Qualifications

Does your organization qualify?

	Are you Eligible?
	Evaluation Criteria
	Financial Position
	How much is a reasonable request?
	Proposal Checklist

RBC Financial Group receives about 20,000 requests for funding each year – more than 10 for every hour of the business day.

Our professional grant-makers follow a rigorous process when evaluating proposals to ensure our funds are invested with the utmost care and responsibility. The process includes a complete assessment of your charity’s financial statements as well as its fiscal management and governance practices.

We have developed this page to help you get an understanding of how applications are evaluated so that you can judge your strategic fit with our corporate contribution’s plan.

Application Form

Application Toolkit (PDF)

Section I – Are you Eligible?

We Fund:

	Organizations that are federally registered charities with the Canadian Revenue Agency.
	Projects or programs that take place in communities where RBC has a business presence.
	Charitable organizations that provide direct community service.
	Websites delivering a specific service-related program.
	Programs with measurable social outcomes.

We Do Not Fund:

	Duplication of direct or indirect donations to the same organization (i.e. organizations funded by the United Way/Centraide, as RBC generously supports United Way/Centraide)
	Political or fraternal organizations, Service Clubs, third parties raising funds for charity.
	Individual pursuits.
	Private (fee based) elementary or secondary schools.
	Religious organizations, unless they are engaged in a significant project benefiting the entire community.
	Endowment or memorial campaigns.
	Conferences, events or golf tournaments.
	Advertising or promotional campaigns.
	Travel-related events, including student trips or tours.
	The creation or repair of statues, monuments, art work or beautification projects.

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Section II – Evaluation Criteria

RBC evaluates proposals based on the following:

	Organizations that provide direct-impact programming delivered to the end-user.
	Programs/projects that align with RBC’s giving strategy (please refer to web site for details)
	Organizations that RBC employees are currently involved with.
	Organizations that can provide unique services to underserved communities.
	Organizations that have established a clear evaluation process with planned outcomes that support your mission.
	Programs/projects that facilitate the transfer of skills or knowledge.
	Organizations that have demonstrated your willingness to work with other charities to achieve greater sustainability and shared knowledge.

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Section III – Financial Position

You must answer “yes” to all following questions for RBC to consider funding your organization.

	Is less than 30% of your budget directed to administrative or fundraising expenses?
	Does your organization have strong financial management?
	If your organization is in a deficit position, has a budget/recovery plan been developed to strengthen your financial position?
	Do you have multiple donors?
	Do you have audited financial statements? For all gifts over $5,000 you must submit your most recent audited financial statements with your request.

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Section IV – How much is a reasonable request?

Please consider the following information when considering how much to request:

• 80% of RBC’s donations are under $10,000.
• For general donation requests RBC normally funds no more than 0.5% of your operating budget.
• For capital campaign requests RBC normally funds 0.5% of your private sector campaign target. This means your campaign goal less government support.
• For project specific related requests RBC determines funding based on strategic alignment. RBC will consider funding up to 20% of a project or program budget.
• RBC prefers to fund programs and projects rather than bricks and mortar.
• When assessing a proposal from an organization with a national office and regional chapters, RBC takes into consideration the funding received at both levels when considering a donation.

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Section V – Proposal Check List

Please attach the following information to your application cover sheet:

	A brief statement of history, goals and accomplishments to date
	A written outline of your project (no more than 2 pages)
	A project budget showing anticipated expenses and incomes
	List of other committed or approached donors, including government sources
	Most recent audited financial statements (must be less than a year old)
	List of the Board of Directors and Campaign Cabinet members if applicable
	Cultural organizations should submit their most recent 12 month audience statistics

Proceed to Application Form

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