BSCP applicant’s guide

The application period for the recreational boating component is closed.

The Boating Safety Contribution Program (BSCP) helps organizations promote boating safety or conduct research on the most effective ways to change boating behaviours in Canada.

Program description

The BSCP supports organizations that work to raise public awareness about boating safety for both recreational boating and commercial fishing; advance knowledge of boating safety issues, practices and behaviours in Canada; and support regulatory compliance.

Program Objectives

increase the number of pleasure craft users following safe boating practices
improve access to national boating incident data that will improve stakeholder’s capacity to deliver evidence-based awareness and education initiatives
help reduce deaths, injuries and property damages due to boating accidents

Available funding

The BSCP will reimburse recipients up to 75 per cent of eligible expenditures incurred for the project.

Recreational Boating Safety

Maximum contribution per recipient - $300,000 per year
The project must begin on or after April 1, 2024

Eligibility assessment criteria

Eligible recipients

Organizations must qualify as one of the following eligible recipients:

not-for-profit non- government organizations (NGO)
- all not-for-profit (NGO) applicants must provide copies of legal documentation establishing or constituting the organizations as a legal entity (letters patent, articles and certificate of incorporation, or other legal instruments)
public safety organizations
educational institutions
enforcement services
- proposals received from these applicants must clearly demonstrate that the project is not part of their regular law enforcement duties – for more details please contact us
provincial, territorial and municipal governments
Indigenous groups and communities

Eligible Activities

Contributions will be provided to support the following eligible activities in alignment with the program’s objective:

Encourage safe boating practices and compliance with regulations through education, awareness, and information. For example: promotional awareness, public education campaigns, producing and circulating materials that improve and promote boating safety; and
Research, studies and analysis that contribute to a better understanding of boater behaviours and attitudes and why boaters are unaware of boating safety-related issues.

Priority Target Groups and Activities

Priority will be given to proposals with a primary focus on the following:

Target Groups:

New Boaters
Indigenous Communities, Remote Communities and Community Based Organizations
Children / Youth

Activities:

Power boating (small open boats under 6 meters)
Paddling/human-powered (canoe, kayaking, paddleboarding, etc.)
Hunters and Anglers (if using watercraft such as boat or canoe)
Importance and use of personal flotation devices
Safe boating practices during rough water and strong winds

Proof of funding

Applicants must demonstrate that they have secured sufficient funding for their proposed project by identifying all sources of funds in their project proposal. Partner organizations’ financial support must be confirmed in writing, and attached to the proposal.

Eligible expenditures

BSCP funding applies to eligible expenditures that are:

directly linked to the project
incurred while the funding agreement is in effect
specifically identified as an approved expenditure in the funding agreement

Eligible expenditures include the following,

staff wages and benefits
professional fees
travel costs
rental/use of equipment, office materials and/or office/meeting space
public outreach and communications materials and associated activities costs
translation costs
incremental insurance costs
administrative cost

Ineligible expenditures

Expenditures that are not eligible for funding include:

costs associated with the construction, placing, maintenance and removal of signs or buoys for a restriction under the Vessel Operation Restriction Regulations is the responsibility of the local authority and are not eligible expenditures under the Program
costs associated with the purchase of assets such as boats, trailers etc.
costs associated with the creation, installation, maintenance and distribution of non-recognized, non-enforceable or inaccurate regulatory information and requirements such as “No Wake” signs
cost of buying land and/or buildings
any cost associated with provincial Sales Tax, Harmonized Sales Tax and Goods and Services Tax for which the recipient is eligible for a credit or a tax rebate
costs incurred after the end date of the funding agreement

Eligible project duration and approvals

Single-year projects should start on or after April 1, 2024 and must end by March 31, 2025.

Multi-year projects should start on or after April 1, 2024 and must end by March 31 of the last year of the project. Multi-year projects are encouraged, as these types of agreements provide predictable and stable financial support to eligible recipients.

Projects may begin upon ministerial approval, however no reimbursements will be provided until a funding agreement is successfully negotiated and signed.

Merit selection criteria

The BSCP Selection Review Committee will review all applications to determine if they meet the eligibility assessment criteria. If eligible, the program will then determine the degree to which they meet the following merit assessment criteria:

1. Relevance of the project

How closely the proposed project relates to the BSCP objectives and how well it aligns with the program’s expected results.
How closely the proposed project aligns with the eligible activities of the BSCP.
Proposed projects that clearly demonstrate how they align with the priority target groups and activities will be evaluated higher in this section.

2. Quality of the project plan

The degree to which the planned activities, schedule, budget, targeted results, roles and responsibilities are clear, realistic and consistent with the project objectives. The BSCP Selection Review Committee will assess the proposal for:

a realistic budget and timeline
risk analysis and mitigation strategy
support (internal and external) towards the project

3. Performance measurement strategy

Transport Canada (TC) wants to contribute to projects that not only generate results, but that can report on these results to Canadians. The BSCP Selection Review Committee will assess project elements that applicants plan to measure, the proposed results these actions will achieve, how they align with BSCP objectives as well as the reach of the project.

4. Applicant’s relevant experience and capacity

How well the applicant is able, in terms of resources, personnel and expertise, to complete the project. More specifically, the BSCP Selection Review Committee will consider the applicant’s:

mandate and/or experience and expertise
demonstrated commitment based on former projects
need for institutional, management/organizational structure, financial and other support to successfully deliver the project

5. Value for the money

How well the proposal sets out efficient use of resources and plans for producing outputs in an affordable manner.

6. Other criteria

The BSCP selection process will also:

seek projects that will have a sustained impact on the future of boating safety
seek regional balance
favour proposals that identify a combination of cash outlay and in-kind contributions over those with only in-kind support
favour proposals that identify a greater than 25 per cent share of non-federal government funding

We have designed our assessment process to ensure that qualified projects represent the best value to BSCP’s objectives and expected results.

Notification

A notification will be sent to applicants After the BSCP has evaluated a proposal, it willto inform them applicant that their application was either:

selected for funding
not selected for funding

TC reserves the right to accept or reject any submitted application.

Service standards

In an effort to improve service and conduct a transparent process, the BSCP has set the following service standards:

our goal is to provide applicants with written acknowledgement of the receipt of their application within 10 business days of the application deadline date
our goal is to issue payments within 20 business days following the notification to the recipient that the requirements outlined in the funding agreement have been fulfilled

Note: If the program cannot meet the above standards, we will contact the applicants about the delay.

Funding agreements

A funding agreement signed by both the recipient and TC is required to receive BSCP funding. The following sections highlight some of the key areas of this legal document.

Risk-based funding agreements

The BSCP will conduct a project risk assessment for all approved projects before signing a funding agreement. We do not do this to exclude or screen out projects but to ensure that the requirements set out in the funding agreement are appropriate for the project risk level and a recipient’s capacity to deliver results.

For example, the recipient and project risk assessment will determine:

how often the recipient must report project progress
financial documentation the recipient must submit with payment claims
how often BSCP staff will make site visits with and/or contact the recipient
audit requirements (all funding agreements indicate Canada’s right to audit)

A risk assessment will be conducted and based on but not limited to, the information that is provided under Section 8 in this applicant’s guide.

Project scope and agreement

The applicant’s proposal will form the foundation to define the project scope, mandatory legal documentation, clauses, terms and conditions, performance measurements and payment structure in the formal funding agreement. Once the funding agreement is signed, no change to the scope of the project (including budget, structure, timelines, etc.) is possible without written agreement between the recipient and TC.

Note: It is very important to clearly define the scope of the project in the application because the recipient will be responsible for all costs associated with work performed outside the approved scope of a project, without pre-approval from TC.

Reporting requirements

Reporting requirements will be set out in each agreement, and will include financial claims, progress reports and a final report.

Financial claims

Recipients must submit claims for reimbursement of expenditures incurred at specific intervals, at least on a semi-annual or annual basis. The BSCP will provide recipients with templates that reflect the eligible expenses as agreed to in the funding agreement.

Progress reports

Recipients must submit progress reports describing the progress achieved at specific intervals and attach them to the financial claims.

Final reports

When the project is complete, recipients must submit a final claim for reimbursement along with a final report. The final report serves as a roll-up and verification of all project activities, costs and outcomes. Under the funding agreement, the BSCP must receive the final report before it will pay the final expense claim.

Recipients will receive guidelines for the final report, which must include:

a general description of the project’s major achievements, including any changes to original activities and timelines
an overall assessment of the objectives met, outcomes achieved, and lessons learned
updated data on performance indicators identified in the funding agreement compared to the start of the project and how they were used to measure the achievement of the project’s outcomes
examples of any promotional items produced during the project
any surveys, analyses, reports and/or research associated with the project

Other reporting requirements – performance reporting

TC collects useful and accurate performance data that demonstrates results for Canadians. This is why collecting and reporting on meaningful data to assess progress against the desired outcomes is a key requirement of all funding agreements.

The data is collected for the purpose of performance measurement and reporting to Canadians.

Other funding agreement clauses

All recipients must respect the spirit and intent of the Official Languages Act when delivering a project funded under the BSCP. Linguistic requirements may apply to projects depending on their scope (national, regional or local), or on the specificity of the regions and targeted audiences of projects. TC will work with successful recipients to determine how this will apply to their projects.

How to apply

Project application content

Each application must follow the content outline below. This will minimize the possibility of omissions or errors on the part of applicants, and facilitate the project evaluation process at TC.

Important: You must request the project proposal templates to complete your application. Please contact bscp-pcsn@tc.gc.ca to request your templates.

Documentation required

Your application package must include the following:

Title of project and executive summary
Applicant information
- legal name of the organization
- name and position of the primary contact for application organization
- mailing address for all correspondence
- communication links such as office phone/fax numbers, email/internet address, etc.
Organizational profile
- type of organization in accordance with eligible recipients identified in Section 2 of the applicant’s guide
- organizational structure and governance
- history of the organization
- mandate of the organization
- organizational activities
Project management personnel
- each project must have a designated project manager, with all the necessary contact information if different from applicant organization
- evidence to support that the project manager has relevant qualifications and experience to undertake, manage and carry out the project on behalf of the applicant organization
Declarations
- conflict of interest questionnaire
- declaration by applicant organization attesting to the accuracy of the project proposal and the commitment of the organization to carry out the project and authorized signature
Project description
- project objectives and goals
- location of project delivery
- proposed start and completion dates
- major activities for the project
- project work plan
- partners and contributions
- risk assessment and mitigation measures
Performance measurement strategy
- output/outcome monitoring
- methodology of measurement
Communication plan
Letters of financial support
Legal documentation of applicant organization

Important note: A Microsoft Word Project proposal template is available upon request and must be used for the application including the Microsoft Excel budget and cash flow template (Annex B).

Submit your application

Application deadlines –recreational boating safety

The deadline for application is October 20, 2023.

Important information

All project applications must be signed, accurate, comprehensive and completed using the templates provided. For applications under recreational boating safety, applicants must provide legal documentation confirming the organization as an entity. Missing or incomplete information will slow the processing of the application and may result in its rejection.

Applications are to be submitted to the electronic mailing address.

Electronic mailing address

The application package must be in MS Word, MS Excel or pdf format and submitted to bscp-pcsn@tc.gc.ca.

Transport Canada will confirm receipt of application packages.