Developing a Stronger Design Culture, Together – 2nd Edition

The goal of the 2023–2024 call for proposals is to enrich the content of the Toolkit in order to achieve a deeper shared understanding of the 12 notions that it lays out and how to apply them in various project contexts. Among other things, the idea is to present the notions in greater depth so that they result in clearer understanding and more rapid reflexes that are geared toward quality. 

To enhance the quality of projects in Montréal, for example, it would be worthwhile to intensify efforts to raise target audiences’ awareness of the following topics:

• From the Quality Vision section: circularity, adaptability and reversibility; reduction, re-use and sharing of resources; densification; bioclimatic and biophilic design; cost-benefit analyses of quality; new land-use models; urban logistics; social needs that are ignored or neglected; co-existence of genders, cultures, generations and marginalized communities; ensuring accessibility and safety for specific groups of people, and more ;
• From the Quality Operation section: project planning and management processes that foster circularity; public tendering modes; participation and consultation mechanisms; methods for networking and mentoring of emerging professionals; life-cycle analysis that favours quality; management of a quality monitoring plan and indicators; strategies for feedback and for transfer of learnings, and more.

Before preparing your proposal, you are invited to read through the Toolkit. Are there areas where you see something lacking that should be addressed as a priority? How might you help meet that need?

Call for projects and awareness activities
Non-profit organizations (NPOs) and institutions seeking to help strengthen Montréal’s design culture are invited to submit a funding application for a project or activity in keeping with their mission and with the objectives and audiences targeted in this call for proposals. Selected NPOs may receive a minimum of $25,000, to be used for: 

• funding up to 100% of the development and implementation of their project or activity;
• offering technical support to Montréal businesses through awareness-raising activities, including development of decision-support tools.

Examples of eligible projects and activities: guiding tours/walks, exhibitions, workshops, lectures, seminars, online or in-person training, mentoring, personalized or group support, film, documentary, television program, podcast, etc. 

Eligible organizations 
Non-profit organizations legally constituted under Part III of Québec’s Companies Act or the Canada Not-for-Profit Corporations Act, associations constituted under the Civil Code of Québec, cooperatives, solidarity cooperatives, non-profit foundations or trusts, and public organizations (schools, universities, research centres, school boards, or other) are eligible to receive funding from this call for proposals provided that they:

• carry out their non-profit operations on the territory of the urban agglomeration of Montréal;
• have been operating on a non-profit basis for at least two years;
• are not in default with the Registraire des entreprises du Québec or under any other governmental law;
• are in good standing with the various municipal departments and boroughs of Montréal;
• are free from any conflict of interest (a director or trustee is in a conflict of interest when they are able to further their personal interests, or those of others, rather than the interests of the organization);
• are free from any related-party transaction (a related-party transaction, such as any exchange [monetary or non-monetary] between the NPO, an NPO employee, or a board member and a directly or indirectly related person or corporation); and
• demonstrate sound financial management (no deficit or rulings against the organization).

Proposal submission process
Proposals must be submitted using the standardized application form for financial contributions from the city’s Service du développement économique. The form has five sections:

• Information about the applicant (contact information of the person in charge of submitting the application);
• Information about the organization (legal status, mission, description of activities, staff, etc.);
• Information about the organization’s governance (declaration of no conflict of interest, history of financial contributions and mandates from the City of Montréal, etc.);
• Upload of the proposal presentation documents (as described below);
• Upload of the mandatory documents:
  • the up-to-date list of the members of the organization’s board of directors and roles as well as the list of persons assigned to the project and their roles (to do this, use the standardized template provided, in French only);
  • letters patent, or incorporation document if the organization is a trust;
  • the organization’s general by-laws;
  • the resolution of the board of directors appointing and authorizing the person responsible for signing the agreement;
  • financial statements for the last year (audited, adopted at a general meeting or approved/adopted by the board of directors);
  • letters of agreement with project partners, where applicable;
  • francisation certificate, where applicable.

NPOs: submit your proposal (form in French only)

The proposal presentation documents must be structured in four parts as described below. Each part must explain how the proposal fulfills the assessment criteria listed. The first three parts must be collected in a single PDF document, without the financial structure. Part 4, the financial structure, must be submitted separately using the standardized Excel template provided. 

Part 1 (max. 4 pages)
Description of the proposal
The organization’s or business’s project presentation must demonstrate its understanding of the objectives of the call for proposals and explain how and to what extent its proposal responds to them. This includes:

• demonstrating an understanding of the general and specific objectives of the call for proposals;
• giving a detailed presentation of the proposal that addresses the assessment criteria listed below.

Assessment criteria of the relevance of the proposal
Whether the proposal:

• addresses a lack or need that is real, experienced or expressed by one or more of the target audiences;
• is connected to one of the 12 notions outlines in the Quality Toolkit;
• is accessible (at lower cost, as applicable);
• is functional (i.e., its format, structure, content, method of use/participation);
• is sustainable (proof of long-term relevance / life cycle);
• includes an effective communications strategy to reach the specified target audiences;
• includes a deliverable that could be incorporated into the Quality Toolkit and would help enrich it.

Part 2 (max. 6 pages)
Description of the organization or business and the team assigned to the project
The organization or business must demonstrate its ability to implement its proposed project by providing:

• its mission, values and areas of activity;
• examples of relevant previous achievements;
• an organizational strategy suitable for the project, including:
  • an organizational chart showing the roles of key resources (internal and external resources, as applicable);
  • profiles of each key resource, including the project manager (stating training received, years of experience in their current role and similar accomplishments in that role).

Assessment criteria of the organization’s or business’s capacity to implement the project

• Does the organization or business have the expertise needed to complete the project?
• Is the team assigned to the project appropriate for the methodology and timetable proposed for the project?

Part 3 (max. 4 pages)
Description of the timetable and methodology
The organization or business must submit a timetable and an effective methodology for implementing the project, including:

• the timetable for completion, stating all major stages;
• detailed activities and deliverables for each stage;
• quality monitoring indicators for the project or activity.

Assessment criteria of the feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed methodology and timetable

• Does the methodology appear to be optimal for meeting the project objectives?
• Does the timetable seem realistic?

Part 4
Description of the financial structure
The organization or business must submit a detailed financial structure, including the contributions of other partners and collaborators, as applicable. The structure must include a breakdown by stage and by expenditure item. Applicants must use the standardized template provided (in French only).

Assessment criteria of the soundness of the financial structure

• Does the financial structure appear to meet the needs of the project, given the proposed methodology and resources?
• Does the financial breakdown by stages (and expenditure items) seem consistent with the effort described in the methodology and timetable?
• Does the project call for complementary funding from an outside partner? Is that funding confirmed?
• Will the project need complementary funding to ensure the sustainability of the deliverable?

• Launch of call for proposals: May 23, 2023
• Submission deadline: July 7, 2023, 11:59 p.m.
• Proposal analysis: week of July 10, 2023
• Interviews: July-August 2023 (depending on availabilities and vacations)
• Final selection: mid-August 2023 (depending on availabilities and vacations)
• Preparation and signature of agreements: before the end of August 2023
• Approval by various bodies and start of work: September-October 2023
• Follow-up of projects and work: continuous, through the end of 2024
• Final program report and accountability: January-February 2025