Projects will be assessed with regard to their potential suitability and effectiveness at advancing Metrolinx’s strategic priorities as set out in The Big Move as well as any specific focus for the current round of applications.

Projects should include clear deliverables proposed within a set timeline and should be relevant to the entire GTHA. The sponsoring organization should have a broad and diverse membership drawn from across the region; preference will be given to projects with presence in, or project partners from, more than one region of the GTHA.

Metrolinx strongly prefers to contribute financially to initiatives that leverage other financial commitments, and will not enter into strategic partnerships intended to produce profit for the partner organization. Co-funders should be clearly identified, as well as a scalable plan to accommodate varying funding levels should other funding not yet be confirmed.

Resources are limited for the Strategic Partnerships Program and Metrolinx’s financial contribution to individual projects usually ranges from approximately $1,500 - $50,000, with the majority of projects receiving $10,000 or less.

By June 2013, Metrolinx must provide the province and heads of municipalities with a funding plan for The Big Move, our 25-year, $50 billion regional transportation plan. The Big Move is an integrated transportation plan that strives to enhance the region’s quality of life, its environment, and our prosperity.

In this round of the Strategic Partnerships Program, we are exclusively inviting applications for projects which focus on public education, awareness and dialogue about the need to improve our transportation system through the implementation of The Big Move, and/or the need for additional transportation investment across the region.

For this round, Metrolinx is specifically interested in projects which:

• Educate and build broad and deep awareness across the region about the importance of transportation and transit expansion; and/or
• Bring a diverse range of communities and voices into the conversation about transportation investment.

Applications will only be accepted from non-profit organizations.

Municipalities, organizations which already receive funding from other divisions of Metrolinx, and other government agencies are not eligible to act as lead on a proposal – although they can be listed as funding partners, stakeholders or collaborators.

All applications to the Strategic Partnerships Program will be assessed according to the following criteria. Criteria are broken down into two categories: qualifications of the applying organization, and criteria specific to the proposed project.

1) Applicant qualifications

• Is the applicant ideally or uniquely positioned to do the work proposed?
• Does the applicant have a relevant mandate and a proven track record?
• Can the applicant demonstrate an ability to manage and sustain growth that may result from the partnership?
• Does the applicant have an appropriate organizational structure and set of skills?
• Does the applicant have a history of partnering with others (where appropriate)?
• Does the applicant have the ability to manage the requested grant and the resources needed to carry out the project, demonstrated by:
  • a realistic relationship between the requested grant amount and the organization’s current annual budget; and
  • appropriate financial management policies and practices.

2) Project-specific criteria

• How do the project’s outcomes support specific goals for this round of the program?
• How will the project’s outcomes directly benefit the GTHA?
• Are there other stakeholders/partners involved in the project and what is the level of collaboration?
• What is the likelihood of success for the project and that the proposed activities will lead to the outcomes sought?
• Does the proposal include measurable targets/objectives so that project results can be checked against the proposal?
• Does the proposal clearly identify the project’s intended audience and outline how this audience will be reached?
• Is the project unique, and/or does it offer value beyond what is expected to be achieved by work Metrolinx is already doing in-house?
• Is the proposed project in line with the applying organization’s mandate, and does it support the existing work of the organization?

The current round of applications will close on November 30, 2012.

Prior to applying, we encourage you to contact Dina Graser at dina.graser@metrolinx.com to discuss the eligibility of your proposal and its fit with the focus for this round.

Apply now using the online form.

If you are experiencing any difficulties submitting your application using the online form, please contact Andrea Gusen at andrea.gusen@metrolinx.com to ensure your submission was successful or to arrange an alternative method of submission.

Projects will be assessed with regard to their potential suitability and effectiveness at advancing one or more of the following objectives:

• Building communities that are pedestrian, cycling and transit-supportive;
• Promoting or enhancing active transportation, carpooling, and other forms of transportation demand management;
• Promoting education or dialogue about the role of transit and transportation; and/or
• Beautification or safety initiatives in areas near transit stations or transportation corridors.

To be eligible, projects must:

• Have a measurable outcome or deliverable; funding will not be provided to support the ongoing operations of an organization
• Be non-profit in nature
• Avoid replicating benefits or services already delivered by existing organizations in the same community, unless a clear justification for doing so is provided
• Be proposed to take place within a set timeline

Metrolinx will not be the sole supporter of projects; therefore, evidence of other support for a project – whether in cash or in the form of in-kind goods or services – must be provided with the application.

In this round of the Community Partnerships Program, we are exclusively inviting applications for projects located along GO Transit’s Union Station and Lakeshore West rail corridors in Toronto and Mississauga, from Cherry St. in Toronto in the east to the Peel/Halton border in the west.

This focus area contains the following Metrolinx/GO Transit facilities and projects:

• The Union Station Rail Corridor
• The GO Transit Union Station Revitalization project
• The GO Lakeshore West rail corridor within the City of Toronto and the Region of Peel
• Exhibition, Mimico, Long Branch, Port Credit and Clarkson GO Stations
• GO Transit’s Willowbrook rail maintenance facility

Applications will only be accepted from non-profit organizations.

Municipalities, organizations which already receive funding from other divisions of Metrolinx, and other government agencies are not eligible to act as lead on a proposal (although they can be listed as funding partners, stakeholders or collaborators).

The next deadline for the Community Partnerships Program is November 30, 2012.

If you’d like to discuss your proposal before submitting an application, please contact Dina Graser at dina.graser@metrolinx.com.

Apply now using the online form.

If you are experiencing any difficulties submitting your application using the online form, please contact Andrea Gusen at andrea.gusen@metrolinx.com to ensure your submission was successful or to arrange an alternative method of submission.