Education Savings Community Outreach (ESCO) – Call for Proposals

Funding available from the Education Savings Community Outreach contribution program assists organizations to develop outreach projects designated to:

• encourage low-income Canadians to save for their children’s post-secondary education
• access education saving incentives—such as the Canada Learning Bond and Canada Education Savings Grant
• improve their financial literacy

The maximum amount of funding available for each project is $750,000 over a period of no longer than three (3) years.

Funding is provided on a cost-shared basis. The Government of Canada provides up to 75 per cent of total eligible project expenses. Your organization must contribute at least 25 per cent of the total project value in cash and/or in kind.

Funding is subject to:

• the year-to-year budget considerations of Human Resources and Skills Development Canada (HRSDC)
• annual external audits
• the approval of funds by Parliament
• a satisfactory review by HRSDC of the project’s progress in meeting its objectives

Future call for proposals - date to be determined

The following information may help you prepare a future call. Note however that the requirements and specifics may change for each call

• Education Savings Community Outreach - Frequently Asked Questions

Previous call for proposals - closed March 19, 2010

• Follow up after you apply

Service standards

Timeliness

• HRSDC will confirm receiving your proposal within 10 business days of receipt.
• HRSDC will conduct a formal review of all proposals within eight (8) weeks of the closing date of the Call for Proposals. (New - modified on January 28, 2010)
• If a decision is made not to recommend a proposal, applicants will be informed within one (1) week of the final evaluation meeting.

Access

• HRSDC will respond to you in the official language of your choice.
• HRSDC will respond to all questions within five (5) business days of receipt.
• Responses to questions of general interest received will appear in both official languages on HRSDC's Frequently Asked Questions Web site page.
• These responses will be posted within five (5) business days.
• HRSDC will ensure that information is easy to locate in the Education Savings Community Outreach area of the HRSDC Web site.

Accuracy

HRSDC will ensure that all documents

• accurately describe the requirements and expectations of the Government of Canada
• are complete, contain no errors and are easy to understand

Client satisfaction

HRSDC may conduct surveys during the Call for Proposals (CFP) process to evaluate client satisfaction. Areas to be surveyed may include:

• clarity/understanding of the CFP process
• relevancy of required documents/questions
• timelines, access, accuracy

Approved projects

• Approved Projects - Education Savings Community Outreach - coming soon

Contact us

Saving for Education - Contact Us