How to Apply

ELIGIBILITY

Donner Awards eligibility is restricted to Canadian non-profit agencies delivering social services within Canada in any of the seven categories listed below.

1. Counselling Services/Crisis Intervention  
2. Education
3. Prevention and Treatment of Substance Abuse 
4. Provision of Basic Necessities
5. Services for Children
6. Services for People with Disabilities 
7. Services for Seniors 

WHEN AND HOW TO APPLY

The Donner Awards is an annual process with the application season usually running from January to April. The 2010 Donner Awards program will be starting later than it usually does - please check our Home page for information about the 2010 application season.

To apply, you need to complete the application online or send the completed print version of the Application Form to us in the mail by the conclusion of the application season. Refer to the Guide for Applicants for information to assist in answering questions - those that have associated information and explanatory material in the Guide are marked with a 'star' icon.

Please note that the 2010 online application, the print version of the 2010 Application Form and the 2010 Guide for Applicants will not be available until the start of the 2010 application season.

You must also send us one copy of your agency's annual report (or equivalent such as the minutes of the Annual General Meeting and/or a newsletter for the "most recent year"); and the financial statements for the most recent year. You may email these report attachments to coordinator@donnerawards.org with "Application Reports" and your agency's full name in the subject line. These materials must be emailed no later than the deadline date.

Alternatively, forward these reports, post-marked no later than the deadline date, to:

Donner Canadian Foundation Awards

401-1491 Yonge Street

Toronto, ON M4T 1Z4

Benefits of applying online 

Applying online maintains the integrity of your organization's data as it minimizes the incidence of data entry error. There are also built-in checks in the online application form to ensure that you answer questions correctly. 

CONFIDENTIALITY 

All information submitted as part of your application to the Donner Awards will remain strictly confidential.

NOTIFICATION OF FINALIST STATUS

Short-listed finalists are  contacted directly by telephone. All applicants will receive their status notification after finalists are contacted. See our Home page for the current application season's specific dates under the News and Calendar updates.

QUESTIONS?

If you have any questions about completing the application, please check our Frequently Asked Questions webpage for assistance in answering questions on your application form. For more information email coordinator@donnerawards.org or call toll-free 1.877.714.4531 to receive assistance rather than submit inaccurate or incomplete responses.  Due to the volume of applications, it is difficult to assist agencies in correcting applications once they have been submitted.  It is easier for us to assist you as you work through the application.

AREAS OF EVALUATION

The Donner Awards application covers ten different performance areas:

1. Financial Management.  Considers year-over-year financial management, cost containment, program spending and financial reporting.
2. Income Independence.  Considers the level of diversification in an organization’s revenues.
3. Strategic Management. Considers the process through which resources are directed towards a common goal or objective.
4. Board Governance. Considers the independence, accountability, and effectiveness of board governance.
5. Volunteers. Considers the number of volunteers, their recruitment, management and development.
6. Staff.  Considers the level of programming provided by staff, their recruitment, management and development.
7. Innovation. Considers the uniqueness of programs, how organizations innovate in response to change, and the use of new technology in program delivery.
8. Program Cost. Considers the per-hour cost of providing a program or service.
9. Outcome Monitoring. Considers the extent to which organizations assess their own performance in terms of achieving specific goals in their programs.
10. Accessibility. Considers the extent to which organizations assess need in making scarce resource allocation decisions.

*Note: “Accessiblity” is not applicable to organizations in the Alternative Education, Traditional Education, and Services for Children categories.

STAGE 1: OBJECTIVE EVALUATION

Performance scores are calculated by Donner Awards Program staff, based on information provided in an organization’s application. These scores, which rank organizations relative to their peers in the non-profit sector, are forwarded to each applicant in a Confidential Report.  An agency's Confidential Report is to be read in conjunction with the annual Non-Profit Performance Report [PDF]. 

STAGE 2: EXPERT ASSESSMENT

The three or four agencies in each service category that score the highest in the objective evaluation are invited to participate as finalists in the second stage of expert assessment. Donner Award applicants will be notified if they are being considered as finalists and this notification usually occurs at the end of July.

Finalists will be asked to complete essay-style questions and submit letters of support, which will be evaluated by an esteemed panel of judges. This panel is made up of recognized experts from the business, social, and non-profit sectors. 

These judges select the final award recipients, who will be announced at a celebratory event usually held in Toronto in the fall.