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National Tenant Organizing Fund
What the Fund Supports:
- Campaign materials & printing
- Equipment & small capital items
- Room & space rental
- Event support costs such as food, AV & childcare
- Research and data infrastructure that supports organizing
- Digital tools & communications infrastructure
- Cross-municipality/province campaigns
- Training & Leadership development
- Short-term stipends or coordination roles
Conditions on Coordination Honorariums & Stipends
The Fund prioritizes capacity building, recognizing that paid labor can be necessary for effective organizing while remaining attentive to the risks of over-professionalization and permanent administrative structures.
- Short-term stipends or coordination roles may be funded
- Funding is not intended to sustain long-term salaried positions
- Paid roles must:
- Directly support the organizing activity outlined in the application
- Be proportionate to the project scope
- Avoid replicating NGO-style service delivery models
What the Fund does not support:
- Long-term salaries or administrative costs not tied to organizing
- Government, landlord, or institution-led projects
- Individual legal cases
- Service delivery projects that are not connected to organizing, such as:
- Ongoing provision of housing services, case management, or individual supports
- Programs focused primarily on referrals, counselling, or crisis response without a collective organizing or power-building component
Who Can Apply
Eligible applicants must meet the following criteria:
- Be a tenant union, tenant-led group, or tenant organizing collective;
- Demonstrate active tenant organizing
- Operate independently of landlords, governments, or institutions;
- Have a minimum of three active members.
Notes on Size and Capacity:
- Smaller or emerging groups are welcome to apply.
- Membership size is not used to exclude applicants, but may be considered relative to the scale of funding requested.
- Larger funding requests may be assessed against demonstrated organizing capacity.
Applying to the NTOF
The National Tenant Organizing Fund uses a simple, accessible application process designed for tenant-led groups actively organizing in their communities. You do not need formal grant-writing experience to apply. We prioritize clarity, accessibility, and alignment with organizing goals over polished language or technical proposals.
The NTOF operates on defined application periods throughout the year. Applications are not reviewed on a rolling basis. Instead, all submissions received during a funding period are reviewed together by the Advisory Committee after that period closes. We encourage applicants to submit early enough to address any clarification questions before the deadline.
Once a funding window closes, the Advisory Committee enters a designated decision period. During this time, eligible applications are reviewed collectively and funding decisions are finalized. Applicants are notified shortly after decisions are made. If your application is not successful, you are welcome to reapply in a future funding cycle.
2026 Funding Schedule
Funding Period 1
Open: February 16
Close Deadline: April 12
Decision Period:
April 13 – April 26
Funding Period 2
Open: April 27
Close Deadline: June 20
Decision Period:
June 21 – July 19
Funding Period 3
Open: July 20
Close Deadline: September 13
Decision Period:
September 14 – October 4
Funding Period 4
Open: October 5
Close Deadline: November 30
Decision Period:
December 1 – December 14
