College and Community Social Innovation Fund grants

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Activities supported

CCSIF grants support well-defined and focused community innovation projects undertaken by college researchers with their partners from the public, private or not-for-profit sectors. Projects may range from one to three years in duration.

Community is a broad category, open to interpretation by institutions as they see fit; however, it generally refers to the communities in which the institution is embedded, whether regionally, provincially or nationally.

Community innovation refers to developing new ideas or using existing ideas to solve community challenges. Community innovation involves an initiative, product, process or program that creates positive social and/or health outcomes for societies. It can result in more effective, fair and durable solutions to complex social problems. It aims to benefit the entire community and not just some individuals. Community innovation increases the ability of communities to act collectively and promotes solutions to accelerate technological and other forms of innovation.

All proposals require evidence of the following:

• Specific performance metrics and targeted goals that will be used to demonstrate the impact of the project
• Strong relationships with community partners that have the capability and willingness to implement research results in a Canadian setting
• Detailed planning and sound budget justification (all partners should be involved in project planning sessions)
• Student training
• The validity of the underlying assumptions for the proposed research, intended approaches, milestones and deliverables
• Meaningful incorporation of equitable, inclusive practices that support and encourage diversity and are appropriate to the proposed research

Although curriculum development may be included in the proposal, it must not be the project's primary objective. Proposals must include a research component and/or address research challenges in community innovation.

What's next?
Equity, diversity and inclusion