Up to $50,000 MLSE Community Action Grant

MLSE Foundation, the charity backed by the Toronto Raptors, Maple Leafs, Argonauts and Toronto FC, gives Ontario organisations up to $50,000 per project to run sport and recreation programmes for youth facing systemic barriers. Applying starts with a short Expression of Interest; shortlisted organisations are then invited to a full application.

What you get:

• A grant of $20,000, $30,000, $40,000 or $50,000 per project, chosen by the applicant
• Up to three years to spend the funds
• Evaluation and capacity building support from MLSE Foundation's measurement and evaluation team, free of charge to grant recipients
• A consultation call with a grant manager if shortlisted, and a feedback call if not selected

What you'll do:

• Register an Organization Profile on MLSE Foundation's online grant portal
• Submit a short Expression of Interest by 15 December 2026
• If shortlisted, submit a Full Application between 2 February and 2 March 2027
• If funded, run the programme and submit a collaborative impact report by the end of the grant cycle

Key dates:

• Expression of Interest opened 3 November 2026
• Applicant webinar 17 November 2026, 11am to 12:30pm
• Expression of Interest closes 15 December 2026, 5:00pm ET
• Shortlisted organisations invited to full application 28 January 2027
• Full applications open 2 February to 2 March 2027
• Final decisions 1 April 2027; funds distributed by 10 May 2027

More information:

• Full criteria and the evaluation rubric are in the 2026-27 Grant Guidelines PDF linked from the grants page
• Questions go to FoundationGrants@MLSE.com

• Must be a Canada Revenue Agency Qualified Donee: a registered charity, registered Ontario amateur athletic association, registered Ontario housing corporation, registered Ontario municipality, or a Metis, Inuit or First Nation community or Band
• Organisations without Qualified Donee status can apply with a Trustee Organization that has it, with a written trustee letter by the EOI deadline
• Organisation and programme must be based in Ontario and serve youth in Ontario
• Programme must serve youth aged 6 to 29 and include a sport and life skills component
• Not funded: support for individuals, team sponsorships, one-time events, high-performance athlete development, health research, endowments or capital campaigns, political or religious programming
• Past recipients must wait one year after their funding cycle ends before reapplying
• Proposals in English or French