ESDC: Accessible Canada – National AccessAbility Week Funding

Deadline: July 28, 2026

Program Summary:

National AccessAbility Week (NAAW) takes place every year starting on the last Sunday in May. It is an opportunity to celebrate the valuable contributions of Canadians with disabilities. It is also a time to recognize the efforts of individuals, communities, and workplaces that are actively working to remove barriers to accessibility and inclusion. The NAAW stream under the Accessible Canada Fund provides grant funding to projects across Canada. These projects raise awareness of the importance of accessibility and disability inclusion in different sectors and communities.This funding opportunity will support projects that promote the implementation of the Accessible Canada Act and its regulations through National Accessibility Week (NAAW) activities delivered in 2027, 2028 and in 2029, that highlight the contributions of persons with disabilities, raise awareness, and promote accessibility and inclusion in communities and workplaces across Canada.

Call for Proposal (CFP) objectives:

The objective is to fund projects that promote the implementation of the Accessible Canada Act and its regulations through NAAW activities that:

• highlight the contributions of persons with disabilities; and
• raise awareness and promote accessibility and inclusion in communities and workplaces across Canada

Funding priorities and considerations:

Priorities: ESDC will give additional points and prioritize projects that:

• include plans for the participation of persons with disabilities in the overall project design and delivery of activities
• support NAAW activities within underrepresented communities (e.g., Official Language Minority Communities (OLMCs), 2SLGBTQIA+, Indigenous (First Nations, Métis and Inuit), equity-deserving communities, including persons with disabilities, Black and other visible minority groups); and
• align with key priority areas of the Accessible Canada Act, and its regulations

Note: Funding will be distributed across key priority areas and balanced against the assessment priorities and considerations

Considerations:

When assessing applications, ESDC may further consider:

• distributing funding where possible to ensure geographical coverage across Canada
• the proposed project’s alignment with the objectives, outcomes, and priorities of the CFP
• the clarity and completeness of the application
• the proposed project’s support for Official Languages (for example, making project-related documents available in both official languages, actively offering project-related services, etc.)
• the proposed project’s support for accessible and inclusive services
• applications that include multi-sectoral partnerships with organizations from various sectors, including:
  • academia
  • retail
  • health, and
  • financial sectors
• applications that include partnerships among diverse groups from within the disability community. For example:
  • small to medium size disability organizations
  • organizations supporting different types of disabilities; and
  • organizations supporting persons at the intersection of disability and other identities

Note: letters of support from implicated partners must be provided at the time of agreement.Expected Results:Successful applicants under this CFP must deliver the following expected results as part of their projects:

• outputs
  • Deliver NAAW activities (to take place during NAAW 2027, NAAW 2028 and NAAW 2029)
  • Produce project summaries, including success stories and testimonials demonstrating impact of funding from NAAW 2027, NAAW 2028, and NAAW 2029, for consideration by ESDC to distribute to the public
  • Produce two interim reports and one final report on activities and outcomes achieved using templates and indicators prepared by ESDC; and
  • Participate in ESDC-hosted knowledge sharing events to highlight best practices and lessons learned with the disability community
• outcomes
  • Persons with disabilities are supported to participate and engage in the implementation of the Accessible Canada Act and its regulations
  • Increased awareness of accessibility and disability inclusion in Canada
  • Improved understanding and knowledge amongst Canadians about accessibility and disability inclusion issues
  • Reduced stigma and attitudinal barriers towards persons with disabilities
  • Increased knowledge within the disability community as it relates to best practices and lessons learned for NAAW activities, including scalability mechanisms; and
  • By the end of their agreement, NAAW projects will have increased the scale and impact of their activities (for example, engaging more people, strengthening community capacity, and building more strategic partnerships

Eligible projects

Your project must meet all of the following criteria:

• align with the objectives of the Call for Proposals (CFP)
• be no longer than 3 years in duration (The start date should be February 1, 2027, and the end date should be February 1, 2030)
• include plans to scale the project so it can grow over the years, and the activities can reach more people and increase their impact

Projects requesting up to $180,000 must meet the following criteria:

• align with the objectives of the Call for Proposals (CFP)
• include plans to scale the project so it can grow over the years, and the activities can reach more people and increase impact

Projects requesting over $180,000 and up to $360,000 in total funding must meet all of the following criteria:

• align with the objectives of the Call for Proposals (CFP)
• include plans to scale the project so it can grow over the years, and the activities can reach more people and increase impact
• have a regional or national scope (delivered in more than 1 province or territory) (check note below); and
• include 1 or more partnerships among diverse groups from within the disability community (check note below). For example:
  • small to medium size disability organizations
  • organizations supporting different types of disabilities
  • organizations supporting persons at the intersection of disability and other identities

Note: Indigenous organizations are exempt from these additional eligibility requirements.

Activities:

Below are the key priority areas of the Accessible Canada Act and its regulations as well as example of possible project activities that align with it.

• Employment (Example: workshops and training sessions on inclusive hiring practices paired with a job fair that connects a diverse talent pool with local employers committed to accessibility)
• Built Environment (Example: community seminars that bring together stakeholders to highlight and discuss innovative housing designs to drive improvements in housing accessibility)
• Information & Communication Technologies (ICT) / Digital Technologies (Example: campaign to raise awareness of the importance of accessible digital content, focusing on practical strategies for making websites and applications more inclusive)
• Communication (non-ICT) (Example: interactive training simulations and tools on evacuation procedures that are delivered by persons with disabilities, ensuring community members can effectively participate in safety planning)
• Procurement (Example: toolkits on best practices for incorporating accessibility considerations in procurement processes, empowering organizations to make more inclusive purchasing decisions)
• Programs and Services (Example: national conferences to highlight best practices for accessible service delivery, featuring speakers and case studies from businesses that have successfully implemented inclusive practices)
• Transportation (Example: community panels to present and evaluate local transportation accessibility initiatives, fostering discussion and collaboration on how to enhance accessibility in public transit systems)
• Indigenous accessibility (Example: storytelling events in Indigenous communities focused on sharing personal experiences related to accessibility and barriers, encouraging dialogue and exchange on overcoming these challenges)

Grant Amount:

How much funding is available:

This CFP will provide up to $3.6 million in grant funding to support approximately 10 to 20 three-year projects.

Eligible organizations can apply for:

• up to $180,000 over three years for scalable NAAW projects; or
• up to $360,000 over three years for scalable NAAW projects that have regional or national scope and partnerships with diverse groups from within the disability community

Eligible Applicants:

Your organization must be 1 of the following types:

• not-for-profit or voluntary organizations serving persons with disabilities in the community
• organizations and institutions supported by provincial/territorial entities in partnership with disability organizations (check note below) such as:
  • educational institutions
  • health/social services institutions
• municipalities in partnership with disability organizations (check note below)
• Indigenous organizations including:
  • band councils
  • tribal councils
  • self-government entities

Note: Applicants must demonstrate partnership with 1 or more disability organizations in their application.

The partner or partners must have a leadership role in the overall project design and delivery of activities.

Letter(s) of support from implicated partner(s) must be provided at the time of agreement.