Caribou Conservation Stewardship Program 2025 – 2026 │ Government of Ontario

The following expense categories are eligible for funding:

• Staff: includes wages and mandatory benefits for staff that will be directly involved in the implementation of the project. This includes wages for project managers directly involved in project implementation; project oversight/supervision and accounting are excluded from eligible staff costs, but may be included under Support Services.
  • Important note for consultants and consulting companies: If you are a consultant or consulting company applying for CCSP funding it is important that you itemize your project costs by the budget categories provided. Rates that include costs other than wages (for example, oversight, travel) must be broken-out and included in the relevant categories
    listed below rather than captured under staff. Funding is to cover actual costs incurred by funding recipients, not a “fee” charged for services.
• Goods: includes materials and supplies required for the project.
• Services: includes third party costs such as a contractor to excavate a wetland or a design company to develop communication materials. Costs for some types of services may include reasonable disbursements in addition to fees if commonly charged for such services. However, funds may not be used for costs that would otherwise be ineligible or beyond reasonable limits set by the program (for example, travel and hospitality limits). This category may not include audit costs.
• Consultants: includes third party advice or expertise. Consultant costs may include reasonable disbursements in addition to fees if commonly charged for such consulting services. However, funds may not be used for costs that would otherwise be ineligible or beyond reasonable limits set by the program (for example, travel and hospitality limits). If you are a consultant or consulting company applying for CCSP funding, you must itemize your project costs by the budget categories provided. This category is only for third party advice or expertise.
• Transportation: may include transportation for meetings or events for project staff, contractors, or meeting/ event attendees. Funded amounts must align with the Ontario Government’s Travel, Meal and Hospitality Expenses Directive. Funds requested for transportation of meeting attendees must be included in the application budget as its own line item. Transportation costs will be by the most practical and economical method.
• Accommodation: may include appropriate/economical accommodations for meetings or events for project staff, contractors, or
  meeting/event attendees. Funds requested for accommodation of meeting attendees must be included in the application budget as its own line item.
• Food and beverage: may include costs for food or beverages for project staff or contractors during project meetings/events held with the public. Costs must be calculated according to the rates in the Ontario Government’s Travel, Meal and Hospitality Expenses Directive. Collecting and retaining itemized receipts to verify the expenditure will be required. Funds requested under this budget category may not be used for: non-meal food and beverages; alcohol; meals when the travel period is less than 5 hours; or meals during travel when travel is a part of the regular job duties of the staff or contractor.
• Hospitality-public meetings/events: may include costs for food or beverages during project meetings/events held with the public. Costs must be calculated according to the rates in the Ontario Government’s Travel, Meal and Hospitality Expenses Directive. If funds are being requested to pay for non-meal food and beverages (for example, coffee, water, snacks) during public project meetings or events, the amount cannot exceed $5 per day per person for a half-day public meeting/event or $10 per day per person for a full day public meeting/event. Collecting and retaining itemized receipts to verify the expenditures will be required. Funds cannot be requested for alcohol.
• Equipment/Rental: the province may approve the purchase instead of the rental of equipment or capital items if: (i) the equipment or capital item is being used on multiple occasions throughout the project; (ii) total rental costs are greater than the one-time purchase cost; and (iii) without the project, it is unlikely that the recipient would purchase the equipment or capital
  item.
• Administration expenses: costs that are part of the normal operations of an applicant’s organization, but which can be reasonably attributable to the project. Administration expenses are comprised of disbursements such as postage/courier
  charges, photocopying charges, office supplies, and financial institution service fees incurred in carrying out the project. Funds may not be used for avoidable financial institution service fees (for example, non-sufficient fund charges). For clarity, administration expenses do not include items such as salary and wages, rent, travel, accommodation and meal expenses, computers, legal fees, audit fees, engineering fees, and other professional fees.
• Indirect Costs of Research: costs that are part of the normal operations of the Recipient, but which can be reasonably attributable to the Project.
• Support services: the time spent by staff in human resources, finance, information technology, and communications departments providing administrative support that can be reasonably attributable to the project. Project managers that have a
  key role in project implementation and key project participants is not included under support services. However, managers/
  positions that are solely involved in the oversight and planning of the project (such as principals, executive directors, academic
  supervisors) should be included under support services. Staffing costs where staff performs both administration and direct
  project delivery functions should be pro-rated accordingly. Pro-rating should be based on an estimate of staff time devoted
  to administrative (“support services” category) or project delivery (“staff” category) activity.
• Honoraria: meaning payments to Indigenous Elders or community knowledge holders for their attendance and participation at a meeting or event, are an eligible use of the Funds. The Elders or community knowledge holders may provide appropriate advice, guidance, information and insight based on their specialized knowledge of traditional ceremonies and/or the Indigenous community. Honoraria rates may be up to $250.00 for a partial day (3 hours or less) and up to $500.00 for a whole day (more than 3 hours). Honoraria are to be paid in addition to travel and meal expenses (if any) or compensation to Elders or Community Knowledge Holders for their time.
• Requested funds for administration expenses, support services and indirect costs of research (combined) cannot exceed 20% of total funds requested from the CCSP, or $20,000/year, whichever is less.
• Audit Costs: audited segmented financial information is required as part of the final report for transfer payments with a value
  of $750,000 and over. Up to $5,000 may be requested in the budget to fund this expense.

Note: Funding from the Ministry may be applied to the non-refundable portion of HST only. The Ministry will not cover any expenses
beyond the approved funding amount.