The Foundation currently only accepts applications from charities registered with the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA).

It should be noted that a non-profit organization is not necessarily a charity. 

In principle, the following applications will not be considered:

• Activities and projects taking place outside Canada
• Activity expressly intended for an individual
• Christmas-related activities or event
• Library, museum, art gallery, historical society, cultural centre, exhibition venues
• Fablabs
• Fundraising campaign to which the Foundation has already contributed
• Sponsorship
• Amateur and elite sports competitions
• Conference, seminar, congress, festival
• Daycare
• Primary, secondary or college-level schools
• Advocacy or partisan group
• Religious movement
• Audio and video production
• Project submitted by a university faculty without having received the approval or recommendation of the institution’s development office
• Publishing and translation

The J. Armand Bombardier Scholarship Program, the Yvonne L. Bombardier Visual Arts Scholarship Program and the grants for Women Entrepreneurs have their own eligibility criteria.

The Foundation focuses its efforts on the Greater Montréal Area, the Eastern Townships and the Greater Toronto Area (GTA).

Every application is evaluated according to the following criteria:

• Compatibility of the organization or the project with the Foundation’s donation policy
• Sound financial management of the organization
• Scope of the project and the mission

Several organizations have questions about the factors more specifically addressed by the Donations Committee, so that they can better present their actions and their impacts. 

Here they are: 

• The organization’s roots in the community (collaborations, partnerships, networks)
• Impact on the autonomy of individuals/organizations/communities
• Governance (composition of the board, team in place, financial health, revenue diversification)
• Innovation and creativity (differentiating factors, positioning in the community)
• Outreach (of the project and the organization)
• Dynamism, posture and resilience (capacity for renewal, adaptability, attitude regarding challenges)
• Anticipated impacts (scope, desired changes)
• Quality of the application (identification of the need, clarity of the presentation, pragmatism) 

Faced with requests of equal quality, we favour organizations, programs or projects:

• where our donation will have the greatest impact, notably in terms of the organization’s size or funding capacity;
• that promote greater autonomy for individuals, while recognizing their limitations;
• that reduce social inequalities for the most vulnerable;
• that enable the pooling of services, learnings or effects.

For more information on our approach, our philanthropic intention, our specific interests, or the forms of support we offer, please consult the Philanthropy section.

What is a charity?

A charity is an organization registered with the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) , which has a registration number allowing it to issue donation receipts for income tax purposes.

A non-profit organization is not necessarily a charity.

Is our organization eligible to apply for a donation?

Currently, the Foundation only accepts applications from charities registered with the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA)*.

*New guidelines on support for organizations not registered as charities are expected in the fall of 2023. This may result in changes to our eligibility criteria.

Can an application be filed during the CRA approval process?

Before you can apply for a donation, your organization must be duly registered with the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA).

Are projects submitted by individuals eligible to receive donations?

No. The Foundation only supports organizations registered with the Canada Revenue Agency.