Our assessment criteria In addition to assessing an application’s fit with our granting priorities, we assess all organizations and their applications according to the following criteria to ensure fairness and accountability. Organizational criteria An organization’s ability to carry out the proposal and to achieve the desired results is demonstrated by: • A relevant mandate, proven track record and good operating systems • An elected, volunteer board of directors that is representative of the diversity in the community and accountable to it through public general meetings, newsletters, etc. • An ability to manage and sustain growth that may result from the grant • An appropriate organizational structure and set of skills, including responsiveness to changing community needs and opportunities • A history of partnering with others (where appropriate) An organization’s ability to manage the requested OTF grant and the resources needed to carry out the project is demonstrated by: • A realistic relationship between the requested grant amount and the organization’s current annual budget • Appropriate financial management policies and practices • No significant accumulated deficit • No significant unrestricted or internally restricted reserve funds or accumulated surplus Application criteria Applications are assessed according to the following: • Clear, measurable benefits to the community • Community support in the form of volunteer time, contributions from other organizations, cash or in-kind support from corporate sponsors, individual donors and the applicant • Involvement of multiple partners in planning, doing or evaluating the work (where appropriate) • Support from people who are knowledgeable about the sector, the community and/or the proposal • Significant need for Ontario Trillium Foundation funding and evidence that the Foundation is the appropriate funder • Greater accessibility to activities, programs or venues, including geographical, physical, cultural or economic accessibility • Sustainability or lasting impact Examples of sustainability or lasting impact could include: • Added value to community life even after the grant is complete (for example, participants continue to share what they have learned, a permanent change has been achieved in the community or a model has been repeated in another community) • A plan for ensuring resources are in place to continue the work after the grant ends (including maintenance for renovation and equipment grants)