Journey to Independence Fund

To be eligible for a Journey to Independence grant, organizations must meet all basic eligibility criteria below. They must be:

• Non-profit organizations or registered charities
• registered and in good standing with the Companies Office in Manitoba (not required for exempt organizations)
• non-profit organizations located and operating in Manitoba that deliver services to Manitobans
• organizations with an established governing board

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• The application is submitted by the established deadline.
• The application is completed in full, including any supporting documents.
• The application proposes eligible activities.
• The project or initiative must begin before March 31st, 2023, and be completed a year from the start date.
• The organization must have been operational for at least a year and be able to provide the previous year’s audited financial statement.

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Eligible Activities

Grants will be issued to eligible applicants who are proposing activities focused on supporting EIA clients towards greater economic stability and meaningful transitions into the labour market.

For the initial JIF intake, funding proposals should aim to provide opportunities that:

• improve access to community participation and labour market attachment for target populations within provincial social assistance programs
• support the reduction of enrollment in government programs and long-term adherence to social assistance

Examples of eligible programs and services can include:

• financial empowerment supports, such as financial literacy, access to banking, access to identification, benefits navigation as well as savings and asset building opportunities
• job coaching
• workforce integration
• job creation
• workplace mentorship
• work placements
• programming that offers wraparound supports
• wellness supports and services
• culturally-appropriate programming
• developing unique partnerships with employers and community supports

Eligible Costs Can Include:

• salaries or wages for staff working on the proposed project
• promotion of the project
• administrative costs
• project or program space rental
• capital costs associated with the proposed program
• training costs for participants of the proposed program or service

Ineligible Activities and Costs

Activities and costs that are not eligible under the Journey to Independence Fund include:

• projects that are delivered outside of Manitoba and/or to individuals that are not Manitoba residents
• projects that do not support social, financial, employment, training, literacy, cultural and wellness barriers that EIA clients experience
• deficit financing or reducing
• previously incurred costs
• emergency funds
• endowments
• sponsorships and/or fundraising campaigns
• project costs for other activities that are not specified in the application
• proposals solely for infrastructure improvements
• on-going operational costs unrelated to the proposed project
• funding to support unrelated activities and operations other than what is proposed  

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The JIF will be accepting applications for a 4-week period from Sept. 26 to Oct. 24, 2022, and funds for the initial intake will come from the governments’ fiscal year budget ending March 31, 2023. Projects must begin before March 31, 2023 and be completed a year from the start date.

Funding and approval for the initial intake will be subject to the Manitoba government’s fiscal year: April 1, 2022 to March 31, 2023.

The JIF has up to $1,000,000 available to fund projects across Manitoba for the initial intake. The JIF will fund projects up to $300,000 per organization.

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Our September 2022 intake is now closed. Thank you to all those who expressed an interest in the Journey to Independence Fund. The EIA program will communicate the results of the process to those who applied once the evaluation of the proposals is finished. For any additional questions please contact JIF@gov.mb.ca.

The assessment process for the applications will be conducted in two phases. All JIF applications received by the deadline will be reviewed and assessed to ensure all eligibility criteria has been met, and the application has been completed in full.

Phase 1- Basic Eligibility Screening: All applications submitted will be reviewed to ensure they meet all basic eligibility requirements.

Phase 2 – Assessment process: Applications that have met all basic eligibility requirements will be assessed by a selection committee. The selection committee will assess applications on the basis of the following categories:

• Experience: The organizations demonstrate background, knowledge, expertise and capacity to deliver the proposed programming to EIA clients.
• Project Activities: The project activities are clearly outlined and support individuals towards wellness, economic stability and/or labour market attachment. Additionally, the project activities are aligned with a demonstrated need or gap in services for EIA clients.
• Project Outcomes: The measures of success meet the intended goals and outcomes. The project outcomes and outputs are clearly outlined.
• Project Costs: The project costs have been clearly outlined and budget items align with EIA financial policies and support project activities. The project cost will be assessed based on the requested funds and the number of EIA clients served.
• Preferences: As part of the JIF selection process, preferences will be applied to organizations with a track record of working effectively with EIA clients; promotes and/or incorporates diversity and inclusion.

The department will provide communication to all applicants whether proposals are successful or unsuccessful.

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Successful applications will receive a letter of approval and be invited for further consultation. Following approval, organizations will be required to review, and enter into a legal agreement with the province, which will include an outline of terms and conditions of the project.

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Funding will be transferred to successful organizations once agreements have been signed between the organization and the Manitoba government.

All funding issued from the JIF will be subject to activities described in the agreement, including quarterly financial reports as well as a final report upon conclusion of the project.

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Organizations that are selected to receive grants from the JIF will enter into an agreement with the Manitoba government and be subject to reporting requirements to ensure financial accountability. Reporting requirements will include:

• There must be clearly defined purposes, deliverables and outcomes.
• Financial reporting requirements include quarterly financial reporting, as well as a final financial report indicating expenses associated with the approved budget and project.
• Regular progress reports, including narratives and updates on deliverables and outcomes, must be submitted.

To be considered for future funding, final reports must be submitted after project completion.

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