Spark Ideas Grant

1. PURPOSE

The purpose of the Spark Ideas grant is to support the Saskatchewan Sport System to enhance and increase the capacity to support Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Accessibility.

The objectives are to:

• Increase opportunities to participate in quality sport activities for all those in Saskatchewan, including equity-deserving and under-represented groups.
• Increase the ability of the Saskatchewan Sport System to achieve meaningful, lasting change by supporting member-led initiatives.
• Increase inclusion, diversity, equity and accessibility within the Saskatchewan sport system.

2. SPARK IDEAS GRANT OUTCOMES

The Spark Ideas grant has four specific outcomes that help to ensure equity-deserving groups benefit from this funding.

• Outcome 1
  Participants (athletes, coaches, officials, leaders and administrators) of sport opportunities report greater feelings of inclusion and belonging in environments where all aspects of sport happen (Ex. on the field of play, in the locker rooms, at the board table, at the office, etc.).
• Outcome 2
  Organizations are more aware of and better able to serve the unique needs of Saskatchewan residents in equity-deserving and under-represented groups.
• Outcome 3
  Opportunities to participate in sport (for athletes, coaches, officials, leaders and administrators) are more accessible to an increased number of Saskatchewan residents.
• Outcome 4
  Membership demographics are more representative of the Saskatchewan population.

Additional consideration will be made to distribute the funding to member groups who consider the following principles:

• Nothing about us without us
  This principle recognizes that individuals with lived experiences know what is best for themselves and their community and that their participation is integral to the success of the project. When the principle is used, the organization’s work is guided by the needs and aspirations of the people being served. Those people served are provided meaningful opportunities for participation in project planning, leadership, evaluation and promotion.
• An equity lens
  Using an equity lens means recognizing diversity in experience and needs and creating frameworks that respond to diversity. An equity lens requires a set of informed policies and practices intentionally designed to promote opportunity and rectify disparities, as well as informed people positioned to implement them effectively.

3. ELIGIBILITY

To be eligible for the Spark Ideas grant, your organization must:

• Be an eligible Provincial Sport Organization, Multi-Sport Organization, District for Sport, Culture and Recreation, Tribal Council, Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations or Métis Nation – Saskatchewan.
• Demonstrate the organization’s ability and readiness to support inclusion, diversity, equity and accessibility programming/initiatives.
• Demonstrate the organization’s ability to meet one or more of the grant outcomes.

Note: Meeting the eligibility criteria does not guarantee funding.

4. SOURCE OF FUNDING 

The Spark Ideas grant is funded by the Sport Section of the Sask Lotteries Trust Fund and administered through Sask Sport.

5. EXPRESSION OF INTEREST DEADLINE

There will be two Expression of Interest intake deadlines per fiscal year. Exact dates will be announced over the course of the grant cycle with four weeks notice per deadline.

The grant will require an Expression of Interest form to be submitted prior to being invited to apply for funding.

Timelines for other grant requirements will be communicated with applicants once eligible organizations are invited to participate in the program. Invitations to participate are contingent on the submission of an expression of interest which must be submitted by the intake deadline for an organization to be considered for the grant period.

6. ELIGIBLE PROJECTS

Initiatives must be in support of an approved area of funding, which may include:

• Capacity support for employment
• Club development
• Targeted programming
• Coach, official and leadership development
• Approved organizational development

Examples of projects that support these approved areas of funding may include:

• Unconscious bias training for board members, staff, coaches, officials and leaders.
• Employment for positions that may implement inclusion, diversity, equity and accessibility initiatives.
• Education and support around the decolonization of sport.
• Inclusion, diversity, equity and accessibility specific development of clubs, programs or initiatives.
• Human and volunteer resource structures and policies (Ex. equitable hiring, employee and volunteer onboarding, mentorship and voluntary self-declaration).
• Supports and training for staff, volunteers and/or board members.
• Enhancement or expansion of existing programs and initiatives.
• Reviewing and evaluating programming and resource allocation with an equity and diversity lens.
• Collecting, analyzing and reporting on equity and diversity data.
• Establishing and enacting proactive recruitment strategies aimed at people from equity-deserving groups.
• Development of equity, diversity and inclusion policy and review of all policies with an equity and diversity lens.

7. GRANT PROCESS

1. Submit an Expression of Interest form.
2. Work with Sask Sport to help identify the organization’s intended use and equity group target.
3. Complete a Readiness Assessment form which will be used to help adjudicate which organizations will be invited to apply for funding. The adjudication process will consider the organization’s readiness to engage in the work across areas like board and membership support, capacity, community need and desire for programming and potential for impact.
4. If invited to apply for funding, complete a Spark Ideas Application form (funding is allocated upon approval of this application).
5. If approved for grant funding, the organization must participate in the facilitated planning process with Sask Sport to support the development of a work plan.
   • The Impact Guide can support the organization in this process by providing guidance to develop the vision, determine outcomes, evaluation mechanisms, and examples to ensure effective and efficient execution of your plan.
6. Complete all required follow-up processes and submit an Interim and Follow-up form at the end of the grant period for single-year grants and annually at the end of each fiscal year for multi-year grants.

8. REQUIREMENTS AND CONDITIONS

• This grant is made possible by Sask Lotteries, the main fundraiser for more than 12,000 sport, culture and recreation groups in communities across Saskatchewan. Sask Lotteries must be promoted and recognized within all communications and promotions developed as it pertains to the grant. The Sask Lotteries logo, brand guidelines, key messages and promotional materials are available at sasklotteries.ca/funding-recognition.
• Any major changes to the original approved application must be submitted to Sask Sport.
• If applicable, the grant amount may be prorated for the period not utilized.
• The grant expenditures must take place within the organization’s grant period for which the grant funds were approved. No carryover of unused grant funds is permitted.
• Grant payments will be withheld if the organization has any outstanding Trust Fund grant requirements.
• Grants are approved with the understanding that funds are to be used for eligible purposes adhering to the Spark Ideas grant guidelines. Any unused funds, or funds that are used for purposes that do not adhere to the grant guidelines will be required to be returned to the Trust Fund.

9. INELIGIBLE EXPENSES

• Capital expenditures – no support is available for construction, renovations, upgrading, maintenance or operating costs of facilities.
• Alcoholic beverages
• Cash prizes
• Out of country travel
• Food expenditures – funds are not to support food-related expenditures. Out-of- pocket meal costs for volunteers and/or staff who are working on behalf of the organization are justifiable, however, food expenses for meals for participants, banquets and dinners are an inappropriate use of Trust Fund funds. Organizations are encouraged to use self-help revenue or user pay to cover food costs for these purposes.
• Expenditures that are covered by other grant funding. Two different grant sources cannot be used to pay the same dollar of expense, whether those grants come from the Trust Fund, Sask Sport or any other provider (Ex. grant source 1 = $500, grant source 2 = $500 and grant source 3 = $500; there must be a minimum of $1,500 in expenses).
• Debt repayment
• Payment of money returns owed to the Trust Fund or Sask Sport
• Other expenses that may be deemed inappropriate

10. ASSESSMENT PROCESS

The Sport Committee is responsible for administering the grant review process and the adjudication of the Spark Ideas grant, with additional consideration from allied partners where appropriate. Applications will be adjudicated based on the organization’s ability to demonstrate how they will meet the outcomes.

11. PAYMENT PROCEDURES

Upon application approval and all applicable completed requirements outlined in the grant process, organizations will be issued 75 per cent of the total approved grant amount. The remaining 25 per cent of the grant will be paid upon receipt and satisfactory review of the Interim and Follow-up form and financial documentation. Payment schedules are subject to change if the grant period is longer than one year or based on the project outline. Payment schedule will be provided at the time of the grant approval.

12. FOLLOW-UP PROCESS
For single-year grants, a completed follow-up form must be submitted no later than 90 days after the grant period.

Multi-year grants require annual reporting.

• A completed interim report form must be submitted:
• Annually for each year of the grant term
• No later than 90 days after the end of each fiscal year
• A final follow-up form must be submitted:
• No later than 90 days after the end of the overall grant period

The Interim and Follow-up Form can be found here: sasksport.ca/funding-opportunities/funding-and-grants/spark-ideas-grant/follow-up-form

The following financial documentation is required:

• Audited financial statement when it becomes available (signed by two signing authorities). The Spark Ideas grant revenue (under External Self-Help revenue) and expenditures (under Categorical Grants) must be clearly identified as a separate line item either in the body of the statement, in the schedules or notes to the statements.

OR

• General Ledger listing from the organization’s accounting system outlining the grant expenditures during the grant period. The document must be signed by two signing authorities from the organization.

 

There will be two Expressions of Interest deadlines per fiscal year. Exact dates will be announced over the course of the grant cycle with four weeks notice per deadline.

Expressions of Interest are open until March 17, 2026.

Organizations may apply for more than one project. Acceptance will be dependent on the availability of funding. You may apply for multiple projects and initiatives within one application, but the organization’s capacity and planning will be considered during the approval process.

There is no minimum or maximum funding amounts. Organizations are encouraged to submit applications that will meaningfully increase capacity within their sports and therefore, it is expected that funding requests may be larger than traditionally accepted.