Frequently Asked Questions

#RisingYouth was a program led by TakingITGlobal to help young people nationwide who are inspired with ideas and ready to take action through youth-led community service grants. The program was funded to offer grants through May 2022 by the Government of Canada under the Canada Service Corps initiative.

We accepted general applications until May 17, 2022, and project leaders had to be able to submit their reporting on activities to date and receipts for expenses by August 16, 2022.

The funding program was available to Canadian citizens, permanent residents or people who have been granted refugee status in Canada. In the context of the program, "youth" refers to individuals who are between the ages of 15 to 30 years old during the year of their participation in the program. The primary impact of the project must be focused in Canada. Please see our application checklist for full eligibility requirements.

The #RisingYouth program cycle is now closed. Youth were able to apply online using our website www.risingyouth.ca by selecting one of the available grants for $250, $750 or $1500. We also had Word or PDF applications online, for those who prefered.

The program was designed for individuals or a group of youth in Canada with the goal of involving and activating youth through a service initiative. Organizations were able to support youth-initiated and youth-led projects, but organizations themselves were not eligible to receive funding.

We had three grant levels available depending on the scope of your project.

$250 – For simple ideas that can be implemented by you and your friends, such as community events of gatherings (in person or online).

$750 – For bigger ideas that can be implemented with a small group of peers, such as building a community garden or distributing care packages. Projects at this level of funding need a budget and a community reference to apply.

$1500 – For projects that involve a larger group of people to drive impact. Projects at this level of funding need a budget and a mentor or community reference to apply.

You can download project examples and requirements to see examples of projects at each level that have been approved. For more inspiration on completed projects and their impact, follow us on Instagram at @risingyouthtig.

Our program was funded by the Government of Canada under the Canada Service Corps initiative.

No. As grants are only reimbursing you for expenses incurred in conducting your voluntary service activity and none of the funds are being paid to you personally, these grants were not considered taxable income as long as your reporting is completed and receipts for expenses are submitted.

Our impact model illustrates a working concept of a sustainable ecosystem where we all play a role of supporting and contributing to the growth of the flower, represented as a blossoming youth, and their ideas for social change through their community service projects. In turn, they enable current and future generations (the seeds) with opportunities to shape a future reflective of their visions and values.

The aim of working together as a coalition is to ensure young people's ideas flourish (represented by the imagery of cross-pollination) and enable the flower to reproduce and inspire another seed with an idea for change. The National Coalition, Impact Partners, and community members ensure that next generation, (the seed) is healthy with strong community foundations (represented by the bed of soil) to repeat the cycle in a way that promotes growth with support from the moon (funds through Rising Youth Community Service Grants) and sunshine (public showcase of projects).

Diagram by TakingITGlobal #RisingYouth Team members Melissa Yaw, Jamal Tekleweld, Kim Boucher-Morin, Aicha Allaoui, Jennifer Corriero, and Michael Furdyk together with artist Nyle Miigizi Johnston.

You may receive funding or other types of donations from other organizations, but it must be kept separate from the funds provided by the #RisingYouth grant. When submitting your final report, only submit the receipts from purchases that were made with #RisingYouth funds.

Yes, you can collaborate with other RisingYouth grantees who are in the process of completing their project. Please keep in mind that all funds/receipts must be kept separate and the project ideas must be unique from one another in terms of the nature of the project and the community they are assisting. Youth who are collaborating with other grantees cannot direct their project towards the same community.

For example: If a youth would like to create hygiene care packages and another youth would like to create food care packages, they must be distributed to different communities.

Youth were able to partner with a community organization as long as the youth is still leading the project. Think of your community organization as a source for support! During the pandemic, we also encouraged youth to work alongside community organizations to help ensure safety precautions.

Each individual was only able to apply once for the program, but you can be involved in multiple group projects.

If you have many different ideas to improve your community and you wish to define and refine your project more specifically, we encourage you to use our Guide to Action to help develop your service project concept. The guide was informed by the experiences of youth leaders around the world as part of research conducted by TakingITGlobal's Co-Founder, Jennifer Corriero, on youth-led action in an international context.

Community references are trusted individuals who will support and advise on project development throughout planning and implementation. These could be members of your community such as elders, teachers, coaches, members of NGOs or other networks. Essentially, this is someone who can help you plan and connect to maximize your project's impact on your community. Please keep in mind that family members cannot be listed as a community reference.

For applications at the $750 and $1500 grant level, the community reference was contacted to answer questions regarding the nature of the guidance they will be providing to the project. They were also be asked to provide a photo of a piece of ID.

We've created this critical Self-Reflection Guide to help you in this process. You can read it here or watch the video below.

When planning for your #RY project budget, please keep the following limits in mind:

Honorarium refers to:

1. Payment for a volunteer service in which fees are usually not required or they have provided a rate lower than what is normally charged in their industry. For example: A professional graphic designer agrees to make your posters for $50. 

2. It is common practice to provide an honorarium to Indigenous Elders for sharing their traditional knowledge or gifts in a show of reciprocity. This honorarium is viewed as a gift to the Indigenous Elder or knowledge keeper. 

Professional Service Payments: A payment for a service that is within the average range in their industry. 

- Example: A photographer agrees to take photos of your 4-hour long event for their normal rate of $50/hour.

- No more than 50% of the grant can be allocated to honoraria (the plural of honorarium) or professional service payments.

- At the $1500 grant level, no more than $450 can be given to an individual for a single honorarium or professional service payment.

- Honoraria and professional service payments cannot be paid to family members or core volunteer team members. Exceptions can be made for Indigenous communities and/or small communities.

- If you will be distributing an honoraria or professional service payment, please describe the service being provided on your application and/or on this budget spreadsheet

Gift Cards and Contest Prizes

The maximum amounts able to be provided to participants or beneficiaries are $25 for gift cards and/or $250 for an individual prize item or gift awarded based on merit (a judged hackathon, for example). Projects requesting more than $250 for prizes and gifts should explain how these are aligned to the project’s goals and how they are proportional to the time being invested by participants.

If you are able to stretch out the grant to fund more than one idea, then it would be okay to apply with that project idea as long as you are specific in the application.

While the #RisingYouth program cycle has ended and applications are no longer being accepted, Applications were reviewed on an ongoing basis. Youth heard from us within 30 days of applying.

Projects had to start and finish within 2 months of grant approval.

A mandatory project report is to be submitted within 15 days of completing your project. For your report, you need to submit photos of your project activity and receipts for purchases made.

You can either complete your report online at http://www.tigurl.org/ryreport, or try our easy-to-use mobile app to complete your report along the way!

The mobile app is designed to help you begin your report from the day you receive funds! You can photograph receipts as you spend your grant funding, helping to avoid misplacing them or keeping them until the end of your project. You can also work offline after logging into the app, working on your report even when you aren't connected to the Internet. If you need support submitting your final report, reach out to your Grantee Support Coordinator and they will be able to help you complete your final report over the phone or through a virtual one-on-one meeting. We can't wait to hear all about your project!

#RisingYouth is one part of the Canada Service Corps - Canada's national youth service initiative. You can find other resources to get involved here!

Our Grants Administration Grantee Support team was able to assist all Grantees with any application related questions and can explore all available options during your project completion and reporting. You can email funding@takingitglobal.org with specific questions you may have.

We recognize these are uncertain times that could lead to feelings of increased anxiety.  

Below are a few personal wellness options to keep members of our community safe and aware of available supports.

If you are in crisis, please call 911 or go to your nearest emergency department for assistance.

Personal Wellness Supports:

Kids Help Phone: Call 1-800-668-6868 or text 686868

Provides professional counselling, information and referrals and volunteer-led, text-based support to young people in both English and French. 24/7, national support service.

First Nations and Inuit Hope for Wellness Help Line - Call 1-855-242-3310

Offers immediate mental health counselling and crisis intervention to all Indigenous peoples across Canada. 24/7 & toll free, available in English and French. 

Crisis Services Canada - Call 1-833-456-4566

If you are concerned about someone considering suicide and/or yourself looking to speak with a trained professional, this resource is available 24/7 with services in English and French.

Be Safe is a mobile app that aims to help young adults make a decision about seeking help in a crisis.  The Be Safe app is available on the App Store or Google Play. The App allows users to create a digital safety plan, Informs users about mental health and addiction resources in their local community, available in English and French.

There is certain flexibility on your budget, but we ask that you keep the #RisingYouth team updated with budget changes. When a community service project is approved, a grantee is assigned a Grantee Support Coordinator who will be your main contact throughout your project. They must be kept in the loop in terms of project end-date changes and budget changes, but will also be there to support you with any questions or challenges you may have. 

If you come across an obstacle that makes it difficult for you to execute your original project idea after it has been approved, you must email your Grantee Support Coordinator (GSC) about the new project idea and the reason for the change. To expedite this process, include your grantee ID number, a new budget and timeline in the email. The GSC must approve this change before executing your new proposed project idea.

You can find your grantee ID number on the contract that you signed after your #RisingYouth application was approved. If you are unsure of who your GSC is, send us an email with your grantee ID number at funding@takingitglobal.org.

If you have more than $10 in remaining funds, please return the funds via e-transfer to funding@takingitglobal.org, using the password risingyouth and include your grantee ID number in the memo.

Alternatively, please mail a cheque to our head office:

TakingITGlobal
212-117 Peter Street
Toronto, ON
M5V 0M3

If you have less than $10 in remaining funds, feel free to purchase coffee or a small gift card for your community reference or a volunteer.

The honourarium invoice template can be found on the #RisingYouth Hub in the budgeting folder. You can also click here to download the template.

Based on request, our team at #RisingYouth has been working hard to develop opportunities for Alumni to gain access to additional professional learning materials and experiences.  Once you've completed your project's Impact Report, you will gain access to the Alumni Hub and Alumni Newsletter with a growing number of resources and opportunities.