Accessibility is a human right that impacts how visitors choose, experience, and promote a destination. To help ensure that all visitors to Ottawa feel welcome, Ottawa Tourism is offering funding to eligible visitor-facing businesses, who are members of Ottawa Tourism to improve the accessibility of their visitor experience through the Tourism Accessibility Fund (TAF).
The TAF is a pilot funding program that aims to address specific gaps in our destination’s visitor experience and increase the destination’s accessibility by funding tourism businesses to improve the level of accessibility in their businesses. The intention of the TAF is to ensure that Ottawa can provide an amenity-rich experience for visitors with disabilities. The application-based grant program will allow businesses to upgrade their built environment and in-destination experiences.
The development of this fund is supported by Strategy 8.11 of Ottawa’s Destination Stewardship Plan (.pdf), wherein there is a call to “Support the development and improvement of accessible tourism products, services and activities to ensure every person can participate in experiences” (8.11.3)
Finances
The TAF provides one-time, non-repayable payments of $10,000 for small-scale projects aimed at upgrading accessibility amenities, assisting tourism businesses in enhancing their service offering for visitors with disabilities; or $25,000 for larger-scale accessibility improvements or retrofits. If applying for $25,000 amount, priority will be given to applicants who can demonstrate additional funding sources.
Payments will be made to successful applicants in 3 installments: 70% of the requested amount upon signing the Funding Agreement, 20% upon the completion, successful audit and approval of itemized claim summary deliverables and 10% upon completion of final reporting.
Timeline
- Intake period begins April 2, 2024
- Intake closes April 30, 2024 4:00pm EST (NOTE: Ottawa Tourism may elect to open additional intake periods at its discretion)
- Project completion by September 30, 2024
Who is eligible
Eligible applicants must be a visitor-facing member of Ottawa Tourism in good standing. Member businesses or organizations that fall within the following list are eligible for the TAF:
- For-profit business;
- Not-for-profit business;
- Business Improvement Area (public-facing initiatives such as festivals); or
- Federal or Provincial registered Sole Proprietor
Ineligible applicants include:
- those that are unable to demonstrate a debt ratio of less than 1 or cannot provide proof of financial viability through an external evaluation;
- political parties;
- one-off events;
- charities and educational institutions;
- organizations whose activities fall under the jurisdiction of any divisions, departments or agencies of any level of government (e.g. school boards, social services, hospitals, etc.); and
- applicants based outside of the municipality of Ottawa.
Please refer to the TAF Frequently Asked Questions document (.pdf) for more information about eligibility.
Application evaluation process
Submitted applications will be assessed by an Internal Evaluation Committee, based on the contents of the application. All application information will be kept secure and confidential.
The application evaluation process will include a fair and consistent evaluation of the merit, impact, and viability of submissions against the evaluation criteria. Applications that fail to meet all of the eligibility requirements or are incomplete will not be considered for the Tourism Accessibility Fund.
Frequently Asked Questions
View the TAF Frequently Asked Questions document (.pdf).
Additional information
View the TAF Program Details (.pdf), including applicant, project, and expense eligibility and ineligibility. For any additional questions, please email: funding@ottawatourism.ca.
