of application, partner contributions totaling 25% of the total project cost must be confirmed. Letters from contributing project partners must be included with the application.
• The project must not have been funded through the Research and Planning Fund in a previous competition year. Support will not be given to one applicant in two sequential years for the same project, event, or identical activity.
• Funding will only be provided for research projects or activities that will occur after the submission deadline.

CMHC requires that all grant recipients follow a structured reporting process:

• For Research Projects and Programs of Research Projects: You must submit progress reports at 6 months intervals for the duration of the project and/or deliverables from key milestones. This must be followed by a final report within 2 months of the completion of the project.
• For Planning Activities and Knowledge Mobilization Projects: You must submit a final report to CMHC within 2 months of the date of the activity in question.

The results of these reports provide CMHC with an opportunity to:

• obtain information on the impact of programs
• evaluate the impact of CMHC funding
• advance knowledge translation by providing selected information on the results of funded research its partners, the research community and the general public
• standardize the capture, collection and analysis of information relating to the results funded research

You will report on:

• Financial statements: Encompass all costs associated with the project, including staff and contractor salaries; equipment purchases and travel expenses.
• Results and impact of the project/activity: Include initial goals and an honest assessment and address whether the program yielded the desired results.
• Lessons learned: Incorporate information on the project's major takeaways, including unexpected challenges faced.

This year, we will use a two-stage selection process. In Stage One, applicants will submit:

• lead applicant’s background information
• project summary
• project objectives and outcomes
• project relevance
• estimated project cost

CMHC will review Stage One proposals and invite qualified proponents to submit additional information in Stage Two, where CMHC will ask for:

• detailed budget
• statement of work
• knowledge and dissemination plan

By submitting an application, applicants agree to be bound by the terms of this Applicant Guide,

and the terms and conditions presented in the online application portal.

The Research and Planning Fund Review Committee will evaluate all eligible applications. Government-based representatives form a review committee to assess these applications according to the criteria and weighting outlined below.

The evaluation processes for each of the Innovation and Research Initiatives are conducted independently.

In all cases, only applications scoring 80% or higher will be eligible for funding.

Research Projects/Program of Research:

• Concept and Relevance of the project to NHS priority themes and populations: 25%
• Methodology and project management: 25%
• Knowledge exchange and/or dissemination: 25%
• Feasibility: 25%

Note:For research projects and programs of research you need to include a detailed methodology. The methodology must be appropriate to the research question, project objectives, target population and budget.

Planning activities:

• Relevance to NHS priority themes and populations: 35%
• Activity objectives and format: 35%
• Knowledge exchange and/or Dissemination: 15%
• Feasibility: 15%

Knowledge Mobilization Projects:

• Relevance to NHS priority themes and populations: 25%
• Knowledge mobilization objectives: 25%
• Suitability/originality of knowledge mobilization product(s), channel(s) and audiences(s): 25%
• Potential for impact: 25%

Research and Planning Fund 2018 Successful Submissions

Research and Planning Fund 2019 Successful Submissions

Research and Planning Fund 2020 Successful Submissions

Due to the multi-year nature of the 2018 & 2019 allocations under the Research and Planning Fund,  approximately $90,000 remained to be allocated in the 2020 fiscal year as at April 1, 2020. In 2020, two eligible proposals were selected to be funded from the 2020 budget.

General inquiries about the strategy or technical support:

• Phone: 1-800-668-2642 (Business hours: 8:00 am to 7:00 pm Eastern Time)
• Email: RPF-FRP@cmhc-schl.gc.ca