Funding Assistance Resources

Note: Not an exhaustive list. Some of the autism and/or disability-related resources listed are region-specific. Others are province-wide and Canada-wide. Also, some programs are income-dependent

Provincial Funding Programs

• Assistance for Children with Severe Disabilities (ACSD)

• Assistive Devices Program (ADP)

• Complex Special Needs Funding

• Direct Funding: Self-Managed Attendant Services in Ontario

• Enhanced Respite Funding For Medically Fragile and/or Technology Dependent Children

• Family-Managed Home Care

• Financial Support for Child Care

• Healthy Smiles Ontario

• Home and Community Care

• Home and Vehicle Modification Program

• Ontario Child Benefit

• Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP)

• Ontario Works (OW)

• Ontario Autism Program (OAP)

• Passport Program

• Special Diet Allowance

• Special Services at Home (SSAH)

• Trillium Drug Program

Videos

• How-To Guide | Completing a Special Services at Home Application

• How-To Guide | Completing the Assistance for Children with Severe Disabilities (ACSD) Form

Federal/Canada-Wide Funding Programs

• Canada Caregiver Credit

• Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) - Residential Rehabilitation Assistance Program (RRAP) - First Nations

• Canada Disability Benefit

• Disability Tax Credit (DTC)

• Government of Canada Disability Benefits

• Inuit Child First Initiative

• Jordan's Principle (First Nations)

• Registered Disability Savings Plan (RDSP)

• Support Our Troops - Special Needs Grants

Recreational/Camp Funding

• Amici Camping Charity

• Canadian Tire Jumpstart

• City of Hamilton Recreation Assistance Program

• Dreams Take Flight Canada

• Kids in Camp

• KidSport Ontario

• Their Opportunity

Other Funding Assistance Resources

• Ausome Charity for Autism

• Autism Ontario – March Break Reimbursement Fund, One-to-One Summer Support Worker Reimbursement Fund & Building Brighter Futures Fund

• Ceridian Cares

• Easter Seals Ontario

1. Equipment Funding

2. Incontinence Supplies Grant Program

3. Scholarships

4. Top Up Grant Program

• Give a Miracle a Chance (cerebral palsy)

• GM Mobility Program

• Jennifer Ashleigh Children's Charity

• Labatt Better Together

• March of Dimes Canada

• Muscular Dystrophy Canada Equipment Program

• Noah's Clubhouse (CP)

• Ontario Federation for Cerebral Palsy (OFCP)

• Toyota Mobility Assistance Program

Special Benefit Programs

• Air Canada - Accessibility Services

• Canada's Wonderland - Boarding Pass Program

• Easter Seals Canada

1. Access2Card

2. Disability Travel Card

• GO Transit - Traveling with a support person

• TTC - Support Person Assistance Card

• VIA Rail - Traveling with a support person

• WestJet - Traveling with an attendant

Region-Specific Funding

• Family Directed Respite (Toronto)

• For The Love of a Child (Durham region)

• Kerry’s Place Autism Services (KPAS) – Children’s Respite Flexible Funding (York Region, Simcoe County, Durham Region and Haliburton, Kawartha & Pine Ridge (HKPR), Dufferin, Peel and Wellington). Check the website for dates to apply

• Service Coordination Support (Ottawa) - Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) Respite Funding Initiative

• Special Supports Program (Hamilton)

• Waves of Changes For Autism (Vaughan)

Wish Foundations

• A Child’s Voice Foundation

• Make-A-Wish Canada

• Starlight Children’s Foundation

• Sunshine Dreams For Kids

Post-Secondary Financial Assistance, Scholarships, Bursaries

For those with limited financial resources, there are several grants to help. Disability centres at universities and colleges generally require a recent educational assessment (some will help your child get assessed.)

1. Apply for Canada Student Grants and Loans assistance first. Even if you are not planning on taking a government loan (OSAP in Ontario), your son or daughterʹs eligibility for assistance opens the door to the disability‐related grants below.

2. Bring the separate application form for the grants (available from website below) to the University/College disability centre office when you arrange a meeting with them (after your son/daughter has been accepted to the institution and you have received notice of loan acceptance). The office needs to sign off on the applications.

• Canada Study and Canada Access Grants

• Bursary for Students with Disabilities

Scholarship applications are usually due in the early spring of the year in which the student is commencing their studies in September. Contact the individual scholarship organizations to obtain the application criteria and deadline submission dates.

In addition to the scholarships listed below, contact the university or community college directly to obtain information of other scholarships that might be available.

• Easter Seals offers several scholarships. Check website for eligibility criteria

• Autism Ontario offers 3 post-secondary scholarships. Check website for application dates

• AUCC Scholarship Programs

• DisabilityAwards.ca is the site to search awards and scholarships for students with disabilities studying at Canada’s colleges and universities.

• Scholarships Canada provides a database on scholarships, awards and bursaries from across Canada.

Estate Planning

• Henson Trust

• Wills, Trusts, and Estate Planning

See our more extensive list of resources here