The McLean Foundation will now only accept Letters of Inquiry (LOI) and full applications online through the link provided below.

  • LOIs should not be sent via regular mail or through e-mail.
  • At this time, the Foundation only accepts LOIs and full applications in English.
  • Form letters and mass mailings will NOT be regarded as LOIs.
  • The Foundation will not consider applications from individuals. To apply you must be a Charitable Organization with a valid CRA#, An Indigenous Band with a valid Indigenous Band #, or a municipality.

Click here to submit your letter of inquiry.

Letter of Inquiry Guidelines

You will be required to fill out a form to provide basic organization details including:

  • legal name of the organization
  • Canada Revenue Agency charitable number, indigenous band number, or name of the municipality
  • dollar value of the request
  • contact details for the main applicant and secondary contact (optional)
    • job title
    • email
    • mailing address
    • phone number

The LOI should be no more than two pages, written on organization letterhead, signed by a member of the organization’s executive, be in PDF format and should include the following information:

  • A brief description of who the applicant organization is and what the applicant does
  • A brief description of the project if the request is for project-based support

You will also be required to attach:

  • A budget for the project, or the organization’s overall budget if the request is for general support in PDF format.
  • The organization’s most recent financial statements in PDF format.

A selections committee will review LOIs and you will be notified by email if you are invited to submit a full application. If your organization is invited to submit a full application, please follow the guidelines below.

Application Procedure Guidelines

If you have already submitted a letter of inquiry and The McLean Foundation has invited you to submit a full proposal, please follow the guidelines below. Please note that when submitting a full application, the directors will not have access to the LOI so the application should be standalone and not reference the LOI.

The Foundation does not utilize application forms and does not require any standardized format. Applications should take the form of a brief descriptive letter with such supporting documents as may be appropriate. All applications submitted require the following information:

1. Applicant

Provide a brief description of the organization, its purpose, date of establishment, board and staff, budget, programme, and past accomplishments. Is the applicant better qualified to achieve the desired results than other organizations or government agencies? Does the project avoid duplication of similar efforts already being conducted by other organizations?

2. Project Goal

Briefly outline the proposal and what it seeks to achieve. The Foundation recognizes the importance of local involvement in community activities.  In view of the number of applications which it receives, the Foundation encourages ventures of an exclusively local interest to rely on community support.

3. Funding

Provide a budget for the proposal. In addition, list individuals or organizations whose support has been requested, or may be requested. Indicate those who have agreed to assist and those who have declined.

4. Duration

State the expected duration of the project and indicate whether continued financial support will be requested from the Foundation or other organizations for a number of years.

5. References

List the names of informed persons independent of the organization and its leadership, who may be consulted on this project.

6. Previous Contact

Indicate any previous contacts with The McLean Foundation.

7. Finances

Provide the organization’s most recent financial statement.

Applications should be addressed to:

Grants Officer
The McLean Foundation
2 St. Clair Ave. W. Suite 1008
Toronto, Ontario
Canada M4V 1L5
Tel: (416) 964-6802
Fax: (416) 964-2804
Email: info@mcleanfoundation.ca