Description

Connection Grants are expected to respond to the objectives of the Connection program.

These grants support events and outreach activities geared toward short-term, targeted knowledge mobilization initiatives. These events and activities represent opportunities to exchange knowledge and to engage with participants on research issues of value to them. Events and outreach activities funded by a Connection Grant can often serve as a first step toward more comprehensive and longer-term projects.

Connection Grants support workshops, colloquiums, conferences, forums, summer institutes, or other events or outreach activities that facilitate:

• disciplinary and/or interdisciplinary exchanges in the social sciences and humanities;
• scholarly exchanges between those working in the social sciences and humanities and those working in other research fields;
• intersectoral exchanges between academic researchers in the social sciences and humanities and researchers and practitioners from the public, private and/or not-for-profit sectors; and/or
• international research collaboration and scholarly exchanges with researchers, students and non-academic partners from other countries.

Only an eligible Canadian institution can administer funds. However, the intellectual leadership and governance for Connection Grant activities can come from within the research community and/or from within the public, private and/or not-for-profit sectors.

SSHRC welcomes applications involving Indigenous research, as well as those involving research-creation.

Value and duration

Connection Grants supporting events are valued at $7,000 to $25,000 over one year.

Connection Grants supporting outreach activities are valued at $7,000 to $50,000 over one year.

A minimum request of $7,000 is required.

SSHRC is willing to consider amounts higher than $50,000, although such applications must satisfactorily justify the need for the higher amount, as well as provide evidence the entire award can be managed within the one-year timeframe.

Matching funds

SSHRC will not fund the full cost of any Connection project. Additional support in the form of eligible cash and/or in-kind contributions (excluding registration fees) equivalent to a minimum of 50% of the amount requested from SSHRC must come from sponsoring organizations. For example, an applicant asking SSHRC for $10,000 in funding will have to demonstrate additional support equal to at least $5,000. SSHRC will consider only eligible funds stemming from sponsoring organizations in its calculations of matching funds; individual contributions will not be considered in the calculation of matching funds.

Applicants must demonstrate their ability to secure at least the minimum matching funding. Applicants must do so by including letters of support from sponsoring organizations that clearly confirm the amounts and types of contributions the organizations are providing for the proposed event or activity. See SSHRC’s Guidelines for Cash and In-Kind Contributions for more details.

Only contributions from sponsoring organizations identified in signed letters of support will count toward the required 50% matching funds. A letter of support must be signed by someone with signing authority for the organization. Amounts appearing in letters of support from individuals will not be used in this calculation.

Applicants can draw on complementary funding from SSHRC research grants and/or other research funding agencies, but must make clear in their budget proposal that there is no duplication of financial support for the same budget expenses. While SSHRC funds can be used in this complementary way, these funds cannot be counted toward the 50% requirement for matching funds.