Evaluation Summary of the Class Grant and Contribution Program

What is the Class Grant and Contribution Program?

In place since 2002, the Canadian Space Agency's Class Grant and Contribution Program promotes space-related research and development to support knowledge development and innovation to address Canada's space priorities.

It is the only federal grant and contribution program entirely dedicated to the development of the space sector.

About the evaluation

Evaluation covers the period of October 2009 to March 2014

Conducted by the Canadian Space Agency's Evaluation function from 2014-2016 in response to the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat's Policy on Evaluation (2009) and to the Policy on Transfer Payments (2008).

The evaluation's purpose is to provide decision-makers and Canadians an evidenced-based, neutral assessment of the Class G&C Program's value for money with respect to both the program's continued relevance and performance.

The evaluation used a mixed-methods approach that combined qualitative and quantitative analyses which included:

• Program documents and archival data review
• Survey to 124 key informants (funding recipients, non-recipients and Canadian Space Agency employees)
• Telephone interviews with 4 federal transfer payment programs to provide points of comparison and identify best practices.

What have we learned?

The program's objectives are consistent with both federal and departmental priorities and the program falls within the federal government's jurisdiction.

There is a continued need for the program to continue supporting capacity development and collaboration, and fund projects in priority areas.

The program is effective and achieved all its intended outcomes:

• Space-related S&T knowledge has increased and disseminated.
• Canada's focus on space has increased, as have national and international collaborations which led to increased space-related capacities and successful multidisciplinary collaborations.

How can we improve the program?

1. Review the Program's Terms and Conditions with respect to the Awareness and Learning component.
2. Standardize the application, selection, and feedback processes for both solicited and unsolicited proposals, clearly communicate it to the Canadian space community.
3. Revise the program's Performance Measurement Strategy, data entry, collection, and storage processes. Also, standardize the process for identifying ranked lists of funding priorities applicable to all grant and contribution initiatives across the main branches.