Sandbox Impact Program
The Sandbox Project is a national platform for sharing promising practices, fostering cross-sector collaboration, and driving innovation through partnered initiatives. Together, we’re working to accelerate improvements in the health and well-being of Canada’s children and youth.
The 2025 collaborations are prioritizing the needs of equity-deserving children and youth with an emphasis on 4 key areas:
- Mental health and wellbeing
- The social determinants of health and vulnerable populations
- Improving access to services and programs for parents and children
- Enhance Knowledge through better data
Priority is given to applications that seek to improve the health and well-being of vulnerable and equity deserving children and youth.
Available Funding
Applicants may request up to $4,500
Who Can Apply?
We are seeking projects that focus on improving health and well-being outcomes for children and youth in Canada. We support new approaches, and ideas that further our understanding of challenges and/or create interventions that catalyze change in the sector.
We are all about creating partnerships and facilitating collaborations. Therefore, if you are missing a component of the required project team, please contact us, and we can try to connect you with a potential partner.
Partnership with the Sandbox Impact Program is available to project teams supporting child and youth-focused initiatives in Canada. Project teams must be composed of:
- A minimum of one young person (aged 25 or younger) or youth-led initiative
- One charity, not-for-profit organization or foundation, or Indigenous-led group
- Team Members from at least two other organizations whose area of focus are: Research, Healthcare or Policy
Application process
The application process begins with completing the Expression of Interest form. The purpose of the Expression of Interest is to let us know how your project team meets the initial program criteria. If you qualify, you will be invited to submit a full application.
Alternatively, project teams may submit a video that addresses all application criteria. Please provide a YouTube or Vimeo link, or share the video file through Dropbox or Google Drive.
If you have any questions about The Sandbox Impact Program or the application process, please contact us at info@sandboxproject.ca
Deadlines
We will accept Expressions of Interest at any time and will review submissions periodically throughout the year as resources allow.
Benefits to Partners of The Sandbox Impact Program
- Partners of the Sandbox Impact Program will benefit from The Sandbox Project’s expertise in multi-sector coordination and collaboration.
- Additional benefits include:
- Access to valuable in-kind skills and expertise
- Opportunities to expand your professional network
- Discovery and leverage of existing capacity and resources
- Support for key activities often outside traditional program funding, such as convening, networking, and hosting query sessions
Our Current Partners
EmpowerHER Diversity Hub
EmpowerHER Diversity Hub in London, Ontario, supports women and girls of diverse backgrounds through training, research, and advocacy. Their SIP-partnered “DiverseStrength” program provides culturally inclusive self-defense training, fostering community, confidence, and mental well-being among newcomer immigrant and youth women in a safe, supportive environment.
Friends Career Center
Friends Career Center supports vulnerable immigrant youth adjust to their new lives in Canada. Their SIP-supported initiative, “Well for Mental Health,” will help East African immigrant youth in Ontario and Quebec develop skills in mental health and trauma healing. They will use art-based workshops and resource support spaces to address transgenerational trauma and cultural adjustment, fostering peer support and advocacy.
YMCA Of Eastern Ontario
The YMCA of Eastern Ontario is part of the YMCA national network and is dedicated to providing services and programs to youth. Their SIP-supported initiative, “Salmon Swim School” program will provide lessons to teach indigenous children and youth how to swim and how to remain safe around water. The goal is to reduce the disproportionate high rate of drowning in the indigenous communities.
YouthInspirED
YouthInspirED works closely with young individuals, equipping them with the skills, digital tools, and mentorship needed to create virtual tutoring programs that address the unique needs of their communities. Their SIP support will help them expand their virtual tutoring services to other parts of Canada.
