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Application Deadline: September 17, 2025; 3pm EST
Grant for Seniors – Program Summary:
The New Horizons for Seniors Program (NHSP) community-based stream is a federal grant for seniors based/focused projects. It supports projects that are designed by seniors and for seniors in their communities. This program funds projects that empower seniors in their communities through increased social inclusion.
Program objectives:
Projects submitted for this grant (up to $25,000) must meet at least 1 of the following program objectives:
- promoting volunteering among seniors and other generations
- engaging seniors in the community through the mentoring of others
- expanding awareness of elder abuse, including financial abuse
- supporting the social participation and inclusion of seniors
- providing capital assistance for new and existing community projects and/or programs for seniors
Note: If your proposed project is requesting capital assistance, it must meet at least 1 of the first 4 program objectives.
Grant Amount:
Eligible organizations can apply for up to $25,000 for projects that are led by seniors and are volunteer based.
Eligible Projects / Activities:
Applications must demonstrate the active participation of seniors in the eligible activities. Activities must be confirmed and described when the application is submitted and cannot be determined by a committee after the project has been approved for funding.
Funding priorities:
Projects submitted for this grant (up to $25,000) do not have to meet 1 of the following National priorities. However, if your project does meet 1 or more of the National priorities, it will receive extra points during the assessment process.
Note: The quality of the information is also important. Fully describing how your project meets the priority(ies) will be a part of the scoring.
Priority 1: Supporting healthy aging:
- addressing social isolation, including through supporting seniors’ digital literacy
- addressing ageism
- supporting mental health and seniors living with dementia
Priority 2: Preventing senior abuse:
- providing measures to reduce crimes and harm against seniors including senior abuse
- developing educational material to prevent unscrupulous practices, financial fraud, and scams from happening to seniors
Priority 3: Celebrating diversity and promoting inclusion:
- promoting intergenerational mentoring and engagement
- advancing reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples and helping to secure a better quality of life for Indigenous seniors
- collaborating with diverse communities notably by serving members of the following vulnerable groups who:
- have low income
- are Indigenous (First Nations, Inuit and Métis)
- are women
- are 2SLGBTQIA+
- are members of Official Language Minority Communities (OLMCs)
- are Black people
- are racialized people
- are newcomers
- are persons with disabilities
- are individuals experiencing homelessness
- are veterans
- are living in rural and remote settings
Priority 4: Supporting financial security:
- helping seniors navigate and access government services and benefits, and providing support to file their taxes
- supporting financial empowerment of seniors
Eligible Applicants:
- Not-for-profit organizations
- Coalitions, networks and ad hoc committees
- Municipal governments
- Research organizations and institutes
- Educational institutions (in other words, universities, colleges, CEGEPs, school boards/school districts)*
- Public health and social services institutions*
- Indigenous organizations, including:
- band councils
- tribal councils
- self-government entities
- Organizations of persons who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and two-spirit (2SLGBTQIA+)
*Provincially/territorially funded institutions are eligible with the agreement of the provincial/territorial government.
Information Sessions:
ESDC will hold information sessions to give an overview of this application process.
If you are interested, send an email to your nearest New Horizons for Seniors Program office.
