Technical Assistance Funding
2010-11 TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE FUNDING ANNOUNCEMENT
Technical Assistance Funding (TAF) is a funding program through On Co-op that has been designed to allow co-operatives to hire outside expertise to help them start and grow their organization. A co-op developer or other consultant is hired for the group to work on particular project or to coach a group looking to form a co-operative.
August 19, 2010 Update: 2010-11 Technical Assistance funding is exhausted for the 2010-11 and applications are no longer being accepted for this year. Thank you for your interest. Funding will be available again in April 2011.
If your group or a group that you know of is interested in applying for technical assistance support, please download and review the Guide and Eligibility Criteria and 2010-11 Technical Assistance Application (also available using the links in the box to the right). The Eligibility Criteria explains in more detail what types of activities are funded under this program as well as other information about how the program works. The application must be completed and submitted in order to be considered for funding.
TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE FUNDING HISTORY
On Co-op’s involvement in Technical Assistance Funding began in 2003 with the original Co-operative Development Initiative (CDI) funding program. The original CDI program was a federally-funded program that was designed to help Canadians develop co-operative organizations and to research and test innovative ways of using the co-operative model.
The CDI focus originally had two main areas: Advisory Services, and Innovation and Research. A third activity is community outreach and promotion, which is integrated into both program areas. The Advisory Services component provides expert technical assistance to groups who want to start new co-ops, or who need help to manage existing ones.
1. The Advisory Services component provides expert technical assistance to groups who want to start new co-ops, or who need help to manage existing ones. The Advisory Services are administered in each province by the provincial associations.
2. The objective of the Innovation and Research component was to expand the use of the co-op model. This was designed to lead to an increased number of co-ops and/or of memberships to address the needs of individuals and communities. The CDI Innovation and Research component was facilitated by the federal Co-operatives Secretariat in conjunction with the national co-operatives associations.
Through our involvement with this program, On Co-op realized that there remains a large need to provide a source of funding to co-operatives directly to allow them to hire needed expertise (co-operative developers, lawyers, financial experts, etc) to help them grow their businesses. This program has become a key component of our co-operative development services as a result, and we seek additional sources of funding and revenue beyond CDI to be able to provide this support.
On Co-op provides co-op development consulting services, advice and a network of co-op resources to help your co-op through the development process. Please review our eligibility criteria before applying - we also encourage you to contact the office to discuss your needs before applying.
