This presentation includes insights into the priorities for the Call for Proposals (CFP) 2024, the advancements and changes from the previous CFP, and outlines the approach for the upcoming launch in mid-November of this year.
Timing
Mid-to late-November 2023 - CFP Launch
November – January 2024 - Webinars with Q&A Sessions
FY 2024/25 - Decisions communicated
April 1, 2025 - New agreements begin
Priorities
IRCC's CORE Principles remain in place.
Their "vision for CFP 2024 is to foster a Program that delivers the right service, to the right client, at the right time."
Right service: Ensuring that services are closely aligned to client strengths and needs.
Right clients: Strengthening our commitment to ensure that diverse populations can access and benefit from settlement services.
Right time: Improving access to high quality and consistent services, regardless of where the client is in their immigration journey.
"CFP 2024 is developed in line with IRCC’s commitments to Anti-Racism, Gender-based Analysis (GBA) Plus, and Gender Equality. This includes incorporating Truth and Reconciliation into the programming."
There are additional details in the document, as illustrated in the image below.
The priority areas are still way to vague. The evidence cited as input from the sector is to shallow, not including years of reports, program reporting, narratives, evaluations, and more. But this is just a presentation. Since we don't have access to how it was presented and any discussion that occurred that may have clarified any of these areas, we'll have to wait until the webinar and Q&A sessions over the coming months.
The introduction of three new funding streams, which appear to formally incorporate Service Delivery Improvement (SDI) funding priorities is an excellent opportunity to institutionalize innovation funding in IRCC's overall funding approach, if that is what is occurring.
So, we'll see as the details roll out. For now, it is very useful to have this document to review, discuss, and even start planning.
Edited to add - Someone who was at the NSIC meeting where this was presented provided some additional useful context:
Overall goal of this call is to provide continuity and consistency to newcomer service delivery – IRCC is working on a specific outcomes measurement framework for indirect services.
The call will include direct services, indirect services, resettlement services – doing it all at once this time around, no staggered deadline/release dates.
IRCC is doing a lot of expectation management around this call, clarifying that their emphasis is on continuity of services as they are not expecting a lot of new money – the envelope is basically the same.
For the Equity stream, IRCC will be looking for SPOs with the capacity to flow through money to small agencies serving/led by equity seeking groups. (my note: I'm guessing this is part of the IRCC funding of projects looking into regional models of grant delivery, which would be great)
For the SDI stream, IRCC will be looking for scaled up projects based on prior Pilots/SDI projects. Unlike the regular SDI projects, this funding will be for 5 years. (my note: this is excellent and important news. There are a number of SDI projects that can and should continue to be developed and scaled up. Great to see this) There will be a separate call for 3 year SDIs.
