Donations and Community Partnerships Funding Guidelines
Built on our longstanding history of supporting our communities, and with the help of our clients, the CIBC Foundation serves our commitment to creating a world without limits to ambition.
Focus areas and funding guidelines
Supporting cancer initiatives
Our ambition:
To create a future where no one has to fear a cancer diagnosis.
We invest in:
Cancer research, treatment, screening and diagnosis
Wellness, survivorship and patient support programs
Under the cancer focus area, CIBC Foundation will consider funding projects that meet the below eligibility:
Canadian registered charities, not-for-profits, or qualified donees
Organizations with sound financial practices, and a sustainable funding model
Organizations who track impact with a clear evaluation and measurement process and can specify the number of individuals helped through the project
Culturally informed programs or services that are filling evidence-based gaps in an identified community
Projects or programs that are aligned to the following criteria will be considered:
Access: Improved access to care equipment for rural hospitals, transportation, and accommodation
Patient support: Wellness, survivorship and patient support programs
Public education: Importance of regular checkups and healthy active living, smoking cessation programs, healthy eating and living, impacts of alcohol and infections
Screening and diagnosis: Finding cancer early, new diagnostic imaging equipment; faster screenings; and capital campaigns for new cancer centres
Treatment and research: New and existing innovative research projects, fellowships and endowed research chairs; treatment-based equipment, collaborative research initiatives
Championing inclusive communities
Our ambition:
To create economic opportunities for all.
We invest in:
Projects increasing access to education and employment outcomes for underserved communities, with a focus on reskilling and upskilling
Programming for children aged 13 and under that supports healthy active living, education and enrichment or help for children with disabilities
Under theinclusive communities focus area, CIBC Foundation will consider funding projects that meet the below eligibility:
Canadian registered charities, not-for-profits, or qualified donees
Organizations with sound financial practices and a sustainable funding model
Organizations who track impact with a clear evaluation and measurement process and can specify the number of individuals helped through the project
Culturally informed programs or services that are filling evidence-based gaps in an identified community
Projects aligned to the following criteria will be considered:
Initiatives that increase access and remove barriers to education or employment for underrepresented communities. Initiatives include skills development, employment services, educational programming and support
Addressing the digital divide facing underserved communities through digital accessibility and affordability projects, technology courses, and digital skills training
Upskilling and reskilling projects supporting underserved communities with a focus on the following in-demand areas: STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math), digital literacy, entrepreneurship, and cyber security
Creating a sense of belonging for children aged 13 and under
Help for children with disabilities: Supporting families and children with childhood disabilities
Medical assessment, treatment, and innovation for childhood disabilities
Specialized programs supporting children with disabilities
Support for family's needs
Healthy active living: Investing in kids from a young age to develop healthy life skills
Programs that help kids develop health-conscious skills and habits that lead to positive life choices, such as good eating habits and being physically active
Education and enrichment: Programs that engage Canada's young students and promote life-long learning
Educational opportunities that engage students and promote life-long learning
Homework, after-school and mentoring programs that help fill the gaps at home
Increasing access to affordable technology, extra-curricular activities such as financial education, camp, coding classes, and mentorship
Investing in financial education
Our ambition:
To ensure everyone has the skills, knowledge, and confidence to enjoy a lifetime of financial wellbeing
We invest in:
Financial education resources and learning opportunities
Under the financial educationfocus area, CIBC Foundation will consider funding projects that meet the below eligibility:
Canadian registered charities, not-for-profits or qualified donees
Organizations with sound financial practices, and a sustainable funding model
Organizations who track impact with a clear evaluation and measurement process and can specify the number of individuals helped through the project
Culturally informed programs or services that are filling evidence-based gaps in an identified community
Projects or programs that are aligned to the following criteria will be considered:
Educational resources and learning opportunities that aim to improve confidence in individuals' financial education leading to achieving financial wellbeing
Initiatives that allow our team members to volunteer their time by delivering financial education programs in their community
Financial Education requests are accepted year-round but are reviewed between March and October.
Multiple contributions to the same organization during one fiscal year between November 1 to October 31
For-profit organizations or other corporations’ community outreach initiatives
Religious organizations
Day cares, pre-kindergartens, pre-schools, public, private or religious schools, including playgrounds and costs associated with student travel
Individual or team fundraising initiatives or events
Third-party flow-through or umbrella organizations, such as private or family foundations
Boards of Trade, Chambers of Commerce, business, industry, member-based associations, or service clubs such as Rotary
Sports tournaments
Conferences or registration fees
Matching contributions and endowments
Think tanks and political organizations; advocacy and lobbying activities
Heritage organizations, statues, monuments, art work or beautification projects
Costs associated with the construction of buildings, gardens or structures, such as bricks and mortar
Publication or distribution of books or movie productions
FAQ
While applications are accepted year-round, applications are reviewed 4 times a year. Applicants will be contacted once a decision is made.
The application form is equipped with an auto-save feature. For forms with more than one page, each time you navigate between pages, forward or back, your form responses are committed to a secure area within your browser’s local storage. You can close your browser and resume your progress automatically at any time simply by opening the form again. To learn more about our application portal, visit the application FAQ page Opens in a new window.
You will receive an email message confirming receipt of your application once submitted.
Yes, if the funding request meets our funding criteria and aligns to cancer causes, inclusive communities or financial education.
No, all funding requests must be submitted online.
We’re committed to supporting our communities and making a meaningful impact in the lives of our neighbours.
Our contributions are spread among a variety of causes: financial literacy, affordable housing, arts and culture, disaster relief, economic development, health care and social services, to name a few.
Donations are reviewed by a donations committee to review each request against our funding criteria and areas of focus. A request will be declined if it does not align with our funding strategy or areas of focus. In addition, CIBC Foundation receives a high volume of funding requests every year. Due to the overwhelming number of submissions, it is not always possible to respond favourably.
CIBC's online funding application requires approximately 30-60 minutes to complete. You can save a partially completed application and return to it later if necessary.
Before you apply, please ensure you have reviewed the funding guidelines and that your request meets at least one of our strategic areas of focus — cancer causes, inclusive communities, or financial education. You will receive an email confirming receipt of your application following submission.
