CANConnect Micro-Grants Diversity for Canadian Youth

Deadline: 30 September 2025

The Canada Service Corps (CSC) at Employment and Social Development of Canada and administered by GLOCAL, the CANConnect Micro-Grant Diversity Program empowers young Canadians, aged 15–30, to lead and create innovative civic engagement projects.

The program focuses on equipping participants with the resources, civic knowledge and digital skills to promote civic engagement and democratic participation in Canada through project-based initiatives.

These micro-grants serve as a means to empower youth and enable them to actively engage in civic activities that positively contribute to their communities. By providing resources and support, the program promotes civic awareness and democratic literacy among Canadian youth.

Objectives

Empowerment through Civic Engagement: Providing micro-grants to youth, empowering them to carry out creative civic engagement initiatives relevant to their local, regional, or community concerns. This encourages active participation in civic activities and promotes positive contributions to communities.
Civic Awareness and Democratic Literacy: Promoting civic awareness and democratic literacy to youth with knowledge, skills, and experience in civic engagement and democratic participation. Encouraging initiatives that provide accurate information about Canadian democratic institutions, navigate the political system, and understand current and historical events in Canadian politics.
Inclusivity and Community Contributions: Supporting participants in contributing to their local communities through creative projects that address local issues. The micro-grants facilitate the design of initiatives that promote inclusivity, community engagement, and a sense of belonging and ownership in their new home country.
Awareness of Civic Information: Raising awareness about the accessibility of civic information and the challenges of misinformation, disinformation, and information overload. The program promotes media literacy and critical thinking skills among Canadian youth, enabling them to become discerning consumers of civic information and active participants in the democratic process.

Funding Information

This initiative is designed to offer a micro-grant (up to $5,000) to youth as they develop and launch creative, impactful projects that foster civic engagement and address social issues in Canada.

Eligible Projects

Research and Data Analysis/Visualization: Conduct thorough research to understand the issue, and generate a set of research work for civic knowledge mobilization. Visualize data to raise public awareness.
Community Engagement: Engage with community members, stakeholders, and the public to raise awareness and gather support.
Social Media Outreach: Utilize social media platforms to mobilize civic knowledge, engage with the audience, and promote your project.
Digitization Efforts: Develop digital tools (such as website, e-toolkit, gamification, etc.) or content to enhance civic participation and information accessibility.
Policy Analysis: Analyze existing policies to inform and shape your project’s approach and objectives.
Interviews and/or Documentary: Conduct in-person or virtual interviews and create documentaries to capture and share the stories and experiences of their diverse communities and Canadians.

Eligible Activities

Activities that offer support for youth in the identification and validation of issues and priorities for community action
Activities supporting the implementation of methods to reach Indigenous and under-served youth
Activities that support the implementation of strategies or actions to address community issues
Activities that explore, test and/or develop innovative solutions, best practices, tools and/or methodologies (e.g. toolkits, resources, etc.)
Activities designed to support access and participation of youth in service, including Indigenous and under-served youth
Activities designed to support social integration & understanding of diversity
Activities designed to support approaches to facilitate participation in civic life for youth
Activities that provide opportunities for youth to learn or enhance skills and competencies, such as leadership, teamwork and communication skills
Activities that establish and maintain partnerships, alliances and/or networks to promote alignment with CSC program priorities Activities designed to support knowledge development and research on engaging youth in service
Activities designed to test projects and methods to engage youth in service
Activities designed to test methods and/or non-financial incentives to encourage youth to participate and successfully complete service placements
Activities supporting the dissemination of information and knowledge

Ineligible Activities

Any activities in violation of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms or the human rights legislation in each province or territory.
Operating projects for the purpose of supporting or advertising a political candidate, figure, or party.
Operating their projects outside of Canada.
Receiving supporting sponsorship or funds from fundraising events or other forms of financial assistance, other than the CANConnect micro-grant funds.
Using the CANConnect micro-grant funds for purposes other than the project.
No profit can be generated as a result of a CANConnect project.

Eligibility Criteria

Project Lead:
- Must be:
  - A Canadian citizen, permanent resident, or has been granted refugee status in Canada.
  - At least 15 years of age upon starting participation in the program and no older than 30 years of age at time of application.
- Team Members: This may include eligible peers or non-eligible members to enhance the project’s quality, impact, and inclusivity across regions, generations, and sectors.

Evaluation Criteria