Question Period Note: VETERAN AND FAMILY WELL-BEING FUND

• Veterans Affairs Canada fosters strong collaboration and supports innovation through the Veteran and Family Well-being Fund.

• The Fund provides $3 million annually in 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 private, public, academic and Indigenous organizations.

Budget 2021 provided an additional $15 million over three years starting in 2021-2022 to expand and enhance the Fund for projects that support Veterans during the post COVID-19 recovery. This includes addressing homelessness, employment, retraining, health challenges, and women and LGBTQ2 Veterans.

• The 2022-2023 call for applications occurred from October 11, 2022 to November 14, 2022, and resulted in 118 applications for funding. Assessments are in progress, and recipients will be selected in the new year.

BACKGROUND

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.

The Veteran and Family Well-being Fund (VFWF) 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 Fund has been in place since 2018. It provides grants and contributions for organizations to conduct research, and implement initiatives and projects that support the well-being of Veterans and their families.

An example of success is Team Rubicon’s The Veteran Pandemic Recovery Project. This project was funded in 2020-2021 by the VFWF to engage Veterans and their families in the service of others who have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and natural disasters. This project aims to reduce the emergency management skills gap by building an enduring, prepared, Veteran-led humanitarian force with a total of 633 Veteran Volunteers as of October 2022.

Another success story is The Canadian Alliance to End Homelessness’s project Built for Zero Canada - Scaling to End Veteran Homelessness in 10 Communities which was also awarded VFWF funding in 2020-2021. This project aims to create 10 Built for Zero Canada communities with the goal of achieving functional zero Veteran homelessness. Their approach focuses on helping communities identify and document the needs of every homeless Veteran in each community and develop processes to maintain real-time, person-specific data on these Veterans. As of October 2022, five communities (Fort McMurray, Kingston, Moncton, Fredericton and Saint John) have reached a functional zero threshold and are working through quality assurance standards to achieve their confirmation status.

Budget 2021 provided $15 million in grants over three years to fund projects that support Veterans during the post COVID-19 recovery. The Fall 2021 call for applications focused on this theme, which includes addressing homelessness, employment, retraining, health challenges, and women and LGBTQ2 Veterans. 30% of the funding from this call went to projects that assist women and/or LGBTQ2+ Veterans. The Fall 2022 call for applications also focused on projects dedicated to support equity seeking Veteran groups including women, LGBTQ2 and Indigenous Veterans, and thosed faced with housing challenges.

2018-2019 Call for Applications: 155 applications received and 21 projects were awarded$7.6 million over 5 years.

2019-2020 Call for Applications: 114 applications received and 22 projects were awarded $7.2 million over 5 years.

2020-2021 Call for Applications: 142 applications received and 23 projects were awarded $10.4 million over 5 years.

2021-2022 Call for Applications: 98 applications received and 36 projects were awarded $11.3 million over 3 years.

2022-2023 Call for Applications: 118 applications received. Recipients will be selected in the new year.

WHEN PRESSED:

Q1 – How much funding has been awarded since the implementation of the Veteran and Family Well-Being Fund?

A - Since its implementation, the Fund has awarded over $36 million to 102 projects focused on various Veteran themes including: homelessness, mental health, military sexual trauma, Indigenous Veterans, women and LGBTQ2+ Veterans, families, transition and employment and research.

Q2 - How does VAC choose which organizations received funding, and which do not? What is the criteria?

A - All applications undergo an evaluation against fund criteria including the impact of the project, how the project is innovative and addresses unmet needs, how equity-seeking groups are supported, and cost-effectiveness. Organizations must show that projects are self-sufficient if they plan to continue operating after funding is complete.

Q3 - What are the reporting requirements for organizations that receive funding?

A - Organizations are expected to measure the success of their project. If an organization is awarded funding, they are required to provide quarterly progress reports, as well as a final project report once the project is completed. The Department’s primary interest is ensuring that these projects are directly benefitting Veterans and their families.

Q4 - How will Veterans Affairs Canada determine the success of the program?

A - Organizations that receive funding are required to provide quarterly and final reports. These reports provide information on how successful the fund is at enabling organizations to address the well-being of Veterans and their families. Organizations may also be called upon to present their work and share best practices.