Social purpose organizations registered in Canada are eligible to apply for IRP funding. 

You can apply to the IRP if you are a:

• Charity
• Nonprofit
• Co-op
• Social enterprise business (For-profit)

Social purpose organizations can be in the early or late stages of development, and anywhere in between. 

• A non-profit that employs people facing barriers to employment to perform eco-friendly home retrofits.
• A charity that runs a catering service and provides culinary training for at-risk youth.
• A co-op that offers affordable laundry and delivery service while giving work experience to people living in poverty.
• A business that helps local farmers sell their crops and products to consumers at a fair price.
• A store that offers local artisans credit to purchase food in exchange for their crafts 

The program guidelines can be found here.

Your social purpose organization can apply for amounts ranging from $10,000 to $75,000. Applications for more or less than the permissible amount will not be considered. 

Your organization will need to determine which of the two funding streams you will submit your applications to. Your options are the Explore stream ($10,000 – $25,000) or the Stabilize and Build steam ($30,000 – $75,000). 

Explore stream (up to $25,000): This stream is for social purpose organizations that are:

1. At the early stages of exploring, developing, and testing their social enterprise idea. You may be researching, developing and testing different aspects of your social enterprise plan, such as your revenue-generation models. OR
2. In need of technical assistance or support on a very specific aspect of your project, that will assist you in launching or growing your social enterprise, or in preparing you to take on investment. This may include items such as accessing legal advice, market expertise, etc. 

Stabilize and Build stream ($30,000 – $75,000): This stream is for social purpose organizations that already have a well-developed enterprising model and are farther along in their understanding and preparation for taking on investment. Your organization is ready to take on a big project to increase your organization’s impact and get one step closer to your social finance goals. 

The Investment Readiness Program is a unique, national funding opportunity for social purpose organizations, including charities, non-profits, co-ops and for-profit social enterprises. The Yellowknife Community Foundation and the Yukon Foundation is partnering with the Government of Canada to help allocate the funding that they have provided, specifically for social purpose organizations located in the Northwest Territories, Nunavut, and the Yukon.

Community Foundations of Canada and Regional Partners will accept applications for funding via an online, secure application portal at the following link. 

Please direct your questions to our office at +1-867-446-4527 or information@ykcf.ca 

We look forward to hearing from you!