Browser not supportedThe new Canada Student Service Grant (CSSG) aims to encourage young people to take part in service activities that will help them support their communities’ COVID-19 response and gain invaluable experience.
Administered by WE Charity, the CSSG is a one-time payment available at five levels, ranging from $1,000 to $5,000. The amount will vary based on the number of hours each volunteer completes, with $1,000 provided for each 100 hours completed, up to a maximum of $5,000 for 500 hours.
Eligibility
In order to be eligible for the grant, participants must be 30 years of age or younger, a Canadian citizen, permanent resident, or a student with a refugee status, and either:
- enrolled in and attending post-secondary education during the spring, summer, or fall 2020 semesters;
- recent post-secondary graduates (no earlier than December 2019); or
- studying abroad and currently residing in Canada.
Post-secondary students and recent graduates must register no later than August 21, 2020, to be eligible to receive the grant. Completed applications for the CSSG must be submitted no later than November 6, 2020, and participants will only be able to count hours accumulated from June 25 to October 31, 2020.
Program delivery
WE Charity will help to administer the CSSG program by providing back-end support for screening, onboarding, and training, and matching functions, in addition to the disbursement of grants to eligible participants.
They will help tens of thousands of post-secondary students and recent graduates find placements with not-for-profit organizations across the country, including charities, throughout the course of this initiative. When the platform is launched, there will be more than 20,000 volunteer opportunities available with tens of thousands more to become available over the course of the summer.
I Want to Help platform
Not-for-profit organizations will be able to submit volunteer opportunities to the I Want to Help platform. Eligible and high quality placements will be posted on the platform, where students can search and apply for opportunities in their communities.
In order to be eligible, a placement must:
- be with a not-for-profit organization, which includes registered charities
- take place in Canada and support Canada’s response to COVID-19
- be a minimum of two hours per week for four weeks
- follow all applicable public health requirements
Canada Service Corps
Launched in 2018, the Canada Service Corps (CSC) provides a range of volunteer service opportunities for youth aged 15 to 30 across the country. Students participating in CSC placements, including the micro-grant initiative, can count their hours towards the CSSG. The micro-grant initiative allows young people to lead, design, and deliver service projects in their communities with support from partner organizations. To encourage more young Canadians to get involved, the government is also increasing the number of available micro-grants from 1,800 up to 15,000 over the coming months.