As part of the 2006 provincial budget, the government established the Employment Innovations Fund to engage Ontario’s employers in creating and expanding job opportunities for people receiving financial assistance from Ontario Works or the Ontario Disability Support Program.
Organizations that can engage employers in developing sustainable job opportunities for people on social assistance – such as municipalities, not-for-profit organizations and employer associations including chambers of commerce and boards of trade – are eligible to submit proposals for funding. Individuals and individual employers are not eligible for funding in their own right, but may be eligible to apply as a group.
Proposals will be evaluated and selected based on the applicant’s ability to successfully complete the initiative, as well as meet five key criteria:
- A plan to create longer-term, sustainable employment opportunities targeted to people on social assistance
- Active employer sponsorship or co-sponsorship of the project, including promotion of the initiative to the local employer community
- The use of innovative employment development approaches, and a plan that considers the economic diversity of Ontario and the diversity of social assistance recipients
- The use of measurable short- and long-term employment targets and the ability to measure results and report on achievements
- Ideas for creating partnerships within the community (e.g., with community groups or local organizations), showing how linkages will contribute to creating sustainable employment opportunities for social assistance recipients.
Applications must be submitted in writing using the Employment Innovations Fund Application Package, which is available online at www.mcss.gov.on.ca. Priority consideration for funding this year will be given to proposals submitted by September 1, 2006.
The Employment Innovations Fund is funded entirely by the provincial government and is one of the many ways the McGuinty government is helping people on social assistance get into the workforce and on the path to a brighter future.
For more information, please see: