Max Bell Foundation Project Grants

The Max Bell Foundation

Max Bell Foundation reflects the spirit and intent of its founder to improve Canadian society. We encourage the development of innovative ideas that impact public policies and practices with an emphasis on health and wellness, education, and the environment.

The Foundation's Strategic Priority

Ongoing shifts in the social, economic, and technological fabrics of Canadian life bring extraordinary changes to our society and to the public policy arena. We support work that helps Canadians adapt to those changes while positively impacting the quality of life in our communities. Our current strategic priority is to support projects which educate Canadians about public policy and practice alternatives.

Program Areas

Health & Wellness
The Foundation is interested in supporting projects that promote good health in the broadest sense. We are particularly interested in identifying practical, alternative approaches to the creation and maintenance of the programs and policies which shape Canada's health care practices.

Education
Max Bell Foundation believes education is a cornerstone of a flourishing, productive society. Canada's education institutions face many challenges as changing needs, attitudes, economies, and technologies shift the ground in which they are rooted. The Foundation seeks to support projects that focus on innovative ways in which our education institutions meet those challenges. Of particular interest are projects that address the thoughtful use of technology and alternative institutional arrangements.

The Environment
The Foundation seeks to support environment initiatives that align with our mission and granting guidelines. We are interested in supporting projects that understand and take account of the social and economic contexts in which environmental concerns emerge as public policy and practice.

 

Project Grants

Max Bell Foundation supports projects which fit our mission, strategic priority, and granting guidelines, and that fall within or bridge our program areas.

The term project is often used to refer to any organized activity. We use the term in a more specific way. For our purposes, projects are:

• temporary and term-specific (e.g., 12 months, or 30 months, etc.)
• have clear, measureable goals linked to work plans that specify steps and dates
• have separate, clear budgets and financial accounting procedures

Projects are different from general operating support, capital purchases, and programs (programs have no set end point and contain several projects).
We expect that all expenses, including those associated with overhead and administration, should be budgeted for in proposals we consider.

Application Process

If you have carefully reviewed the information referred to above and believe your proposed project will align with the mission and granting guidelines of Max Bell Foundation, we encourage you to submit a Letter of Intent.
There are three ways to submit a Letter of Intent.

Option 1	Option 2	Option 3
Download the Letter of Intent form and, once complete, mail to our office at: Alida White, Administrator Max Bell Foundation Suite 380, 1201 – 5th Street S.W. Calgary, AB T2R 0Y6	Submit your Letter of Intent using our online form.	You can download the Letter of Intent form, complete the form, and then upload the completed form via our upload documents page.

The Foundation realizes that a significant amount of work can be required to develop project proposals. Assessing the availability and accessibility of data, reviewing the appropriate literature, conducting preliminary analyses, doing detailed planning, and so on, all require time and resources. Many research organizations lack the financial and human resources required to undertake these activities. In such cases, applicants may wish to review the Foundation's internship program, which could be a source of support for such developmental work.
Final decisions on grant proposals are made by the Foundation's Board of Directors. The Board meets three times each year, usually in May, September, and December. Applications are accepted throughout the year, and the Foundation requires three to six months of lead time to work with proposals prior to each Board Meeting.
 It should be noted that the Foundation seldom provides 100% of the support required for any given project. To encourage applicant organizations to develop a broader base of support for proposed projects or initiatives, the Foundation will make challenge or matching grants when appropriate.
The Foundation makes use of a wide range of referees who are experts in our program areas, and we are very grateful for their perspective as a key component of the assessment process. Some of the individuals who have prepared reviews for the Foundation are listed here.