Government of Canada announces two calls for proposals for projects helping seniors across Canada stay active, engaged and informed

TORONTO, May 29, 2015 /CNW/ - Today, the Honourable Alice Wong, Minister of State (Seniors), announced two New Horizons for Seniors Program (NHSP) calls for proposals for projects that will keep Canadian seniors active, engaged and informed. For both calls for proposals, the application period begins on May 29, 2015 and will close on July 10, 2015. Today's event took place at the Mon Sheong Foundation's Mon Sheong Home for the Aged in Toronto.

The 2015–2016 NHSP Call for Proposals for Pan-Canadian Projects is inviting organizations to apply for funding for projects that will help to reduce social isolation among seniors by using collaborative approaches that place an emphasis on measurable results. The Government of Canada is partnering with the J.W. McConnell Family Foundation and its Innoweave initiative to support the development, implementation and scaling of these collaborative approaches to reduce social isolation among seniors. Applicants can contact Innoweave through its Seniors SI program to obtain support and to learn more about how organizations can work together to address social isolation. More information on how to apply for funding is available at Canada.ca/Seniors.

The annual NHSP Call for Proposals for Community-Based Projects is inviting organizations to apply for funding of up to $25,000 for projects that help empower seniors to share their knowledge, skills and experiences with others and support communities by increasing their capacity to address local issues. More information on how to apply is available at Canada.ca/Seniors.

To help families prosper, the Government is also enhancing the Universal Child Care Benefit (UCCB), introducing the Family Tax Cut and making improvements to the Child Care Expenses Deduction and the Children's Fitness Tax Credit. The UCCB would increase to up to $1,920 per year for children under the age of 6, and parents would receive a benefit of up to $720 per year for each child aged 6 through 17. The proposed enhancements to the UCCB would provide $160 per month for each child under the age of 6 and $60 per month for each child aged 6 through 17.

The Mon Sheong Foundation is a Canadian registered charitable organization, dedicated to the promotion of Chinese culture, heritage, language and philosophy through caring for the elderly, encouraging the young and providing programs and services in response to the needs of our communities. The Foundation is a former recipient of NHSP funding.

Quick Facts

• The Government of Canada is committed to supporting and promoting seniors' health, well-being and contributions by encouraging them to stay active, engaged and informed.
• Since 2006, the NHSP has funded nearly 15,000 projects in hundreds of communities across Canada, representing a total Government of Canada investment of $350 million.
• Since 2006, $2.8 billion in annual tax relief has been provided to seniors and pensioners.
• In 2006, over 30 percent of Canada's seniors were at risk of social isolation.
• The National Seniors Council (NSC), in its Report on the Social Isolation of Seniors, 2013–2014, highlighted the importance of working with a wide array of organizations that deliver services and programs in an efficient and effective manner to alleviate isolation among older Canadians. The report can be found on Canada.ca/Seniors.
• The Government of Canada released the Government of Canada – Action for Seniors report in September 2014. The report is a new information resource highlighting federal programs and services that can be accessed by seniors, their families and caregivers. It was created in collaboration with more than 22 federal departments and agencies. The report can be found on Canada.ca/Seniors.
• For a wide range of information for seniors, including details on the NHSP, please visit Canada.ca/Seniors.

Quotes

"Our Government is proud to invest in New Horizons for Seniors Program projects that aim to reduce social isolation of seniors in communities across Canada. We welcome the opportunity to team up with innovative partners whose diverse knowledge, resources and collective experience will help us explore new and meaningful ways we can keep seniors active, engaged and informed." 
– The Honourable Alice Wong, Minister of State (Seniors)

"As the first Chinese Home for the Aged in Ontario, Mon Sheong has always been a visionary in elderly care within communities. We believe by providing a well-rounded scope of services, we are able to further delay the need of extended care for seniors. The New Horizons for Seniors Program is a very encouraging program for organizations like ours, as it echoes the philosophy of the Foundation by supporting programs led or inspired by seniors."
– Tim Kwan, Chairman, the Mon Sheong Foundation

Associated Links

• Canada.ca/Seniors
• Funding: New Horizons for Seniors Program
• Economic Action Plan 2015
• Innoweave Seniors SI initiative
• National Seniors Council
• Canada.ca/taxsavings
• Backgrounder on new measures: Helping Families Prosper

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Backgrounder

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New Horizons for Seniors Program

The New Horizons for Seniors Program (NHSP) is a federal grants and contributions program that supports projects led or inspired by seniors who make a difference in the lives of others and their communities. Through the NHSP, the Government of Canada encourages seniors to share their knowledge, skills and experiences to the benefit of others.

The objectives of the NHSP are:

• promoting volunteerism among seniors;
• engaging seniors in the community through mentoring of others;
• expanding awareness of elder abuse, including financial abuse;
• supporting social participation and inclusion of seniors; and
• providing capital assistance for new and existing community projects and/or programs for seniors.

NHSP funding supports pan-Canadian and community-based projects.

Pan-Canadian projects
Pan-Canadian projects funded through the 2015–2016 call for proposals will help to prevent and measurably reduce the rate of social isolation among seniors. Successful projects will be part of collaborative efforts to create this measurable change and will likely be geographically clustered. Each project will be up to three years in duration and funded between $150,000 and $750,000.

Community-based projects
Community-based project funding supports activities that engage seniors and address one or more of the program's five objectives: volunteering, mentoring, expanding awareness of elder abuse, social participation and capital assistance. These projects are eligible to receive up to $25,000 in grant funding per year, per organization. More than 1,850 projects were approved through the NHSP 2014–2015 Call for Proposals for Community-Based Projects.

For more information on the NHSP, visit Canada.ca/Seniors.

The J.W. McConnell Family Foundation and its Innoweave initiative
Established in 1937, the J.W. McConnell Family Foundation has a mandate to enhance Canada's ability to address complex social, environmental and economic challenges. It does this by developing, testing and applying innovative approaches and solutions; by strengthening the community sector; and by collaborating with partners from various sectors—community, private, and public.

The Government of Canada is partnering with the J.W. McConnell Family Foundation and its Innoweave initiative to support NHSP pan-Canadian projects in the development, implementation and scaling of collaborative approaches that measurably reduce the rate of social isolation among seniors in a target population. For more information on the support available through Innoweave's Seniors SI program for NHSP pan-Canadian projects, please visit the Innoweave website.

Differences Between Call for Proposals for Pan-Canadian Projects and
Call for Proposals for Community-Based Projects

SOURCE Canada's Economic Action Plan

Justin Wood, Office of the Minister of State (Seniors), 613-852-3761; Media Relations Office, Employment and Social Development Canada, 819-994-5559, [email protected]