This call for proposals has closed. Applications shut at 3:00 p.m. Eastern on 28 July 2026. The round offered up to $3.6 million over three years under the Accessible Canada Fund for National AccessAbility Week activities in 2027, 2028 and 2029. Watch the funding page for the next round.
Update, 28 July 2026: this call has closed. Applications shut at 3:00 p.m. Eastern on 28 July 2026 and the Accessible Canada, National AccessAbility Week funding page now shows the competition as closed. The information below is kept as a record of what the round funded and who it was for, which is useful if you want to be ready for the next one. Check that page for future rounds rather than working from the dates here.
Ottawa Just Opened $3.6 Million for Accessibility Projects. Here’s Who Can Apply
There was new federal money on the table for accessibility work, and the window was short. If you run or volunteer with a community organization, it is worth knowing how this round worked so you are ready when the next one opens.
On 1 June 2026, to mark National AccessAbility Week, the federal government opened a call for proposals under the Accessible Canada Fund. Up to $3.6 million was available over three years. Individual projects could receive up to $180,000 over three years, or up to $360,000 where the project had regional or national scope and partnerships with diverse groups from within the disability community. The money funds National AccessAbility Week activities delivered in 2027, 2028 and 2029. Applications closed 28 July 2026 at 3:00 p.m. Eastern.
What the money is for
This is project funding tied to National AccessAbility Week, the annual week each spring that recognizes the contributions of people with disabilities and the barriers they still face. The fund supports work that puts the Accessible Canada Act into practice through that week: projects that highlight the contributions of people with disabilities, raise awareness of accessibility and inclusion in workplaces and communities, reduce stigma and attitudinal barriers, and let organizations share what has worked.
Be clear-eyed about what that means in practice. This is money for awareness and inclusion activities, not for building ramps, retrofitting a bathroom, or buying equipment, and it does not go to individuals. If you are looking for funding to make a specific building or service accessible, that is a different program, and the broader map of what exists is in our funding guide. This stream is for the organizing, the events, and the public-facing work that shifts attitudes.
That distinction matters, because awareness work is easy to dismiss as soft. It is not. Attitudinal barriers are named in the Accessible Canada Act alongside physical and systemic ones for a reason: they are real barriers, and changing them is real work that costs real money.
Who can apply
Eligible organizations apply through the Accessible Canada, National AccessAbility Week funding page, where the application form and instructions live. The fund is aimed at the kind of community-based groups that do this work on small budgets: disability organizations, non-profits, community groups, and similar bodies running activities across the country. It is not a fund for individuals.
If you are part of a group that already marks the week, or has wanted to and could not cover the cost, this is the money for that. If you are an individual reader, the useful move is to forward this to the organizations you are part of. Grant money goes unclaimed every year for the simple reason that the people who would use it well never heard the call was open.
How the application worked, and the date that closed it
Applications ran through the Accessible Canada, National AccessAbility Week funding page on Canada.ca. Applicants opened the application for funding form there and followed the instructions on that single page. That page is still the one to watch for the next round.
The date that ended this round was 28 July 2026 at 3:00 p.m. Eastern. Federal funding deadlines are firm, and a proposal submitted at 3:01 would not have counted. That is the part worth carrying forward: decide early, because a good application takes longer to write than people expect, and the people who need to sign off on it are often away over the summer.
For the wider picture of disability funding in Canada, the benefits for individuals and the project money for organizations, see our full funding map. This call was one piece of it.
This article is general information, not financial or legal advice. Confirm all program details and deadlines directly on the Government of Canada funding page before applying.
Sources: Employment and Social Development Canada, “Minister Hajdu invites organizations to apply for funding to promote accessibility and disability inclusion during National AccessAbility Week,” 1 June 2026; Government of Canada, Accessible Canada, National AccessAbility Week funding
Is this funding call still open?
No. Applications closed at 3:00 p.m. Eastern on 28 July 2026, and the Accessible Canada, National AccessAbility Week funding page now shows the competition as closed. Check that page for future rounds rather than working from the dates in this article.
How much money was available?
Up to $3.6 million over three years. Individual projects could receive up to $180,000 over three years, or up to $360,000 where the project had regional or national scope and partnerships with diverse groups from within the disability community.
What did the fund pay for?
Project funding tied to National AccessAbility Week activities delivered in 2027, 2028 and 2029: work that highlights the contributions of people with disabilities, raises awareness of accessibility and inclusion in workplaces and communities, reduces stigma and attitudinal barriers, and lets organizations share what has worked.
What did the fund not pay for?
It is money for awareness and inclusion activities, not for building ramps, retrofitting a bathroom, or buying equipment, and it does not go to individuals. Funding to make a specific building or service accessible comes from a different program.
Who could apply?
Eligible organizations applied through the Accessible Canada, National AccessAbility Week funding page. The fund is aimed at community-based groups: disability organizations, non-profits, community groups and similar bodies running activities across the country. It is not a fund for individuals. Confirm all program details and deadlines directly on the Government of Canada funding page before applying.
