Voluntary Sector Knowledge Mobilization Support Grant 2026-2027

A CIHR Institute of Aging (IA) program

Important dates
2026-10-14 Application launch date
2026-12-10 Application deadline
2027-02-25 Anticipated notification of decision
2027-03-01 Funding start date

Table of contents

Sponsors

The Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) Institute of Aging (IA) in partnership with the CIHR Institutes of Neurosciences, Mental Health and Addiction (INMHA), Musculoskeletal Health and Arthritis (IMHA), and Indigenous Peoples' Health (IIPH).

Description

The CIHR Institute of Aging Voluntary Sector Knowledge Mobilization Support Grant is a knowledge mobilization award that recognizes and supports exceptional groups working in non-profit and voluntary sector in their knowledge mobilization (KM) efforts in aging.

This year this funding opportunity is being launched as part of the Aging in the Community Research Initiative designed to strengthen the evidence base for approaches that support older persons to age safely, independently, and with dignity in the community.

The CIHR Institute of Aging (CIHR-IA) is dedicated to fostering excellence and innovation in aging research, and to catalyzing the application of research findings to policies, practices and programs that provide real-world benefit. The Institute aims to position Canada as a global leader in ensuring that initiatives designed to improve the health of older persons take advantage of timely research evidence.

CIHR has recently launched a Knowledge Mobilization Strategy and Action Plan which defines KM as the process of moving different types of knowledge into future research, policy, practice and the public sphere, with the goal of improving health, supporting more effective health services and products, and strengthening health care systems.

Research Areas

All projects must be in a General Funding Pool and must mobilize research findings that align with at least one of the objectives of the Aging in the Community Research Initiative and one of the strategic directions as outlined in the CIHR-IA Strategic Plan 2023-2028.

In addition to being aligned with the above, there is dedicated funding to support applications relevant to the following Strategic Research Priority Areas:

  • Mental Health and/or Addiction: The CIHR Institute of Neurosciences, Mental Health and Addiction (INMHA) will support projects that promote health, improve quality of care, and/or advance prevention strategies for addiction and mental health conditions in aging. Areas of interest include, but are not limited to, drug use disorders, alcohol use disorders, depression, anxiety, self-harm and suicide, and eating disorders.

  • Musculoskeletal Health and Arthritis: The CIHR Institute of Musculoskeletal Health and Arthritis will support projects with a primary focus related to active living, mobility and the wide range of conditions related to bones, joints, muscles, connective tissue, skin as well as the mouth, teeth and craniofacial region.

  • Indigenous Health: The CIHR Institute of Indigenous Peoples' Health will support Indigenous-led knowledge mobilization activities that promote the health and well-being of older First Nations, Inuit, and/or Métis Peoples. Applications should respond to the distinct contexts, priorities, and needs of First Nations, Inuit, and Métis Peoples and communities.

    Applicants are encouraged to build upon existing community-led or community information research and knowledge, and to support the meaningful application and sharing of knowledge in ways that are culturally relevant, accessible, and responsive to community-defined priorities. Approaches may draw upon Indigenous knowledges and ways of knowing and should demonstrate how the proposed knowledge mobilization activities will benefit the First Nations, Inuit, and/or Métis Peoples and communities they are intended to serve.

Funds Available

CIHR and partner(s) financial contributions for this initiative are subject to availability of funds. Should CIHR or partner(s) funding levels not be available or are decreased due to unforeseen circumstances, CIHR and partner(s) reserve the right to reduce, defer or suspend financial contributions to awards received as a result of this funding opportunity.

The total amount available for this funding opportunity is $225,000, enough to fund fifteen (15) awards. This amount may increase if additional funding partners participate. The maximum amount per award is $15,000 for up to one (1) year.

  • $90,000 is available to fund six (6) applications relevant to the "General" funding pool.
  • $15,000 is available to fund one (1) application relevant to the "Mental Health and/or Addictions" funding pool.
  • $30,000 is available to fund two (2) applications relevant to the "Musculoskeletal Health and Arthritis" funding pool.
  • $90,000 is available to fund six (6) applications relevant to the "Indigenous Health" funding pool.

Applications to each strategic research priority area funding pool will be funded top down in order of ranking. Remaining applications in the competition will be pooled together and funded in rank order. For more information on the appropriate use of funds, refer to Allowable Costs.

Objectives

The objectives of this funding opportunity are to:

  1. Support Canadian registered charities and/or non-profit organizations that champion services to older Canadians aging in the community by helping them share useful knowledge with people who would benefit from being informed.
  2. Enhance collaboration in the non-profit and voluntary sector, where knowledge users are involved throughout the research cycle, leading to more relevant and impactful knowledge products and interventions that support older Canadians to age safely and with dignity in the community.

Eligibility

For an application to be eligible:

  1. The applicant organization must be a registered charity or non-profit organization in Canada with alignment to one of the CIHR-IA Strategic Research Directions.
  2. Eligible organizations are those from the voluntary sector which include all non-profit groups, health charities, non-governmental health policy regulators, and foundations. Please note that, hospitals, universities and any foundations affiliated with or with, or operated, by these institutions are excluded and not considered eligible for this funding.
  3. Academic researchers, public and private sector organizations may participate in the projects, however, the Nominated Principal Applicant (NPA) must be a representative (employed by, or volunteer with) of the voluntary sector organization.
  4. Applications can be submitted by a single eligible organization or in partnership.
  5. Applicant organizations can only receive this grant once every three years.

Guidelines

General CIHR Policies

Before submitting an application to this funding opportunity, applicants should review the relevant policies and guidelines on the CIHR Funding Policies page to ensure understanding of their responsibilities and expectations.

Allowable Costs

Applicants should review the Use of Grant Funds section of the Tri-Agency (CIHR, NSERC and SSHRC) Financial Administration Guide for requirements regarding allowable costs and activities.

Note: This funding opportunity is not intended to provide support for consensus meetings, planning and/or development meetings, networking and partnership development events.

Conditions of Funding

  • The applicants must consent to the use and disclosure of full application and nominative information at the time of application, for purposes of relevance review and/or funding decisions by the relevant sponsors.
  • The NPA will be required to submit a final report which will include a KM story to share on the CIHR website. Requirements for this report will be provided by CIHR-IA.
  • The NPA will be required to contribute to the monitoring, review and evaluation of CIHR's programs, policies and processes by participating in evaluation studies, surveys, workshops, audits, and by providing data or reports as required for the purpose of collecting information to assess progress and results.
  • In alignment with CIHR's Strategic Plan 2021-2031, CIHR is focused on advancing the science and practice of knowledge mobilization (KM). You are requested to provide content which may be disseminated and amplified through CIHR's various channels (e.g. website, newsletter, social media).
  • All information intended for public consumption, including for the purposes of informing and engaging partners (e.g., website content, information pamphlets, guidelines, promotional and event-related material, etc.), must be provided in both official languages (English and French), accessible to screen readers, and should be developed using plain language practices. See Allowable Costs for more details.

Review Process and Evaluation

Relevance Review Process

CIHR-IA will perform a relevance review to identify applications that are in alignment with the objectives and research areas of this funding opportunity. Applications that are not deemed to be relevant will be withdrawn from the competition.

Relevant applications that have opted to select a Strategic Research Priority Area will undergo a secondary relevance review by CIHR-IA and funding partner(s) for each strategic research priority areas based on the relevance review section of the application form.

Review Process and Evaluation Criteria

To support the strategic objectives of this funding opportunity, the following evaluation criteria will be used:

  • Alignment: The extent to which the proposed project articulates clearly the alignment with at least one of the objectives of Aging in the Community Research Initiative and a strategic direction from the CIHR Institute of Aging 2023-2028 Strategic Plan.
  • Partnerships: The quality of the engagement strategy in the Knowledge Mobilization (KM) Plan to enhance knowledge on health and aging and foster partnerships that improve the health of Canadians and/or the health and social care system and its appropriateness for the target audience.
  • Knowledge Products and Activities: The clarity, quality, and appropriateness of the planned use of KM products and activities to communicate health and aging research and its benefits to a specific targeted audience.
  • Outcome and Impact Clarity: The extent to which the evaluation plan is well articulated, including clearly defined outcomes and impact, and how these will be measured.

Funding Decision

Applications will be funded from the top down in order of ranking.

The opportunity to add new partners and internal collaborators to this funding opportunity may arise after publication. These partners and internal collaborators may not be listed; however, the principles that govern relevance review, including consent to share information and funding decisions, will still apply.

How to Apply

Note: The application process for this funding opportunity does not use ResearchNet.

To complete your application, follow the instructions below.

All participants listed, with the exception of collaborators, are required to:

The application form below must be duly completed, signed, and submitted by the deadline.

CIHR Institute of Aging Voluntary Sector Knowledge Mobilization Support Grant Application Form [ (PDF 315 KB) ]

Instructions on how to fill out the application are included within the form. Failure to follow these instructions, and those contained within the application form may result in your application being rejected. Incomplete applications will not be considered for funding.

Note: We strongly recommend that applicants encrypt their application form prior to submission.

Contact Information

For all inquiries, please contact:
CIHR - Institute of Aging
cihr-ia.iv-irsc@uwo.ca

Sponsor description

CIHR - Institute of Aging (IA)
The CIHR Institute of Aging (CIHR-IA) mandate is to support research, to promote healthy aging and to address causes, prevention, screening, diagnosis, treatment, support systems, and palliation for a wide range of conditions associated with aging. By championing an inclusive approach to research excellence that considers health across the lifespan and addresses social and structural determinants of health, CIHR-IA funds evidence-based research that informs public policy, programs and services. IA's mission is to advance training, research and knowledge mobilization to maintain and improve the health and wellbeing of all Canadians as they age. CIHR-IA promotes the inclusion of age, aging and the role of persons with lived and living experiences and their caregivers in the entire research ecosystem.

CIHR – Institute of Musculoskeletal Health and Arthritis (IMHA)
IMHA provides research leadership related to active living, mobility and the wide range of conditions related to bones, joints, muscles, connective tissue, skin as well as the mouth, teeth and craniofacial region. Musculoskeletal health is critical for mobility, productivity, and general well-being.

CIHR - Institute of Neurosciences, Mental Health and Addiction (INMHA)
The Institute of Neurosciences, Mental Health and Addiction (INMHA) supports research to enhance mental health, neurological health, vision, hearing, and cognitive functioning and to reduce the burden of related disorders through prevention strategies, screening, diagnosis, treatment, support systems, and palliation.

CIHR – Institute of Indigenous People's Health (IIPH)
The Institute of Indigenous Peoples' Health (IIPH) fosters the advancement of a national health research agenda to improve and promote the health of First Nations, Inuit, and Métis Peoples in Canada, through research, knowledge translation and capacity building. The Institute's pursuit of research excellence is enhanced by respect for community research priorities and Indigenous knowledges, values, and cultures.

Canadian Institutes of Health Research
At the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), we know that research has the power to change lives. As Canada's health research investment agency, we collaborate with partners and researchers to support the discoveries and innovations that improve our health and strengthen our health care system.

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