Youth Suicide Prevention Grant Program

Important dates

Overview

The Government of Alberta is committed to preventing youth suicide and improving the health and well-being of young people through the Youth Suicide Prevention Grant Program.

Targeted grant funding will be used to support evidence-informed initiatives that align with one or more of the Youth Suicide Prevention Grant Program Guidelines outcome areas, target priority youth populations at increased risk of suicide, and either:

• expand the capacity of existing initiatives to address identified suicide prevention gaps and community needs
• support the development and piloting of new, innovative initiatives to address identified suicide prevention gaps and community needs

The Youth Suicide Prevention Program Guidelines note that sub-populations are at an increased risk of suicide. Priority youth populations at increased risk include:

• Indigenous youth
• sexual and gender diverse youth
• youth experiencing homelessness
• youth in government care or transitioning out of care
• youth with mental health and addiction challenges
• recent immigrant and refugee youth

The 3 outcome areas targeted by the Youth Suicide Prevention Grant Program are supports and services, training, and education and awareness. More information about these outcome areas and examples of eligible activities can be found in the Youth Suicide Prevention Grant Program Guidelines.

For the purposes of this grant grogram, ‘youth’ includes all individuals under the age of 25.

The geographic scope of the Youth Suicide Prevention Grant Program is provincewide, including urban and rural areas, as well as Metis Settlements and Indigenous organizations.

Funding

The range of funding per grant agreement is from $40,000 to $175,000 per fiscal year. Grant funds must be used only for purposes approved by the Alberta government.

The term of the Youth Suicide Prevention Grant Program will be from July 1, 2024 to June 30, 2026. Applicants may apply for up to 2 years of funding during this time period.

The Alberta government reserves the right to renew the grant agreement under the same terms and conditions, for up to 2 single year renewals to perform the Project.

Based on available funding and the number of applications received, not all applications may be funded or receive the full amount.

Eligibility

An eligible organization must meet all of these eligibility criteria:

Type of organization

An organization must be classified as one of the following:

• not-for-profit organization or society, legally registered and in good standing under one of the following pieces of legislation:
  • provincial legislation (Alberta)
    • Societies Act
    • Special Act of the Legislature
    • Agricultural Societies Act – Religious Societies Land Act, Part 2
    • Post-secondary Learning Act
    • Part 21 of the Business Corporations Act – Extra-Provincial Corporations – and must be incorporated as a not-for-profit organization or society in their home jurisdiction
  • federal legislation (Canada)
    • Special Act of Parliament
    • Canada Not-for-profit Corporations Act – and must be registered in Alberta under the Business Corporations Act
    • Income Tax Act (and operating in Alberta as a charity)
    • Board of Trade Act, Part 2 (Chambers of Commerce)
• First Nation
• Metis Settlement

Length of operations

An organization must be operating in Alberta for a minimum of one full calendar year.

Insurance coverage

Applicants must insure:

• their operations under a contract of general liability insurance, in accordance with Alberta’s Insurance Act, in an amount not less than $2,000,000 inclusive per occurrence
• against bodily injury, personal injury and property damage, including loss of use thereof

Successful applicants

The following organizations were selected to receive funding for the 2022-2024 Youth Suicide Prevention Grant Program:

• Camrose Open Door – central region
• Centre for Suicide Prevention – provincial
• Canadian Mental Health Association Edmonton – Edmonton region
• Free Play for Kids – Edmonton region
• Gift Lake Metis Settlement – Gift Lake Metis Settlement
• Lethbridge Family Services – south region
• Miywasin Friendship Centre – Medicine Hat
• Neutral Hills Learning & Community Connection Centre – central region
• Red Deer Native Friendship Society – central region
• St. Albert Food Bank and Community Village Society – Sturgeon County
• University of Calgary – Calgary region
• YMCA of Northern Alberta – north region

A program evaluation committee determined the successful applicants for this 2-year funding period based on the posted guidelines. Selection criteria included:

• how an organization’s programming aligns with the Youth Suicide Prevention Plan outcome areas
• if they target priority youth populations, including Indigenous youth
• their ability to address gaps and community needs, and the sustainability of their programs

The evaluation committee also based its recommendations on ensuring an equitable geographic distribution of funded projects, addressing known gaps in existing programming, leveraging existing funding, and ensuring all targeted outcome areas were addressed.

How to apply

To apply for the Youth Suicide Prevention Grant Program, follow these steps:

Step 1. Review the guidelines

Review the Youth Suicide Prevention Grant Program Guidelines.

Additional info

• We are not able to offer support for grant writing or comment on the likelihood that a proposal will receive funding.
• Each application should identify one central project focus (Supports and Services, Training, Education and Awareness). However, it is possible that a project will touch on more than one of these outcome areas.
• The guidelines do not include a limit on organizations submitting more than one project applications for consideration.

Step 2. Complete the application form

1. Download the Youth Suicide Prevention Grant Program Application Form.
2. Follow all the instructions in the form – and fill it out.

Additional info

• The budget section in the Youth Suicide Prevention Application Form must be fully completed; however, we do not require an additional budget to be submitted separately.
• The budget section needs to be signed by the treasurer, financial officer or other authorized representation of the board – and digital signatures are not accepted.

Step 3. Submit your application form

Email your completed form to [email protected].

After you apply

We will review your application and let you know whether or not it has been successful by May 31, 2024.

Reporting

After an application is approved, a successful applicant will enter into a grant agreement with the Alberta government that – for each funded project – will specify the:

• deliverables
• project requirements
• grant reporting
• payment schedule

Contact

Connect with us if you have questions regarding the Youth Suicide Prevention Grant Program:

Email: [email protected]