GRANT PROGRAMS

The Foundation’s Grant Programs provide funding to community initiatives throughout Nova Scotia. These initiatives offer hope and eradicate stigma, making a difference to individuals — and their loved ones — living with mental illness and addiction.

On this page, you’ll find information on the following:

Community Grants

The Community Grant Program awards up to $25,000 per project to charities, community groups, and organizations for community-based mental health services and supports. The Foundation’s Calls for Community Grants occur bi-annually in January and July. Review a list of previously funded projects and organizations here.

Important Dates

Next Call for Applications: December 11, 2024 – noon on January 22, 2025
Project Timeline: 2025-26 Round 1 will fund programs/project activities occurring between April 2025 - March 2026.
Decision: All applicants will be notified by mid-April 2025.
Questions? Contact Monica Jordan at grants@mentalhealthns.ca / (902) 233-2639

  • Applications should support the Foundation’s purpose and vision, and demonstrate:

    • Evidence-based measurable impact

    • Financial, social, economic value and reflective of the current climate

    • Support for diverse communities or vulnerable populations

    • Attention to overall quality, including spelling and grammar

    • A vision for sustainability or future growth

    • Collaboration and partnership

    • Clear timeline and objectives

    • Detailed, fiscally responsible budget

  • The following requests aren’t eligible.

    • Projects that should be funded by the government

    • Projects outside of Nova Scotia

    • Conferences or event sponsorship

    • Capital campaigns and projects

    • General endowment funds

    • Medical equipment

    • Requests over $25,000

    • Fundraisers

    • Deficits

    • Research

    • Requests from organizations with overdue reporting requirements for previous grants

    • First-time Community Grant recipients are not eligible to apply in the very next round of funding

 

Application Resources

Community Grant applications are submitted through our online grants portal.  To help you prepare your application, please review our worksheet, guide, and FAQs about the new application process. Please use these resources to prepare your application, so you can paste your answers into the online portal before the application deadline.


Get Started with your community grant application

Access the online grants portal below.

NSH Mental Health & Addictions Program Grants

The Nova Scotia Health Mental Health & Addictions Program Grants provide funding to enhance the services and supports that run within the provincial Mental Health & Addictions Program (Central Zone). These grants are open exclusively to projects that wouldn’t typically receive funding from capital or operating budgets. Applications are accepted once a year.

The 2024-25 Call for Applications has closed.

Submit via email

Email the application and supporting documents to grants@mentalhealthns.ca with the subject line
“NSH MHAP Grant Application”

Submit via mail

Mental Health Foundation of Nova Scotia - Community Grants
Mount Hope Centre
1120 – 300 Pleasant Street
Dartmouth, NS B2Y 3S3

St. John Ambulance Mental Health Literacy Grant

St. John Ambulance Mental Health Literacy Grant provides funding for individuals and organizations in Nova Scotia to improve their knowledge of mental health through Mental Health and Wellness Training Courses. This grant is open to businesses, organizations, and individuals throughout Nova Scotia. Applications are accepted year-round and are reviewed quarterly.

Grant Selection Process

The Foundation is committed to ensuring transparency, integrity, efficiency, and public trust. We are stewards of the money we raise and accountable in our funding decisions. All grant applications are reviewed by a committee of independent volunteers who make up our Grants Selection Committee. They are responsible for ensuring fair and unbiased decisions as well as appropriate usage of funds. The Grants Selection Committee is comprised of community and business leaders throughout Nova Scotia who are committed to making a difference for those living with mental illness and their families.

PLEASE NOTE: Grant assessment is a competitive process. If your application isn’t successful, it doesn’t necessarily mean your initiative isn’t worthy of funding. Each year the number of applicants increases and the Foundation has a limited budget.

  • All grant applications received on or before the application deadline are first reviewed by the. Foundation’s President & CEO. The following criteria are used to determine whether the application can proceed to the following level of evaluation:

    • Does the submission align with the Foundation’s Mission and Vision?

    • Will the submission assist in two of the following: building awareness, brand recognition, building relationships, or stewardship?

    • Will the grant impact an appropriate number of people?

    • Would the Foundation’s donors be supportive of funding this grant?

    • Has attention been paid to the overall quality of the submission (ie: spelling, grammar, readability, etc.)?

    • Applications that are approved in the initial vetting process are then reviewed and ranked by the Grants Selection Committee.

  • The Grants Selection Committee evaluates and scores all applications that have been approved in the initial vetting process according to the following details:

    • Project objectives and anticipated results

    • Project evaluation process and marketing plan

    • Does the project address a unique need?

    • Is the project innovative?

    • Is the budget clearly outlined and does it provide value for the funds requested?

    • What kind of an impact will the project have on reducing the stigma associated with mental illness and addiction?

    • Does the project relate to the Foundation’s purpose?

    • How will the project results be shared with other organizations?

  • Scoring is then tabulated by a Foundation Staff member and a ranking order is established and shared with the Grants Selection Committee members. A committee meeting is held to review scoring and award funding to successful applicants. The Grants Committee decides on the amount awarded by taking into consideration the applicant’s budget, the amount requested, and the funds available to be distributed.

  • All grant applicants will be notified by email as to whether or not they have received funding from the Foundation. The funds are awarded to Grant recipients in two installments. They will receive 70% of the grant amount for the first installment and will be granted the remaining 30% only once an acceptable interim report has been received. Any unspent funding at the end of the fiscal year must be returned to the Foundation. This funding will be made available in the next round of grants.

 

Grant Recipient Reporting Forms

All grant recipients are required to complete interim and final reports. Grant reports allow the Foundation to verify distributed funds have been used to achieve key mental health outcomes for Nova Scotians as outlined in your successful application. Reports enable the Foundation to approve any necessary adjustments to programming, verify that the funded initiatives have taken place, gather valuable information about mental illness and addictions in Nova Scotia, and help us to measure and demonstrate the impact of our donor dollars.

Please Note: Overdue reports may lead to the suspension of payments.

Looking for mental health resources? Click here to find support.