Terms And Conditions For Contribution Funding under the Crime Prevention Action Fund (CPAF)

1. Authority

The Minister’s authority to make transfer payments is section 6(1)(c) of the Department of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness Act, S.C. 2005, ch.10. The Crime Prevention Action Fund (CPAF) supports the National Crime Prevention Strategy’s (NCPS) policy framework through funding allocations for the implementation of crime prevention initiatives in Canada.

2. Purpose

The purpose of the CPAF is to support the implementation and evaluation of crime prevention initiatives that address known risk and protective factors associated with crime and respond to priority crime issues.  

The CPAF supports Public Safety’s Strategic Outcome of providing Canadians with “A Safe and Resilient Canada” as per its Report on Plans and Priorities (RPP). Furthermore, it is aligned with the Crime Prevention Program Activity Architecture (PAA) described within the RPP as “The Crime Prevention program activity develops policies and programs designed to reduce the likelihood of criminal behaviour among targeted groups of the population. It supports the implementation in local communities of evidence-based crime prevention initiatives by providing funding and practice-oriented knowledge, tools and support.”

Public Safety Canada’s CPAF contributes to the federal government’s leadership role in promoting community safety. It does this, in part, through providing contribution funding to local communities for targeted youth violence, youth crime and delinquency prevention projects.

3. Objectives and Results

The objective of the CPAF contributions is to:

• Support evidence-based models and promising practices which address known risk and protective factors to reduce offending among at-risk children and youth, and high risk offenders in communities.

 Funded projects under the CPAF are expected to lead to one or more of the following outcomes:

Short term outcomes:

• Targeted at-risk individuals and populations are reached through support and interventions provided by projects; and
• Increased knowledge of effective crime prevention resources, tools and best practices.

Intermediate Outcomes:

• Positive changes in risk and protective factors among at-risk children and youth;
• Positive changes in risk and protective factors for youth at risk of involvement in crimes such as those related to gangs and drugs;
• Positive changes in risk and protective factors for high risk offenders in communities; and
• Utilization of more effective strategies to prevent and reduce crime.

 Ultimate Outcomes:

• Reduced offending among targeted populations.

4. Class of Recipients

Contributions may be provided to the following classes of recipients in support of the objectives of the CPAF:

1. Community or professional organizations, societies and associations which have voluntarily associated themselves for a not-for-profit purpose, and which have the mandate to represent their membership or community;
2. Indigenous governments, organizations and communities;
3. Canadian universities, educational institutions/boards of education and Centres of excellence;
4. Provincial or municipal police services, including indigenous police services, and their governing authorities (including boards or police commissions) excluding the RCMP when acting in their capacity as a municipal, provincial or territorial police service;
5. Provincial, territorial, municipal and regional governments;

Government departments as defined in section 2 of the Financial Administration Act (including the RCMP), for-profit groups, individuals and Federal Crown corporations are not eligible for funding under the CPAF.

5. Eligible Activities

Activities eligible for support must be aligned with project goals and objectives and include the following:

• Project start-up activities, including but not limited to hiring and training of staff, leasing of equipment or rental of space;
• Development and dissemination of information, tools and resources;
• Outreach and recruitment of participants;
• Interventions addressing risk factors associated with youth violence, youth crime and delinquency, including but not limited to: mentoring, counselling, skills development and recreational opportunities;
• Networks and coalition building, including workshops and seminars;
• Professional development and training of project staff;
• Public awareness and education;
• Expert advice and consultation; and
• Evaluation.

The CPAF should not support the duplication of existing programs and services in a community.

6. Type and Nature of Expenditures

Funds may be used only for expenses directly related to the activities of the project identified in a budget approved by the Department. Public Safety may consider reimbursement of eligible pre-execution expenditures incurred prior to the signing of the Contribution Agreement on an exceptional basis. Such exceptional basis entails the potential loss of critical project resource(s) or the delivery of the project will be jeopardized.

The Minister will not pay for any eligible expenses incurred by a Recipient prior to the date of approval of the Proposal/Application as per the Delegated Financial Signing Authority Matrix and reimbursement of pre-execution expenditures must not cross fiscal years. The Minister shall not reimburse an Applicant for costs incurred should the Agreement not be executed.

Whereas this clause may conflict with the additional funding approaches “fixed” and “flexible” as made available under Appendix K provisions of the Directive on Transfer Payments, Appendix K provisions take precedence for recipients who have flexible or fixed funding as part of their Contribution Agreements.

Eligible expenses include expenditures such as:

1. Salaries and wages for permanent or temporary professional, clerical, technical and administrative services, including mandatory employment related costs;
2. Fees and disbursements for hiring consultants and experts integral to the project;
3. Rent, normal utilities such as electricity, heat, water and telephone, maintenance of offices and other buildings, and  property taxes where these expenses are directly related to the development and implementation of the project;
4. Minor renovations to the facility where the interventions are taking place (principally required to enhance security or to ensure program fidelity), where deemed essential for the success of the project. Minor renovations are defined as $10,000 in total or less, over the course of the project;
5. Office equipment and minor capital acquisitions net of disposal (minor capital is defined as less than $5,000 per acquisition). Best value on rental versus purchase of equipment should be determined and the equipment should be retained throughout the project and only be replaced as required;
6. Access/admittance fees for project participants in recreational or cultural activities;
7. Insurance on buildings, equipment, materials;
8. Liability insurance;
9. Supplies and materials, shipping charges, stationary, postage, printing, distribution and licenses;
10. Travel and living expenses related to the delivery of the project, including transportation rental costs, vehicle leases and insurance for vehicles, which are deemed reasonable through the detailed budget review and not to exceed the maximum National Joint Council (NJC) guideline amount. Travelers should be reimbursed based on receipts up to the eligible reimbursement amount;
11. Transportation, inclusive of rental vehicle costs, non-capital vehicle leases and related insurance, bus tickets, tokens and other participant-related transportation reimbursements;
12. Training (including conferences) and costs related to project development e.g. consultations, professional development, data collection, committee meetings, and site visits;
13. Audit and evaluation expenses;
14. Administrative expenses as agreed to by the parties of the Agreement, which should not exceed 15% of the total budget, if not already included in other line items. This category may include costs related to bookkeeping, payroll services, financial management and reporting. The amount must be supported by reasonable methodology and breakdown and be for costs directly related to the administration of the project;
15. Honoraria, defined as time-limited remuneration for service or participation in a project that is consistent with, and essential to the attainment of, the project’s objectives. This can include but is not limited to, volunteer services, guest speakers and Elder honoraria; but cannot be provided for individuals whose participation in a project is already being compensated (e.g. by their employer) or is being accrued as part of an in-kind contribution;
16. Participant incentives and rewards; should not be disbursed as cash, should be of low monetary value and should encourage participation in project and evaluation activities; a linkage should be made to the Model Program or the project objectives and should be based on participants reaching established milestones (i.e. success in completing certain modules of a program) and the maximum should not exceed $50.00 per incentive/reward;
17. Computer services, library expenses, documentary research costs and collection and analysis of statistics;
18. Public awareness and educational costs consistent with the project’s objectives;
19. Technical and specialized services including, but not limited to, translation, simultaneous interpretation, and web-video production costs;
20. Costs related to child care services incurred by the recipient or the project participants. These costs would only be eligible to cover child care costs incurred to enable parents/legal guardians to participate in activities;
21. Meals and/or refreshments for participants in activities and workshops directly related to the project, which are deemed reasonable through the detailed budget review and not to exceed the maximum NJC guideline amount; and
22. Culturally appropriate expenditures including gifts (for a maximum of $100), community feasts, ceremonies and ceremonial meals, gatherings, and circles in accordance with NJC guidelines.

Ineligible Costs

• Capital costs, such as land, buildings, vehicles and most other major capital costs (more than $5K per acquisition);
• Hospitality, that does not meet the eligible expenses criteria;
• Interest charges or costs of borrowing;
• Amortization;
• Core or ongoing operating expenses; and
• Travel for delegates or participants not directly related to the project, invited by the others, or voluntarily attending.

7. Stacking

When reviewing proposals for contribution funding, departmental officials will ensure that contributions made under the funding program will not cover expenses already covered through another funding program or strategy. When applying for funding, applicants will be required to indicate what, if any, government funds a project is expected to receive. Total Government Assistance (federal/provincial/regional/municipal/local assistance for the same purpose and eligible expenses) is not to exceed 95% of eligible project costs.  In exceptional cases, the total Government Assistance will be considered to a maximum of 100% (e.g. for communities or organizations with lower capacity it is possible that the provincial, federal and/or municipal governments are the only funders). 

In the event that actual Total Government Assistance to a recipient exceeds the stacking limit, it will be necessary for the Department to adjust its level of assistance so that the stacking limit is not exceeded or seek reimbursement of funding provided to recipient. 

The Program will require all recipients of contributions to disclose all confirmed and potential sources of funding for a proposed project before the start and at the end of a project.

8. Method Used to Determine the Amount of a Contribution

Contribution funding amounts will be determined based on an assessment of the recipient’s planned activities and budget submission, previous financial performance and capacity of the recipient to achieve results. The availability of Program funds and the number of successful applicants will also be used to determine the amount the recipient is eligible to receive.

9. Maximum Amount and Period

The maximum contribution payable shall not exceed $7,500,000 per recipient, per project. In addition, the maximum contribution per fiscal year shall not exceed $1,500,000 per project.

Sixty (60) months is the maximum period for which a contribution will be approved.

10. Basis of Payment

Payments will be made in accordance with the Treasury Board Policy on Transfer Payments.  Payments and minimum holdback provisions will be based on a Risk Assessment.

Progress payments will be issued to reimburse the Recipient for expenditures made and will be based upon receipt and acceptance by the Department of interim financial and project reports.

Where advances are required, they will be issued based on the cash flow requirements of the recipient.

Recipients must meet and continue to meet the specific terms and conditions of the Contribution Agreement prior to payments being made.

A final payment will be made only upon receipt and acceptance of final financial, project and evaluation reports. Where deemed necessary, based on the risk assessment, audited financial reports will be requested for the project. 

11. Application Requirements and Assessment Criteria

Proposals or applications to support specific projects should, as appropriate and applicable:

1. Include a signed and dated application with the name, address and facsimile number of the applicant, the period or duration of the project, and the name, title and address (including email address) of an individual with signing authority on behalf of the organization;
2. Demonstrate that the proposal meets the objectives of the program and describes the need for the project, the activities and information that supports the efficacy of the proposed approach to be undertaken;
3. Include an appropriate work plan describing the project activities and expected outcomes;
4. Provide a detailed budget including type and nature of expenditures, a disclosure of all sources of funding for the project (including in-kind contributions and government assistance), amount of funding requested under the program, audited financial statements of the recipient organization (if available and appropriate), previous financial support received from the Department;
5. List potential partners and their roles, and provide evidence of community support for the project;
6. Provide a detailed description of resources, tools, reports or other material to be developed by the project;
7. Include information related to the organization’s legal status and structure, names of project authorities, information on the background, history, mandate, objectives and accomplishments of the organization, and names and contact information for the executive members of the board of directors of the organization or similar information in the case of an ad-hoc group (if applicable);
8. Describe how the project will respect the spirit and intent of the Official Languages Act;
9. Prevent the risk of conflict of interest by:
   1. Disclosing the involvement of prospective recipients who are subject to the Values and Ethics Code for the Public Service, the Conflict of Interest Act (S.C. 2006, c.9)or the Parliament of Canada Act (R.S., 1985, c.P-1.01);
   2. When required by the Lobbying Act, registering lobbyists under the LRA (applicants shall provide assurance that, where lobbyists are utilized, they are registered and that no actual or potential conflict of interest exists nor any contingency fee arrangement);
   3. Discussing the role of a departmental official if a departmental official is to participate on an advisory committee or board. Such involvement must not be seen to be exercising control on the committee or board or on the use of the funds.

Proposals for consideration under the CPAF will be reviewed against program criteria by the Department to determine their eligibility, completeness and conformity according to specified mandatory requirements.  

A formal funding review process will be established to review all proposals under the CPAF.  Following the review process, all proposals recommended for funding will be forwarded for approval to the delegated signing authority.

In reviewing and recommending proposals, the Department will take into consideration, as applicable and appropriate:

1. The extent to which the project would directly support and advance the objectives of the CPAF;
2. The extent to which the proposed project would contribute to building and sharing practical knowledge regarding the prevention of youth violence, youth crime and delinquency;
3. The amount of funding requested relative to the amount of resources available from the Department in any given year and whether expenses outlined in the proposal are eligible and reasonable;
4. The ability of the applicant to develop, implement, manage, monitor, document and evaluate activities within the specified timeframe and budget;
5. The Department’s previous experience in working with the applicant, the degree of collaboration and the quality of and success of the project(s);
6. The level of support of provincial/territorial governments, federal departments and agencies, other stakeholders and partners relevant to the project;
7. Any ethical considerations associated with project delivery and evaluation; and
8. The project’s overall viability, including the potential for project’s transition post-federal funding.

12. Performance Measurement Strategy

The Performance Measurement (PM) Strategy outlines an information strategy for Departmental officials that will facilitate the development of practices and procedures aimed at promoting achievement of objectives and mitigating risks to performance. It also demonstrates how this information will be used to inform the overall evaluation of the NCPS.

The PM Strategy identifies the causal links between its main activities, the key outputs that are produced from these activities, and the intended outcomes arising from the activities and outputs.

Key outcomes and their indicators are:

The National Crime Prevention Centre (NCPC) has an established Performance Measurement and Knowledge Working Group which is responsible for the overall implementation of the Performance Measurement (PM) Strategy. The Working Group reports to NCPC Senior Management on the extent to which the PM Strategy is being implemented. The working group relies on the cooperation and efforts of both internal NCPC staff and funding recipients to collect, organize and provide good quality performance data on a regular basis.

NCPC will support recipients of contributions in the development of project logic models that clearly outline the linkages between project objectives, activities, outputs, and outcomes. For the purposes of ensuring good project management and accountability, all recipients will be required to conduct performance monitoring and assessment ensuring that adequate management information systems and performance measures are established. 

In addition, selected projects will be required to conduct process and impact evaluation to measure the effectiveness of the project in achieving its expected outcomes. These evaluations will be conducted by third party evaluators who will be responsible for completing a comprehensive assessment of the project. Projects will be selected based on established criteria including, but not limited to, relevance of the crime issue and of the particular model to be implemented, project readiness and evaluability. Rigorous evaluation of projects will increase the validity and the reliability of the evaluation findings which, in turn, will be an important element in the NCPS’s overall performance measurement and evaluation plan. 

Funding recipients are responsible for providing reports based on the PM Strategy and according to the completed risk assessment. The reporting deliverables will be detailed in the contribution Agreement and include: a bi-annual performance monitoring report, activity and financial reports, evaluation reports, and a final report due 3 months after the project ends.

13. Official Languages

Funding will be consistent with all relevant policies and regulations of the Official Languages Act.

The Department will work with organizations in their preferred official language.  All the information published as it relates to CPAF will be made available and posted on the Department’s website in both official languages.

The CPAF’s overall objectives are to be implemented within the broader context of the linguistic duality of Canada by supporting projects that will serve official language minority communities while being mindful of gender and diversity issues.

14. Distribution of Funds to Third Parties

Distribution of contribution funds by a recipient to one or more persons or entities must be clearly defined and pre-approved. The Department will ensure that fair and transparent processes are in place. The Department may review all documentation relevant to selection and contracting processes, but will not exercise control over the selection of those persons or entities. In making distributions a recipient will not be acting as an agent of the Department. 

15. Intellectual Property

If a project produces intellectual property, the Recipient retains copyright for any work produced under the Contribution Agreement. However, in situations where the Department wishes to use the intellectual property produced by a Recipient, additional clauses may be included in the Contribution Agreement.

16. Additional Contribution of Funding Approaches

Where deemed appropriate, additional contribution funding approaches will be considered and determined for Indigenous Recipients for projects that target specifically Indigenous people or have a component specifically targeted to Indigenous people in accordance with the objectives of the Crime Prevention Action Fund.

16.1 Flexible Contribution Funding

The Government of Canada will consider utilizing a flexible contribution funding approach where a recipient has demonstrated the capacity to manage transfer payments.

This approach enables the recipient to redirect funding among the cost categories established in the funding agreement. It also allows the recipient, in a multi-year funding agreement, to roll-over unexpended funding remaining at the end of each fiscal year for use in the next fiscal year to further achieve results toward the funding objectives. A request or notification letter must be made in writing by the recipient, prior to the end of the fiscal year, to roll-over unexpended funding to the next fiscal year. Before approval by the Government of Canada of such a request, the funding manager will consider the recipient’s:

• governance structure;
• organization for purposes of funding and activities management, financial and administrative experience, and capacity to deliver activities;
• management processes, procedures and controls;
• accountability mechanisms for transparency, disclosure, responsibility and redress; and
• financial situation.

All unexpended funding from Canada at the termination or expiry of a funding agreement, unless it is renewed, will constitute a debt due to Canada and will need to be reimbursed.

16.1.2 Fixed Contribution Funding

The Government of Canada will consider utilizing a fixed contribution funding approach for Indigenous recipients.

A fixed contribution approach allows the recipient, in a multi-year funding agreement, to carry over unexpended funding remaining at the end of each fiscal year for use in the next fiscal year to further achieve results toward the funding objectives. It also allows the recipient to retain unexpended funding remaining at the expiry of the contribution agreement provided that the obligations and objectives set out in the contribution agreement are met and the recipient agrees to use the unexpended funding for purposes consistent with the objectives of these Terms and Conditions.

Date modified:

2023-08-11