Grant Application
Learn about our grant tiers, review our guidelines, and submit your proposal to advance Canadian geoscience.
Introduction
The Canadian Geological Foundation was established in 1968 as a non-profit, charitable organization dedicated to assisting the development of the geological sciences in Canada. To meet this objective, the Foundation awards grants towards activities of broad significance, with emphasis on those of long-term importance. Grants are awarded annually in a competitive process.
A large part of the funds disbursed is used as seed money to assist the completion of projects. Types of projects that have been supported include:
- Projects that promote public interest in the value of geological sciences to society.
- Summer institutes that train high school science teachers in the earth sciences.
- Preparation of booklets that promote careers in the earth sciences.
- Preparation of general geology textbooks, displays, videos and films that emphasize Canada and that involve national cooperation.
- Publication of special scientific papers involving national cooperation.
- National seminars and conferences aimed at furthering the application of the geological sciences.
- Cooperative projects of national and long-term significance undertaken by Canadian geological societies.
Restrictions
The Foundation does not support projects that are normally funded by university budgets or government granting agencies such as NSERC or NRCan. In addition, grant funds may not be used for field work, nor to pay salaries or honouraria (unless it is a temporary stipend directly linked to the development of a project).
Grant Tiers
CGF follows a multi-tiered grant system based on the size of the request. Proposals are evaluated competitively within their respective tier.
Small Grants
< $10,000Historically our most common tier. We target devoting approximately 30% of our annual quota to these high-impact, smaller initiatives.
Medium Grants
$10,000 – $30,000These grants support proposals of a more substantial nature. About 45% of our annual quota is set aside for this highly competitive tier.
Large & Multi-Year Grants
Up to $45,000The foundation will consider making one larger grant per year. These grants require a more rigorous application and are only available to institutions with a proven capability to execute large projects. We also consider Multi-Year grants (up to 4 years) for long-lifespan projects with well-defined expenditure milestones.
How to Apply
Applications must be submitted electronically to the Secretary no later than March 31 or October 31.
- All fields on the cover page and the application form must be completed. Partially or improperly completed applications will not be returned for correction.
- Applicants are urged to be succinct and under no circumstances exceed a total of five pages for the main application form.
- Any supplemental material (e.g., maps, illustrations, supporting letters) must be provided in electronic format (JPG, TIF, DOC, PDF). No more than two supplemental files may be included.
- Projects which may eventually produce a profit from the sale of products must include a marketing plan and are encouraged to consider repayment of the "seed" funds.
Application Forms
The CGF Coverform and Application Form can now be filled out and generated directly in your browser. Complete the interactive forms to generate your PDFs.