NOVA GRANTS 2025-26 GUIDELINES

Thanks to the generous support of donors, the Jewish Community Foundation (JCF) has a special envelope available to award grants for innovative programs which will have maximum impact on the local Montreal Jewish community.

The JCF invites applications for a Nova Grant from any local non-profit Jewish communal organization or institution, or a non-profit organization serving a predominantly Jewish population, as well as Federation CJA (FCJA) and its affiliated organizations. Nova Grants are designated for programs that have a specific focus in at least one of the following three thematic areas:

Supporting the Vulnerable:

  • We consider ‘Vulnerable’ to mean communities who may have issue accessing services, need specialised or adapted services and/or physical/emotional support services.

Jewish Identity and Culture:

  • We consider ‘Jewish Identity and Culture’ to be activities that uphold, support, perpetuate and celebrate Jewish traditions, education and activities.

Building Organizational Capacity:

  • We consider ‘Building Organizational Capacity’ to be activities designed to develop the operations of the organization such as fundraising strategy, software development or client management updates and website creation or overhaul.

A limited number of JCF Nova Grants of up to a maximum of $50,000 per program will be made available and allocated for either one-time funding for a program to be completed within one year, or funding to be used over a period of two years, depending on the nature of the program.

Please note, this funding is designed to kick-start innovative and unique programs that will greatly benefit the Montreal Jewish community. This funding is not designed to sustain programs over the long term or support the continuation of an organisation’s core delivery.

 

Criteria

Proposals will be welcomed and considered for programs that serve geographic locations predominantly in Montreal and/or other cities in the Province of Quebec where there is a Jewish Community. The criteria are listed in order of priority. Programs must:

  • Be focused and innovative. We would like programs to have, where possible, an innovative approach to meeting an evidence-based identified current critical or emerging need or be developing a service that is both needed and unique to the community. We encourage you to consider what services are currently available in the community and seek to fill gaps where needed services don’t currently exist, rather than replicate or re-model an existing service.
  • Demonstrate important potential and measurable impact on the future of the Montreal Jewish community.
  • Demonstrate, in your application, a clear approach to evaluating your work with distinct quantitative and/or qualitative goals.
  • Be sustainable, with a plan for funding beyond the grant period.

What we won’t fund:

  • Infrastructure, meaning core operational work.
  • Purchase of computers and other related equipment.
  • Administrative or recurring salaries.
  • Feasibility studies, assessments, research, capital projects, scholarships, or operations.
  • Replacement of funding from FCJA or other funders.
  • Funding to reduce operating deficits.

Funding

All requests for funding will only be accepted in writing, using the Nova Grants application form linked on the JCF website. The party applying for funding is responsible for submitting the request(s). The online application offers the opportunity to provide detailed information about your idea for funding consideration. The questions were designed to help the JCF Allocations Committee better understand your program goals and objectives as well as its alignment with our funding goals. Only completed applications will be considered.

Please note that no meetings will be held with the applicants before, during or after the selection process, unless the JCF requires and requests such a meeting.

Requests must be submitted via the online application form by the specified deadline and must include:

  • Proof of charitable status (your CRA number) or determination of how you would operate should you not have charitable status.
  • Evidence that you have considered reasonable outcomes for your work and how they might be evaluated.
  • Plan for financial sustainability, if applicable.
  • A high-level budget that shows your expected revenue and expenses, as it’s relevant to the work you are applying for funding to support. Please make sure to use the budget template supplied on the application.

You do not need to send us copies of your audited financial statements or additional supporting material. If we do not have sufficient information from your application to make a fair assessment, we will get in contact with you.

Once the application has been submitted, you will receive confirmation via email. Applicants can expect a response following the complete allocations process. We are unable to update you on the status of your application until the assessment process is complete and will not give individual feedback until this time.

For information please contact [email protected]

2025-2026 Nova Grant Recipients

  • Association Chabad sur le CampusCentre
  • Beth Rivkah Academy for Girls
  • Chabad Care
  • Chabad Center South Shore
  • Chabad Lasalle
  • Chabad Étudiants Juifs Francophones
  • Chaya Mushka Seminary
  • Communaute Chabad Montreal Ouest
  • Congregation Beth Tikvah Ahavat Shalom Nusach Hoari
  • Congregation Shaar Hashomayim
  • Cummings Jewish Centre for Seniors
  • Erasing Hate
  • Foundation Toldos Yakov Yosef
  • Friendship Circle of Quebec
  • Holocaust Education and Genocide
  • Prevention Foundation
  • Home School Project
  • Kehilas Belz
  • KlezKanada
  • La Fondation des Écoles JPPS-Bialik
  • Lifeline Centre
  • Limmud Centre
  • Montreal Holocaust Museum
  • Nshei Players of Montreal
  • Panday Tinig Choral Ensemble
  • Yagdil Torah
  • Refuah V’chesed
  • Temple Emanu-El-Beth Sholom
  • The Museum of Jewish Montreal
    Torah Umesorah Teachers Centre
  • Université du Québec à Montreal
  • Westmount Chabad Organization

ROUND 7 APPLICATIONS

Round 7 of Nova Grants applications are now open, starting from January 15th 2025 until February 19th 2025.

IMPORTANT NOTE: In order to complete your application you must download this program budget and attach it to the Nova application form in the next step. Once you have downloaded and completed your budget click on “Begin Application“

For information please contact [email protected]

Download Program Budget Begin Application