Community Engagement & Knowledge Mobilization Grant

2026 Grant Competition - Closed*

The Community Engagement & Knowledge Mobilization Grant provides funding to support meaningful community engagement in child health research. The goal of the grant is to foster collaborative research that responds to community needs and advances knowledge in child health research across Canada. Researchers, scientists, and trainees who are Centre members and affiliated with the University of Toronto are eligible to apply.

Community partners are individuals or groups who are ‘interest holders’ in the outcomes of the research. This includes, but is not limited to, Indigenous and First Nations leaders and communities, people with lived experiences relevant to the project’s focus, families, community organizations, non-profits, and health system leaders. These partners play an important role in ensuring the research addresses important community-relevant issues and needs.

This grant can support the following activities:

• Identifying research priorities and planning co-designed projects: Collaborating with community partners to determine key areas of research and plan projects together.
• Advancing pilot projects: Testing research ideas and their potential impact with community partners.
• Knowledge mobilization: Developing and sharing tools, resources, and events to facilitate knowledge between researchers and community partners.

Eligibility

• Principal Applicants must hold a faculty level appointment at the University of Toronto and be eligible to hold grants. 

• Principal Applicants and all team members must first register as Leong Centre members in order to qualify for funding. This does not apply to community partners on the team.
• Applications may include one or more co-applicants.
• More than one application can be submitted by the same applicant; however, priority will be given to funding as many individual applicants as possible.
• Awards will be determined by the selection committee through a structured adjudication process, based on the grant criteria and nature of the project submissions.

Funding

Applicants can request funding of up to $10,000 per award. Funds must be spent within 12 months of being awarded. If a project requires a larger budget, the Centre may consider requests for up to $20,000, provided there is a clear justification. There are no restrictions on combining this award with other funding sources to cover additional expenses.

Application Process

All application materials must be emailed to leong.centre@sickkids.ca.

Upload your proposal as a single PDF file using the formatting requirements below. Submissions that do follow these guidelines may not be considered.

The proposal should provide a concise overview of the project and align with the Community Engagement and Knowledge Mobilization Grant adjudication criteria. Please use the following section headings in your proposal:

• Project Rationale and Objectives: Describe the issue or opportunity the project addresses, its relevance to the vision and priorities of the Centre, and the specific objectives you aim to achieve.
• Project Team and Collaboration: Highlight the diverse expertise, disciplinary backgrounds, and community or partner representation on your project team, including any lived experience or Indigenous knowledge contributions.
• Engagement Approach: Outline your plan for engaging community partners and how this approach fosters two-way relationships based on trust and reciprocity.
• Methods and Feasibility: Briefly describe your methods, their appropriateness to the context, and the feasibility of completing the project within the proposed timeframe and budget.
• Anticipated Impact: Identify the potential impact of the engagement on the research project itself and on the broader community, including how knowledge will be mobilized or shared beyond the project.
• Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI): Describe how EDI principles are embedded in your team composition, project design, partnerships, and intended outcomes. The Advisory Panel on Patient Engagement of the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) Report and Supporting Equity-Centre Engagement Guide are good resources for understanding the principles on equity and inclusion in engagement.

Step 1: Cover Page, Project Proposal, and Reference Page (4 pages)

• Completed Cover Page: Download, complete, and attach the required cover page to the front of your proposal.
• File Format: Upload as an unprotected PDF file.
• Font: Use Times New Roman, minimum 12-point font, in black. Do not use condensed fonts. Superscripts and subscripts are acceptable.
• Line Spacing: Use single spacing throughout the document.
• Margins: Set minimum 2 cm (0.79 inch) margins on all sides.
• Page Size: Use letter-size paper (21.59 x 27.94 cm / 8.5" x 11") with a white background.
• Page Limit: A completed cover page must be included as the first page of your submission. The proposal may be up to two (2) pages, with all critical information included in the main body. A maximum of one (1) additional page may be used for references (in Vancouver style), for a total of three (3) pages for the proposal package. The combined cover page, proposal, and references must not exceed four (4) pages in total.

The cover page, proposal, and reference page should not exceed a maximum of 4-pages.

Step 2: Budget and Justification

Applicants must complete the excel budget template and upload in .xlsx format. The budget should outline funding sources, provide a clear cost breakdown, and explain how the funds will support engagement and mobilization activities. If requesting more than $10,000, applicants must also include a clear justification for the additional funds.

Examples of eligible expenses include:

• Research products (e.g., reports, infographics, pamphlets, videos, social media campaigns) and associated production costs
• Honorariums for community partners (e.g. CHILD-BRIGHT, Solutions for Kids in Pain, CIHR-Institute of Musculoskeletal Health & Arthritis, Strategy for Patient-Oriented Research)
• Events (e.g., rentals, food)
• Accommodation requirements and accessibility needs (e.g., support personnel, sign language interpretation in videos and live presentations, audio/visual aids in videos and live presentations)
• Workshop costs
• Transportation costs (see the SickKids travel policy parameters)

The following items are considered ineligible expenses:

• Honoraria for non-community partners (e.g., investigators, trainees, staff)
• Salaries
• Equipment purchases (e.g., computers, software)
• Alcohol
• Open access fees for research publications

Step 3: Optional Letter(s) of Support 

Letters of support are optional but strongly encouraged, especially where community partnership is central to the proposal. All letters must be combined and uploaded as a single PDF file.

Step 4: Principal and Co-Applicant CVs

Principal and co-applicants must submit a curriculum vitae (maximum five pages) that includes education, awards, employment history, prior funding, and publications. This requirement applies to academic applicants only.

Community partners (as co-applicants) are not required to submit a curriculum vitae. If they wish, they may instead submit a short narrative describing their experience and contributions, but this is completely optional.

Step 5: Submission

Please review your files carefully before submitting. All documents must be emailed to leong.centre@sickkids.ca.

Timeline

Deadline to apply: Friday February 13, 2026 – 12:00pm ET.

Notification of funding decisions: Successful applicants will be notified of decisions by early April 2026.

Adjudication Process & Notification

Applications will be reviewed by a selection committee of researchers and trainees from the Edwin S.H. Leong Centre for Healthy Children. The committee will rank applications with supporting documentation and recommend recipients to the Centre’s leadership, based on the following criteria:

• Diverse expertise and experience of the project team across multiple disciplines
• Appropriateness of methods and level of engagement in the project
• Commitment to fostering two-way relationships with community partners in the project
• Potential impact of engagement on the proposed research project
• Feasibility
• Relevance to the Edwin S.H. Leong Centre for Healthy Children

Reporting Requirements

If awarded, applicants will be required to submit a final impact report within 60 days of the funding period’s end. A template for the report will be sent to you at the 10-month mark following the award notification. Applicants must acknowledge the Centre in all research outputs (e.g., presentations, publications), with specific acknowledgment instructions provided in the award letter.

Please note that the Centre’s community engagement consultation services will not be available to support this grant. However, successful applicants will have access to consultation sessions after the award is granted to address any questions or concerns related to project scope or budget. These sessions will support the adjustment of community engagement activities and budgets to ensure the maximum impact of the funded project.

Questions

For any questions about the Community Engagement & Knowledge Mobilization Grant, please send an email to leong.centre@sickkids.ca.

Helpful Resources