Open Call: Connection Grants – 2026 Competitions (Canada)

Deadline: 02-Nov-2026

The Connection Grants program supports short-term events and outreach activities that mobilize social sciences and humanities research. Applicants may request $10,000–$25,000 for events or $10,000–$50,000 for outreach activities, with larger outreach requests considered when strongly justified.

About the Connection Grants Program

Connection Grants support targeted knowledge mobilization activities that connect researchers, students, institutions, community organizations, and other partners.

The program encourages participants to:

- Exchange research knowledge. - Discuss issues of shared interest. - Build interdisciplinary connections. - Strengthen collaboration across sectors. - Engage international partners. - Make research accessible to broader audiences. - Produce practical and timely knowledge products. - Develop foundations for longer-term partnerships. Projects must focus on knowledge mobilization rather than conducting a new research study. What Is Knowledge Mobilization? Knowledge mobilization is the process of sharing, exchanging, adapting, and applying research knowledge so that it can be understood and used by different audiences.

It may involve collaboration among:

- Researchers. - Students. - Community organizations. - Policymakers. - Professionals. - Indigenous communities. - Cultural organizations. - Educators. - Industry partners. - Members of the public. Effective knowledge mobilization is interactive. It does more than distribute information; it creates opportunities for different groups to contribute, exchange perspectives, and apply knowledge. Purpose of the Program

The Connection Grants program aims to:

- Mobilize social sciences and humanities research. - Strengthen exchanges among researchers and partners. - Support disciplinary and interdisciplinary dialogue. - Encourage intersectoral collaboration. - Increase public engagement with research. - Support Indigenous research and knowledge-sharing. - Advance research-creation. - Build international research connections. - Improve research data management capacity. - Produce concrete and timely outputs. - Catalyze longer-term partnerships or research programs. Funding Streams Funding is available for two broad activity types: - Events. - Outreach activities. Applicants should select the category that best reflects the primary purpose, format, audience, and expected outputs of their proposal. Funding for Events

Eligible events may receive:

- Minimum request: $10,000.

- Maximum request: $25,000.

Events should bring participants together for focused knowledge exchange, discussion, training, or collaboration.

Potential event formats include:

- Workshops. - Conferences. - Forums. - Symposia. - Summer institutes. - Roundtable discussions. - Knowledge-exchange gatherings. - International meetings. - Community-research events. Applicants should demonstrate why the event is needed and what concrete outcomes it will produce. Funding for Outreach Activities

Eligible outreach activities may receive:

- Minimum request: $10,000.

- Standard maximum request: $50,000.

- Higher requests: May be considered when strongly justified.

Outreach activities are generally designed to communicate, translate, adapt, or share research with defined audiences.

Potential activities include:

- Documentaries. - Public exhibitions. - Digital knowledge platforms. - Podcasts. - Community engagement initiatives. - Public education campaigns. - Policy engagement. - Knowledge toolkits. - Multimedia resources. - Research communication products. Applicants seeking more than $50,000 should provide a detailed explanation of the exceptional scope, need, anticipated reach, and added value. Matching-Funds Requirement Applicants must secure matching support from sponsoring organizations equal to at least 50% of the amount requested from SSHRC. The matching contribution must be demonstrated through signed letters of support.

For example:

- A $10,000 request requires at least $5,000 in matching support. - A $25,000 request requires at least $12,500 in matching support. - A $50,000 request requires at least $25,000 in matching support. Applicants should verify whether matching contributions may be cash, in-kind, or a combination of both under the official guidelines. Sponsoring Organizations

Sponsoring organizations may contribute:

- Direct financial support. - Staff time. - Venue access. - Equipment. - Communications support. - Technical expertise. - Travel support. - Administrative assistance. - Other eligible resources. Every contribution should be clearly valued, directly related to the proposed activity, and confirmed in a signed letter. Letters of Support Signed letters of support should clearly state: - The sponsoring organization’s name. - Its relationship to the project. - The nature of its contribution. - The confirmed financial or in-kind value. - Its role in planning or delivery. - The authorized signatory’s name and position. - The organization’s commitment to the proposed activity. General statements of enthusiasm without a confirmed contribution may not satisfy the matching-funds requirement. Project Duration Projects must be completed within one year of the grant start date. The project plan should include sufficient time for: - Detailed preparation. - Partner coordination. - Participant recruitment. - Event or activity delivery. - Production of knowledge outputs. - Dissemination. - Evaluation. - Financial reporting. - Completion of final deliverables. Applicants should avoid proposing a schedule that depends on activities extending beyond the one-year period. Eligible Activities

The program may support:

- Workshops. - Conferences. - Forums. - Summer institutes. - Symposia. - Documentaries. - Public engagement. - Community knowledge exchange. - Digital outreach. - International collaboration. - Interdisciplinary activities. - Intersectoral activities. - Research data management capacity-building. - Knowledge products. - Research-cre