Question Period Note: VETERANS AND FAMILY WELL-BEING FUND

• The Budget 2017 focused on the overall well-being of Veterans and their families by investing in mental health supports, education opportunities and career transition services.

• Veterans Affairs Canada fosters strong collaboration and supports innovation through the Veteran and Family Well-Being Fund. The Fund provides grants and contributions to organizations striving to improve the well-being of Veterans and their families through innovative projects, initiatives and research.

• Eligible organizations include non-profits/charities, research organizations/institutes, educational institutions, public health and social services institutions, Indigenous organizations and, in some cases, for-profit organizations.

• The first call for applications in 2018-19 resulted in 155 applications being received. 21 projects were selected for funding for a total of $3M for fiscal year 2018-2019.

• A second call for applications occurred from February 28th to March 29th, 2019, which resulted in 114 applications. 22 projects were selected for funding for the 2019-20 fiscal year. redacted, bringing the total amount of support for projects in 2019-2020 was $4.8 million.

BACKGROUND – VETERAN AND FAMILY WELL BEING FUND

Each year Veterans Affairs Canada receives numerous requests and proposals for funding from outside organizations in support of initiatives and projects that are aimed at improving the health and well-being of Veterans and their families. Many times, these proposals seek funding to conduct research or to develop, test, and implement new and innovative programs and services that will target various sub-groups of Veterans Affairs Canada’s target populations. Before implementing the Veteran and Family Well-being Fund, Veterans Affairs Canada did not have a mechanism through which it could support these organizations financially to further its mandate in relation to care, treatment, re-establishment or to support the objective of well-being for Veterans.

Previously, Veterans Affairs Canada’s responses to these organizations have been to:
1) decline funding;
2) redacted
3) fund proposals internally via Veterans Affairs Canada’s O&M funding;
4) provide “in kind” funding (e.g. assigning part time Veterans Affairs Canada human resources to the project to assist with outreach or project management); or
5) redirect the requests to other sources of federal funding, such as the partnership programs offered through Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC).

The Well-being Fund provides a strategic approach to ensure that Veterans Affairs Canada has the capacity to support innovation in Veteran health and well-being, and prevents duplication of service and program delivery, as well as fill gaps.

The creation of the Well-being Fund was announced on March 23, 2017 as part of the Government of Canada’s 2017 Budget. It provides $3M in grants and contributions, per fiscal year, to organizations to conduct research and implement initiatives and projects that support the well-being of Veterans and their families.

The 2018-19 call for applications resulted in 21 applications selected for funding, ranging from 1 to 5 years. Of these projects, 5 were contributions and 16 were grants. The 2019-20 call for applications resulted in 22 applications selected for funding, ranging from 1 to 5 years. Of these projects, 10 contributions and 12 were grants.

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