Contributions for Exhibits and Youth Activities on Canada and the Moon (Moon exploration, Artemis Missions, Lunar Gateway) - Space Awareness Element

3.1 Eligible Recipients

Eligible recipients are:

• Not-for-profit museums and science centres established and operating in Canada, excluding any governmental (federal, provincial or municipal) entities or organizations.

The application should be submitted by one eligible organization, which will be fully liable, and the only signatory of the contribution agreement.

3.2 Eligible Projects

To be eligible, a funding request must be submitted under one or both of the following categories:

• Category A: exhibits that contribute to increase the awareness, interest and knowledge on Canada and the Moon (Moon exploration, Artemis Missions, Lunar Gateway). Floor plans and sketches should be presented to give an idea of the project scope.
• Category B: the design, development and delivery of an activity for youth (from kindergarten to grade 12, K-12) related to Canada's participation in Moon exploration (Moon exploration, Artemis Missions, Lunar Gateway).

The applicant can submit one funding request (one Application Form – see Section 4.1) for one or for both categories. In the former case, the two initiatives (exhibit and activity) should be presented as separate, independent projects. The CSA will reject a funding request that does not respect this condition. The acceptance of one project will not automatically lead to the acceptance of the other one.

The proposed exhibits and activities should be offered at no cost for visitors/ participants during the contribution agreement with the CSA. For exhibits and activities planned to be offered in locations where entry or other standard fees are required, no additional cost will be charged for access to the exhibits or activities supported by the CSA contribution for the period of the contribution agreement.

The recipients of the contributions will have access to the same services that the CSA Communications and Public Affairs group offers to all Canadians, such as information on CSA activities and missions.

If a proponent requests, as part of the proposal, access to and/ or use of the CSA's resources (such as facilities, equipment, technical expertise), an additional collaborative agreement might have to be signed between the CSA and the recipient, provided that the proposal has been selected for funding.

3.3 Links to CSA Priorities

To be eligible, projects supported under this AO must contribute to the CSA's commitment to inspiring young Canadians through space as highlighted in the Government's Space Strategy for Canada entitled "Exploration, Imagination, Innovation: A New Space Strategy for Canada".

3.4 Links to the Class G&C Program Objectives

To be eligible, projects supported under this AO must contribute to the achievement of the following objective:

• To increase awareness of Canadian space science and technology by increasing the interest of Canadian youth and educators and their participation in related activities;

4.1 Required Documentation

The Application must include the following:

• A completed typed original Application Form signed by the Duly Authorized Representative;
• A proposal (project description) that complies with the guidelines outlined in the application form;
• A copy of the document(s) confirming the legal name of the Applicant (organization) and its legal registration (incorporation) status;
• Letters from other funding contributors confirming their contributions, if applicable;
• A complete Declaration on Confidentiality, Access to Information Act and Privacy Act form signed by the duly authorized representative (refer to the Applicant Declaration on Confidentiality, Access to Information Act and Privacy Act section included in the application form); and
• For organizations in Quebec, M-30 Supporting Documentation form completed and signed by the duly authorized representative (refer to the M-30 form for organizations in Quebec included in the application form)
• One (1) printed copy of the Application Form signed by the Duly Authorized Representative, if submitted by mail;
• In case the Application is submitted by mail, a copy of the Application (identical to the signed paper copy) on a standard electronic media (e.g. USB flash drive). If there is any discrepancy between the hard copy and the electronic version on the standard electronic media, the hard copy takes precedence.

The financial statements for the last two years and other governance documents may be requested in a later phase of the evaluation process, as a condition to signing the contribution agreement. It is not required to submit any financial statement of the organization with the application.

The Application must be prepared as a single PDF-formatted file containing all of the above requested documents with all security features disabled. Please order the document with the application form and proposal first. If there are any accessibility issues with the submitted PDF file, all consequences reside with the Applicant.

Any missing supporting document or any incoherence between the requested documents and the information provided within the documents may lead to the rejection of the proposal on that sole basis.

It is the applicant's responsibility to ensure that the application complies with all relevant federal, provincial and territorial legislation and municipal bylaws.

Applications can be submitted either a) electronically or b) mailed:

1. To upload the application electronically (recommended), please follow the steps below:
   • Prepare the Application for each Category (if applicable) in a single PDF –formatted file as per instructions above;
   • Submit an account creation request to use the CSA Electronic proposal portal:
     1. For Category A. Proposals (Exhibits) and
     2. for Category B. Proposals (Awareness Activities).
   • Please note that Google Chrome is the browser of choice for submissions; Internet Explorer is also supported with some restrictions. Applicants using the electronic portal are encouraged to create their account several days before the submission deadline, in order to address any technical difficulties that could arise. If the technical issues cannot be resolved, Applicants can submit their application by mail (before the deadline);
   • Upon account creation, the CSA will send an email with instructions on how to connect to the CSA secure filer system to allow you to upload documents securely. Applicants are strongly encouraged to upload their applications well before the submission deadline;
   • In the "Proposal title" field of the Electronic Proposal Portal, please use the following formatting standard: ORGANIZATION NAME_PROJECT TITLE_CSA MOON EXHIBIT / ACTIVITIES 2022.
2. Mail the Applications to the CSA at the following address:

Applications must be received at the CSA no later than 2:00 p.m. (ET) on October 14, 2022.

IMPORTANT NOTES:

• Incomplete applications will not be considered;
• Hand-delivered applications will not be accepted;
• Applications sent by email will not be accepted.

If CSA receives the same application by both ways acceptable for submission, the latest valid version received will be considered.

If the applicant chooses to submit the applications electronically, the applicant must keep one hard copy of the Application with the original (inked) signatures. The CSA may require from the applicants who successfully passed the stages described in Sections 5.1 and 5.2 to send a hard copy of their complete application with the original signatures.

4.2 Service Standards – Complete Applications

Applicants will be notified in writing of decisions regarding their application. Selected applications will be announced on the CSA website. The CSA has set the following service standards for processing times, acknowledgement of receipt, funding decisions and payment procedures.

Acknowledgement: The CSA's goal is to acknowledge receipt of proposals within maximum two (2) weeks of receiving the completed application package.

Decision: The CSA's goal is to select the proposal(s) within fifteen (15) weeks of the AO's closing date and to send a contribution agreement for signature within five (5) weeks after formal approval of the proposal.

Payment: The CSA's goal is to issue payment within six (6) weeks of the successful fulfillment of the requirements outlined in the contribution agreement.

Compliance with these service standards is a shared responsibility. Applicants must submit all required documentation in a timely manner. Service standards may vary by Announcement of Opportunity.

5.1 Eligibility Criteria

Applications will first be submitted to an eligibility assessment by the CSA to verify whether they comply with the eligibility criteria listed in Section 3. Only applications that have passed the eligibility assessment will be given further consideration.

• Represents an eligible recipient as defined in Section 3.1; and
• Represents an eligible project as defined in Sections 3.2, 3.3, 3.4;

5.2 Evaluation Criteria

Once the eligibility criteria are confirmed, the CSA's evaluators will assess the screened applications submitted in each category according to the criteria presented in Table 2 below.

The Table 2 shows the definition and a breakdown of all the evaluation criteria, which are further described in Annex A for each Category. Applicants should address each criterion in their application. Please note that only projects that obtain an overall minimum score of 60 and achieve the minimum specified thresholds for each criterion will be given further considerations.

Table 2: Evaluation criteria

5.3 Evaluation and Selection Process

Only applications that have passed the eligibility assessment listed in Section 5.1 will be given further consideration.

Once the eligibility criteria are confirmed, evaluators will assess the screened applications according to the criteria listed in Section 5.2 for each Category. Evaluators shall be experts in the fields relevant to the applications and may include representatives of Canada and other countries, and representatives of other government and non-government agencies and organizations. If applicable, a multidisciplinary evaluation committee will be formed when applications from several different disciplines are competing in order to provide a uniform final score and ranking of proposals.

Before a final decision is made, the CSA's Program Manager responsible for this AO may seek input and advice from other organizations, including (but not limited to) federal, provincial, territorial and municipal government agencies and organizations.

For the final selection, the CSA will consider the projects having the highest final scores in each category. The CSA could also take into consideration certain factors in the final decision to grant funding, such as, but not limited to, regional distribution, representativeness of the four (4) designated groups (women, Aboriginal persons, disabled persons or members of a visible minority) as well as linguistic minorities.

6.1 Available Funding and Duration

The total maximum funding available for this AO is $620,000.

The total maximum funding amount given per project will be $100,000 for projects submitted under Category A, over a maximum period of 15 months.

The total maximum funding amount given per project will be $30,000 over a maximum period of 15 months for projects submitted under Category B.

An eligible applicant can receive a maximum of $130,000 providing that its applications have included projects for both Categories and both projects have been selected for funding.

The CSA reserves the right to reject any proposals or reduce the amount of the contributions at its entire discretion.

The approved proposal(s) will be eligible for a total amount of government assistance (federal, provincial, territorial and municipal) of up to 100% of total project costs.

The number of projects under this AO will depend on funding availability.

To determine the amount of funding to be allocated and the number of projects funded, consideration will be given to the availability of CSA funds, the total cost of the projects, and the other confirmed sources of funds provided by other stakeholders and the applicant.

Applicants must identify all sources of funding in their applications and confirm this information in the funding agreement if the project is selected for funding. Upon completion of a project, the recipient must also disclose all sources of funding.

6.2 Eligible Costs

Eligible costs for contributions will be direct expenses associated with the delivery of approved projects that are required to achieve the results to which they relate. Costs will include one or a combination of the following eligible costs:

• Acquisition, development and printing of materials
• Acquisition or rental of equipment
• Consultant services
• License and permit fees
• Printing services
• Materials and supplies
• Publication and communication services (e.g. digitalization services of exhibitions)
• Salaries and benefits
• Translation services
• Overhead (administrative) costs (not to exceed 10% of the total eligible costs)
• PST, HST and GST net of any rebate to which the recipient is entitled and the reimbursement of any taxes for goods and services acquired in a foreign country net of any rebate or reimbursement received in the foreign country

7.1 Payments

The CSA and each successful applicant (the recipient) will sign a funding agreement. This is a condition for any payment made by the CSA with respect to the approved project.

Payments for contribution agreements (including advance payments if applicable) will be made in accordance with the process and the reporting requirements described in the signed funding agreement. Upon notice of a successful application, the CSA will have no liability until a funding agreement is signed by both parties. Only eligible costs incurred after the funding agreement is signed and indicated in the agreement will be reimbursed.

7.2 Audit

The recipient of a funding agreement shall keep proper records of all documentation related to the funded project, for the duration of the project and for six (6) years after the completion date of the project, in the event of an audit. This documentation shall be available upon request.

7.3 Conflict of Interest

In the funding agreement, the recipient will certify that any current or former public office holder or public servant it employs complies with the provisions of the relevant Conflict of Interest and Post-Employment Code for Public Office Holders and the Values and Ethics Code for the Public Sector respectively.

7.4 Intellectual Property

All intellectual property developed by the recipient in the course of the project shall vest in the recipient.

7.5 Organizations in Quebec

An organization in Quebec whose operations are partially or fully funded by the province of Quebec may be subject to the Act Respecting the Ministère du Conseil exécutif, R.S.Q., Chapter M-30.

Under Sections 3.11 and 3.12 of this Act, certain entities/organizations, as defined in the meaning of the Act, such as municipal bodies, school bodies, or public agencies, must obtain authorization from the Secrétariat du Québec aux relations canadiennes (SQRC), as indicated by the Act, before signing any funding agreement with the Government of Canada, its departments or agencies, or a federal public agency.

Consequently, any entity that is subject to the Act is responsible for obtaining such authorization before signing any funding agreement with the Government of Canada.

Quebec applicants must complete, sign and include the M-30 Supporting Documentation form with their application.

7.6 Performance Measurement

The CSA will ask the recipients to report on certain aspects of their projects such as:

• Reach and engagement
  • Number of Canadian youth reached through space-STEM activities funded by CSA
  • Percentage of youth engaged who indicated after the activity completion, that they would like to participate in similar space-STEM focused activity again.
    • Exhibition:
      • Number of Canadians reached
      • If online content, number of page views and/or downloads of content
  • Number of partnerships involved in the project

A.1. Evaluation criteria definitions and scores for projects submitted under Category A - Exhibits

A numerical score is associated with each criterion. It is strongly recommended that applicants include in their applications information related to each highest score.

A.2. Evaluation criteria definitions and scores for projects submitted under Category B (awareness activities for youth K-12).