Anne Morais
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June 2019

Choose Your Words Wisely

These days, the Ontario government is not looking kindly upon the social services sector.  Funding is being reduced, cut, and shifted, while the need for your service is increasing. 
 
If your agency does qualify for funding, there will be stiff competition. In this impending climate, your proposals need stand above the rest.
 
Remember when you had to prepare a paper in school; it was advantageous to sprinkle the essay with your teacher’s preferred words. The same strategy applies here. Use the funder’s words in your proposals.

1. Start the Conversation: Arrange a phone call with a project officer in the ministry to which you are applying.  In that conversation, ask a lot of questions. Keep notes of the answers and the words used. Don't get caught up in trying to impress the project officer, get her to speak.

2. Use all Available Resources: Take advantage of all guidelines, press releases, information sessions, and webinars offered by the funders. Again take note of the words used. And of course, take note of the priorities and recommendations. 

3. Outcome Language: The 2016 Auditor General of Ontario's report on Employment Ontario noted that service provider funding is based on activities, not results and performance is not related to longer-term outcomes. The government is taking this finding seriously and we should prepare to use outcome language. A logic model can help you identify the most relevant outcomes and how to achieve them. 
 
4. Ontario government words: Here is a list of recurring words.  
  • Putting people first
  • Giving people and families more flexibility to choose what is right for them
  • Giving students more choice
  • Cutting red tape
  • Restore dignity and trust
  • Encourage employment
  • Empower the vulnerable to break free from the cycle of poverty
  • Individual actions plans
  • Establish self reliance
  • Ease off the system
  • Moving people to employment
  • Locally-focused interventions
  • Support people with disability with dignity
  • Create a connected system
  • Promote fairness and efficiency
  • Modernize the system
  • The vulnerable deserve better outcomes
  • Create a safer more responsive system

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Past Blogs


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       May 2018
       That Pesky Sustainability Question,


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April 2018
Turning to Podcasts for Evidence
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November 2017
Competing for Grant Money

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September 2017
The Flurry of Ontario Grant Calls

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May 2017
To Apply or Not to Apply?

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April 2017
Show, Don't Tell
March 2017
What Has Happened to Core Funding?

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February 2017
​What We Talk About When Talking About Programs..
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January 2017
​Simplifying Evaluation...

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November 2016
Collaborating with Your Funders.....
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October 2016
Practice of Grant Seeking......

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September 2016
Picking Your Partners....
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July 2016
Seeking Proposal Clarity....

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June 2016
Non Profit vs. Social Profit ...
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May 2016
Seeking Tri-Alignment.....

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April 2016
Top 6 Rejection Reasons....
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March 2016
Getting Grant Ready....


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February 2016
​That Pesky Sustainability Question...
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January 2016
Not Too High and Not Too Low - The Budget....

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November 2015 
Rethinking the Grant Application....
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September 2015  
Top 5 Tips for Writing Successful Grant Proposals..... 
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