21. Information about the Children's Foundation Community Partnership with Jumpstart
The Children’s Foundation is proud to be the Community Ambassador for Jumpstart Canadian Tire in the Guelph and Centre Wellington area. Jumpstart is a national organization that funds kids to participate in sports and physical activities.
In the past, as Jumpstart's Community Partner, we had the responsibility for reviewing and approving applications to allocate their funding in the area. Families were eligible for funding for a maximum of $400 per year, per child regardless of whether the funds came from Jumpstart or the Free to Grow Program.
Changes as of February 2021
Jumpstart launched a new application portal and is now managing the entire review and approval of applications internally. With this change, we will no longer be 'pooling' our financial resources to spread the dollars in our community. What does this mean exactly?
- Families can now apply to Jumpstart for separate funding for their eligible activities (such as sports and sports camps).
- Jumpstart funding is up to $300 per activity, subject to Chapter discretion and/or local demands.
- Children can be funded for successive seasons in an activity, up to a maximum of $300 per activity. The annual maximum amount a child is eligible to receive is up to $600, subject to Chapter discretion and/or local demands.
- Jumpstart funding can also cover equipment costs.
- Jumpstart funding will be separate from funding available from the Children's Foundation Free to Grow Program, however our expectation is that families will apply first to Jumpstart for eligible activities. This way, our Free to Grow funding can help more kids participate in non-eligible Jumpstart activities, such as music, dance, the arts, and life-skill opportunities, as well as supporting mental health therapies.
How We Can Help You
- When doing an application in the Jumpstart application portal, you can invite us to be a "Collaborator" and we can help you fill out your application with you. You will still be the one to do the final Submit, but we can walk through it with you.
- If you would like our help, invite Free to Grow Program Assistant, Maria Fitzpatrick, to be your Collaborator. Her email is freetogrow@childrensfoundation.org.
- We have created some detailed instructions on how to set-up an account, make an application, invite us to be a Collaborator and more.
If you have any questions or need support, please contact Free to Grow Program Assistant, Maria Fitzpatrick, by emailing freetogrow@childrensfoundation.org or calling 519-826-9551 ext 123.
You can access the Jumpstart Application Portal directly by clicking the button below: