Reducing Loneliness through Joy and Social Connection 

Maximum amount per project: $6,000
Launch of call: August 7, 2025
Deadline for submission: September 19, 2025 
Decisions: October 17, 2025
Funds expected to be transferred: October 31, 2025

Late submissions will not be accepted nor reviewed.

If you need assistance, please contact us at: info@fondationmiroirfoundation.ca

Note: While this call is specifically focused on programs for older adults living in long-term care homes in Ottawa, a second, concurrent call for proposals is also open. That call supports initiatives that foster joy, connection, and reduced loneliness among older adults in any setting, including - but not limited to - long-term care. If your project serves a broader senior population, we encourage you to review the details of that opportunity on our website: www.fondationmiroirfoundation.ca

At the Miroir Foundation, we believe joy is not a luxury - it is essential to social connection, wellbeing, and health. Yet it is often overlooked in aging research, policy, and care. That’s where we come in.

The Miroir Foundation is a Canadian charity that funds programs designed to bring joy and connection to older adults, particularly those whose choices may be limited by age or circumstance.  We support initiatives that reduce loneliness and spark meaning in everyday life. 

This 2025 call for proposals is made possible through targeted funding from the Ottawa Community Foundation and is dedicated exclusively to programs that benefit older adults living in long-term care homes in Ottawa. Another call is being simultaneously launched to support a broader range of settings.

We are looking for bold, creative proposals that bring joy, foster social connection, and meaningfully reduce loneliness. Whether you are based in a long-term care home or a community organization, we encourage you to collaborate and explore innovative ways to make life in long-term care homes more vibrant. Think beyond the ordinary - challenge assumptions, celebrate aging, and help residents thrive.

We welcome proposals from groups looking to create initiatives that bring joy and social connection to older adults living in long-term care homes, with the goal of reducing loneliness. 

The Miroir Foundation can provide funding directly to organizations recognized as “qualified donees” by the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA). These are typically organizations that can issue official donation receipts. Please confirm your status before applying - you can find the CRA’s list of qualified donees online. 

 If your organization is not a qualified donee, you’re still welcome to apply. If selected, we will develop a funding agreement with you to outline shared goals and expectations for the project. Please note that this added step may incur delays in the transfer of funds. 

If your project was funded through our September 2024 call for proposals, the same project will not be eligible for additional funding under this call.  

Preference will also be given to organizations not funded through that earlier round. 

We also welcome applications from community organizations that may not be based in long-term care homes but wish to bring their projects into these settings. As long as the proposed project directly benefits residents living in long-term care homes and is carried out in collaboration with a long-term care home, it is eligible for funding under this call. 

Applications will be rated against the following criteria (total score of 50 points).  

• Relevance to the mission and values of the Miroir Foundation. (10 points) 

• Quality of the proposal (8 points) 

• Innovativeness of the proposal (10 points) 

• Feasibility and outcomes (8 points) 

• Potential for funding leverage (4 points) 

• Inclusion of other partners, including community partners, research collaborators, beneficiaries of the proposed project etc. (10 points) 

Grants are not provided in support of: 

• Fundraising events or campaigns;  

• Partisan political or religious activities;  

• Individuals;  

• Sponsorships;  

• Deficit reduction; or 

• Equipment purchases for administrative purposes or habitual operational expenses not directly associated with the enhanced program proposed.  

Each application will be reviewed by a Grant Committee of the Miroir Foundation. The Committee will comprise three members, of which at least two are current Board members. Others may include individuals with specific subject matter expertise, as deemed appropriate by the Miroir Foundation. 

Anyone with a perceived conflict of interest will be excluded from the review process. All recommended applications from the Grant Committee will be forwarded to the Board for its approval.

The Miroir Foundation reserves the right, at its sole and unfettered discretion, to approve all, some, or none of the grant applications. As stewards of donor funds, we take this fiduciary duty seriously and will only fund projects that we believe will meet our mission and values. 

• Please use the online form to complete the application, ensuring you have followed the guidelines (e.g., maximum word limit per section)

• To avoid losing your progress, please type out your responses in an external document saved to your computer and only paste responses into the online form fields when you are ready to submit.  

• Only one (1) application per organization and per call for proposal is permitted. Joint applicants are permitted (i.e., if more than one applicant wishes to share funding). 

• Avoid using acronyms and abbreviations. Explain fully as required. 

• Failure to provide the required information could render your application ineligible. 

• Your proposal should be written for non-experts. 

The maximum amount for the Miroir Foundation Grants in this call is $18,000, with a maximum of $6,000 per project allocation. If your project requires less money, please consider applying as this will allow us to fund even more projects. 

The Miroir Foundation reserves the right, at its sole and unfettered discretion, to “bundle” grants if there is a lack of qualifying proposals and/or it feels that a particular project can achieve higher benefits with more funding. Likewise, applicants will be notified if certain expenses cannot or will not be covered.  

As a successful grantee, you must: 

• Update the Miroir Foundation on your progress at six (6) months and at the end of the project or upon request;  

• If you are not a qualified donee (see above), you will be required to sign an agreement with the Miroir Foundation;  

• Acknowledge both the Miroir Foundation and the donor (when applicable) on any publications (including social media) and presentations involving this project; 

• The Miroir Foundation reserves the right to share details of a successful application at any of its public events, for marketing purposes or to inform donors;  

• The Miroir Foundation reserves the right to send personnel or contractors to evaluate the performance and impact of the grants provided. This will be coordinated if required at a mutually agreeable time.  

By submitting this application, you explicitly agree to these obligations.