Call for Proposals – The International Youth Internship Program (IYIP) 2023-2028

This funding opportunity process is now closed. The deadline for submitting a proposal was March 1, 2023.

Global Affairs Canada (GAC) is issuing a call to organizations in Canada entitled “International Youth Internship Program (IYIP) 2023-2028.” The IYIP is funded by the Youth Employment and Skills Strategy (YESS), which is implemented by 12 federal departments to help young Canadians gain the skills and work experience they need to make a successful transition to the labour market. IYIP participants will complete international development internships aligned with Canada’s Feminist International Assistance Policy and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG).

The program is valued at $29.76 million over a 5-year period.

GAC expects to fund project proposals of at least $2 million and up to $4.9 million. Submitting the project proposal is the only stage in this call. GAC may fund several proposals or none, up to the maximum funding available.

Before submitting your application:

Review the guidelines outlined on the How to apply for funding through a call webpage (please follow the guidelines in the document, with the exception of the 2 stages to apply, as this is a 1-stage full proposal process only)
If an application is submitted on behalf of a group of organizations that would be signing the funding agreement with GAC, you must designate an organization to lead the group but still ensure that each co-signer is registered and uploads all required documents to the Partners@International portal. In the context of this call for proposals, such groups are referred to as “the applicant”

Project proposals assessed as meritorious based on the criteria below will be considered for funding. Being assessed as meritorious, however, does not guarantee that funding will be obtained.

The complete project proposal for this call must be submitted via the Partners@International portal before the deadline. GAC will not accept project proposals submitted after the deadline. To avoid technical difficulties preventing you from applying on time, GAC strongly recommends that you submit your application at least 3 business days before the March 1, 2023, 12:00 p.m. (noon) ET deadline.

Objectives

This call aims to provide Canadians aged 18 to 30, especially youth facing barriers to employment*, with an opportunity to acquire:

professional experience abroad (or, in some cases, virtually) in the field of international development
skills to prepare them for future employment or further education

*Definition of “youth facing barriers to employment” for the purposes of this call for proposals: persons between the ages of 18 and 30 who belong to or identify themselves as members of a group that faces discrimination, such as people living with disabilities, Indigenous peoples, racialized youth and members of the 2SLGBTQI+ community.

Organization eligibility criteria

To be eligible, applicants must meet the requirements listed below and, where applicable, provide supporting documentation. GAC will not pre-assess or comment on the eligibility of potential applicants.

If the applicant is a group of organizations, each organization (i.e. each co-signer) must meet all of the following requirements and provide the necessary documentation to prove it. If your proposed project does not meet the following statements, it will not be assessed for funding under this call.

Be registered in the Partners@International portal
Be registered in Canada. For this call, this means that the organization is legally incorporated in Canada, has an official address and employees in Canada and can provide proof of legal status (e.g. a letter of incorporation) and a business number issued by the Canada Revenue Agency
Submit 2 consecutive financial statements for the most recent fiscal years. Audited financial statements are preferable. If this is not possible, for each signatory organization, the financial statements must be signed by at least 1 member of the board of directors, 1 board delegate, or the owner(s)
Submit Organization Attestation form (PDF, 100 KB, 3 pages), dated and signed by the chief financial officer or by a member of the board of directors duly authorized to sign
Organizations may submit only 1 project proposal under this call. An organization may also participate as a non-signatory partner in proposals from 1 or more other applicants. Note that if an organization submits more than 1 application for which it is a signatory to this call, GAC will only consider the one with the earliest submission timestamp
The applicant (and in the case of multiple co-signatories, at least 1 organization) must have at least 3 years of experience (within the last 10 years) implementing projects with youth. These projects must have had a budget of at least $1M and have taken place over a duration of 3 to 5 years. The applicant must demonstrate this experience in Criterion 3.1 of the application form

Proposal criteria

Check the list below to see if the project proposal meets the criteria for this call. GAC will not answer questions regarding the eligibility of the project proposal. To be considered for funding under this call, an application must be able to answer “yes” to all of the following statements, or it will not be considered:

Value: GAC expects to fund project proposals of at least $2 million and up to $4.9 million
Length: The proposed project will last between 4 and 5 years
Target youth: The project is intended for youth between the ages of 18 and 30, inclusive, who are Canadian citizens or permanent residents of Canada
Geographic alignment: The proposed project will be implemented in countries eligible for DAC ODA (DAC: OECD Development Assistance Committee) in collaboration with local partners in these countries. Further information on this is provided in the Local Partner(s) Information form
International development internship assignments: Applicants must demonstrate that their proposed internships are in international development and aligned with Canada’s Feminist International Assistance Policy and the Sustainable Development Goals. Applicants will need to ensure that the internships meet local needs (ownership by local organizations) and that interns’ experience and skills meet the needs of the identified partners in the countries concerned
Compliance with economic sanctions: In the Organization Attestation form (PDF, 100 KB, 3 pages), the funding shall not be knowingly used, directly or indirectly, in a manner that violates Canada’s economic sanctions or export and import control regimes. Information on this matter is available in Types of Sanctions and Export and Import Controls. You must complete a Country Annex form (PDF, 126 KB, 1 page) for each country where the application anticipates that activities will be undertaken
Attestation with local partners: For each core local partner, a written attestation (2 pages maximum) or verbal attestation (5 minutes maximum, in English, in French, in Quebec Sign Language [LSQ], in American Sign Language [ASL], or with a translation included if the attestation is in a different language) is provided attesting to your partnership with the local organization. The attestation must indicate that the initiative addresses a need, that each organization has agreed to collaborate in the implementation of the project, and that interns placed through the International Youth Internship Program will not replace regular positions filled within the partner organization. Verbal attestations will be presented under section 3.3 of the application form and written attestations will be downloaded in the portal. These attestations are not necessary for any backup local partners proposed
Applicants targeting specific groups of youth facing barriers to employment must provide 2 to 4 letters of support (2 pages maximum each) or 1 verbal testimony (5 minutes maximum in English, in French, in LSQ, in ASL or with a translation included if the testimony is in another language) from organizations whose identity is closely related to the group of youth targeted by the proposal. These organizations must have worked with the applicant in the past and the letters of support and/or verbal testimonies must describe the relationship between the 2 organizations. If the identity of a signatory organization(s) is already closely linked to the targeted youth, these letters of support or verbal testimonies are not necessary. However, if you wish to work with more than 1 target youth group, you must send 2 to 4 letters of support and/or verbal testimonies for each targeted youth group. Verbal testimonies will be inserted in section 3.1 of the application form and letters of support will be uploaded to the portal
Language: The application contains all the required documents, submitted in English or French, or a combination of both languages (excepting the verbal testimonies, which may be submitted in LSQ or ASL)
Not-for-profit project: The proposed project will not generate any profit for the implementing organizations or other project partner organizations
Cost sharing: The (co)signatory organization(s) commit to providing at least 5% of the total eligible direct project costs for the duration of the project in the form of cash or in-kind contributions under GAC’s Policy on Cost-Sharing for Grant and Non-Repayable Contribution Agreements. Your organization must certify that it meets this requirement in the Organization Attestation form (PDF, 100 KB, 3 pages), which must be signed and included with your application
Innovative engagement activities: The proposed project includes activities to engage people living in Canada on international assistance and includes a budget of up to 10% of GAC’s contribution to direct project costs

Additional guidelines

Choice of countries/internship partners

The applicant is free to choose the countries in which the internships will take place, as long as they are countries eligible for official development assistance (defined by the DAC). The same applies to the choice of local implementing partners, insofar as the organizational mandate is linked to the Sustainable Development Goals.

Situations sometimes arise that are beyond an organization’s control, such as natural disasters, crises or security issues. Where possible, GAC encourages applicants to identify partners in standby countries to avoid delays in implementation should certain countries no longer be suitable for internship implementation.

Safety and travel recommendations

As the safety of youth is the responsibility of the signatory organizations to the contribution agreement, it is expected that applicants will take into consideration the travel advisories posted on travel.gc.ca to determine the countries in which they will implement projects. Applicants must also demonstrate their ability to pivot as the situation changes in countries selected for implementation of internships.

Virtual internships

The program aims to provide youth with a transformative internship experience, and in-person participation is more conducive to this end. However, for this call, GAC will allow for entirely virtual internships or internships with a main virtual component as an accommodation for youth with barriers to employment seeking to participate in the program.

Following the COVID-19 pandemic, GAC authorized virtual internships as an exceptional measure to allow young Canadians to have internship experiences with local partners when international travel was not possible. These experiences have yielded positive results and increased the inclusion of many youth facing barriers to employment. The applicant will need to demonstrate how this option facilitates internships that otherwise would not have been possible in person alone.

Monitoring and sharing good practices

GAC plans to hire a program advisor or an organization to support organizations that will implement a project through this program. The advisor or organization will set up formal structures to foster communication between organizations in order to ensure the success of the projects. Terms and conditions of monitoring will be shared once organizations are selected. However, you can refer to your intended use of these exchange forums in your proposal.

Experimentation

GAC would like to highlight opportunities for experimentation under this program. Since the program’s inception 25 years ago, program leads have drawn many lessons from implementing different iterations and, most recently, from delivering engagement projects during a pandemic. These experiences demonstrated the resilience of the organizations and the adaptability of the participants. When completing the application form, depending on which parts would apply to your proposal, please identify what you consider to be experimentation that will provide better internships for participants and local partner organizations. Be sure to briefly explain the rationale and identify the major risks associated with these experimentations.

How proposals are evaluated

Organizations may submit only 1 project proposal under this call. Each project proposal submitted under this call for proposals will be subject to an eligibility check to determine if the application meets all of the organization’s eligibility criteria and all the project criteria to be met outlined above.

Proposals that meet the requirements will undergo a merit review as described in How proposals are evaluated (international.gc.ca) and will be assessed on the basis of the evaluation criteria outlined in the application form. Submitting a complete proposal does not guarantee that it will be selected. Unsuccessful applicants will receive a letter to that effect at the end of the selection process.

To guide applicants, response elements that are deemed strong are described in the call form. Responses that include most of these elements could be considered “Acceptable” or “Needs improvement.” Responses that do not include these elements would be considered “Weak” or “Unacceptable.”

It is important for applicants to provide evidence and cite sources in the application form.

Assessed criteria

1 - Youth

The purpose of this section of the form is to provide a profile of the youth you are targeting for the proposed project. You will need to demonstrate your understanding of the systemic issues facing the youth targeted by your proposal and your ability to implement an effective and efficient recruitment and retention strategy to reach these same youth. This section should be guided by a preliminary Gender-based Analysis Plus (GBA+). Please note that you are not asked to complete a full GBA+ as in international assistance projects, but rather to use the GBA+ questions to guide your thinking about systemic issues and the role that an internship might play in overcoming specific barriers.

2 - Implementation

The purpose of this section of the form is to explain the proposed internship approach. Details should be provided on types of internships, proposed types of mandates (in response to local needs and in relation to FIAP and SDGs), the support and training provided to youth before, during and after the internship, and risk management to assess the applicant’s ability to anticipate and plan for problems that may arise during the internship.

3 - Participating organizations

The purpose of this section is to demonstrate the applicant’s capacity to implement the project and to assess whether the proposed governance structure, in cases where more than 1 organization would be signatories to the contribution agreement, will help achieve the expected results.

3.1. Applicants

This section of the form is intended to assess applicants’ implementation experience in implementing projects similar to the one proposed under this proposal.

The applicant’s relationship with the youth they are targeting for this initiative will be assessed. GAC encourages the participation of applicants whose organizational identity is closely aligned with the participants. In the case of applicants whose organizational identity is not closely linked to the young people targeted, GAC requires 2 to 4 testimonies sent either as letters of support (2 pages maximum each) or verbal testimonies (5 minutes maximum in English, in French, in LSQ, in ASL or with a translation included if the testimony is in another language) from organizations whose identity is closely related to the group of youth targeted by the proposal. These organizations must have worked with the applicant in the past, and the letters of support and/or verbal testimonies must describe the relationship between the 2 organizations. If the identity of one of the signatory organizations is already closely linked to the targeted youth, these letters of support or verbal testimonies are not necessary. If you wish to work with more than 1 target youth group, you must send 2 to 4 letters of support and/or verbal testimonies for each group identified.

3.2 Participating organizations in Canada

This section of the form aims to assess the relationship between the Canadian co-signatories (if applicable) and the applicant’s relationship with other Canadian partners and/or subcontractors who will be involved in the project. The information presented should clearly demonstrate that the structure of the partnerships would allow for efficient implementation of the program.

3.3 Local partners

In this section, the applicant introduces the core local partners that would be involved in implementing the project, the experience of the partners in the proposed countries and, where possible, in implementing similar projects and their alignment with FIAP’s action areas. In addition, the section seeks to understand the relationship and experience between the applicant and local partners.

In this section of the form, it is only necessary to list the core local implementing partners, not the standby partners. Standby partners (if any) must still be identified in the mandatory Local Partner form.

For each core local partner, a written attestation (2 pages maximum) or verbal attestation (5 minutes maximum, in English, in French, in LSQ, in ASL, or with a translation included if the attestation is in a different language) is provided attesting to your partnership with each local organization. The attestation provided must indicate that the initiative addresses a need, that each organization has agreed to collaborate in the implementation of the project, and that interns placed through the International Youth Internship Program will not replace regular positions filled within the organization. The link to verbal attestations will be inserted under section 3.3 of the application form and written attestations will be uploaded to the portal. Please note that these attestations are not necessary for any backup local partners proposed.

4 - Monitoring and preliminary evaluation

This section of the form aims to understand how the applicant defines success and the desired impacts* of the proposed internships. This will allow for assessment of the proposed monitoring and evaluation plan.

Applicants are responsible for determining the methods and tools for data collection and storage, conducting data collection and analysis, identifying and incorporating lessons learned, reporting on results and coordinating project evaluation efforts.

The contribution agreements signed following proposal selection will include a set of core indicators specific to the project, consistent with YESS’s reporting requirements or GAC’s general reporting, in the following general categories: youth identities; internship quality and inclusiveness; participants’ employment and education status; skills acquired during the internship; international development; engagement for global citizenship; and other career and personal development paths. Please refer to the tools available on the Employment and Skills Development Canada website for more information on the levels and components of employment skills.

This proposal does not require a logic model (LM) or a performance measurement framework (PMF).

*For this call for proposals, impact is generally defined as “the long-term positive and negative, primary and secondary, direct and indirect, and intended or unintended effects that the action (the internship including the applicant’s support) has had on the participant.”

5 - Innovative engagement* activities

Informing and educating Canadians about international assistance is a priority for GAC and recognized by the DAC as an official development assistance activity. The Government of Canada’s Policy for Civil Society Partnerships has 9 objectives, of which Objective 8 is to “Engage Canadians as global citizens** in international assistance.”

The innovative engagement activities conducted in Canada by the applicant as part of the internships will target Canadians who are not traditionally aware of Canada’s international assistance efforts, in the aim of engaging them as global citizens.

This section seeks to assess the applicant’s experience in implementing public engagement activities, understand the proposed strategy and implementation plan, and assess whether the proposed engagement activities are innovative.

*Engagement: Public engagement activities must serve to promote global citizenship and engage Canadians as global citizens.
Specifically, this means activities and initiatives that demonstrate:

the connection between major global challenges and local issues
the impact of global challenges on people around the world, including Canadians
how Canada’s international development efforts contribute directly to addressing these global challenges

**Global citizens: GAC defines global citizens as individuals who are aware of global issues and understand the complexity of the world, including their place in it. These citizens usually understand that major global challenges have an impact on their local reality, and vice versa. They are also aware that Canada’s international development efforts contribute to meeting these global challenges. In some cases, and at different stages of their lives, they may take various types of actions that allow them to take an active role to help build a peaceful, prosperous and inclusive world.

Examples of activities under this program that will not be considered innovative engagement activities include fundraising, annual general meetings, advocacy or lobbying activities related to political partisanship, social media postings and applicant websites.***

***Posting on social networks and websites is encouraged but will not be deemed innovative engagement activities for this call for proposals.

6 - Financial information

Organizations must submit a detailed budget with clearly identified costs related to the proposed activities that are realistic and reasonable, including all accommodation measures. In order to receive the Excel budget template to complete, applicants must write an email to correspondance.pid@international.gc.ca before February 24^th 2023. Please follow the Guidelines for Eligible Cost for Development Initiatives. With respect to subcontracting expenses, GAC’s financial policies establish a maximum threshold of 20% of the total value of GAC’s contribution for all subcontracting expenses. As an exception, and only in the context of the IYIP call for proposals, GAC is open to budget proposals that exceed this threshold. However, the applicant must present a strong justification that demonstrates that the subcontracting costs are reasonable and necessary to achieve the results.

Please refer to the Overhead Compensation Policy for Non-Repayable Contribution Agreements with Canadian Organizations under the International Development Assistance Program and the Policy on Cost-Sharing for Grant and Non-Repayable Contribution Agreements for more information on the financial policies to be followed. For organizations wishing to establish allowances for in-person internships, please review the Travel Directive.

Along with the detailed budget, in the application form, the applicant must provide detailed explanations regarding terms and conditions of remuneration/allowances and benefits for youth.

The detailed budget consists of 3 parts. The first part is the detailed budget table, in which applicants must indicate and explain all planned costs, including their own contribution to the cost sharing. The second part is the salary grid, for which applicants must indicate the costs related to employee remuneration for the proposed project. The third part of the detailed budget is a table allowing organizations to present and explain all the costs for which they could not find the right line in the budget template (if applicable). In this third section, it is particularly important for applicants to explain and justify the costs associated with including youth who face barriers. It should be stressed that the budget proposed at this stage is provisional, but that all expenses for the selected projects will need to be based on actual expenses incurred and that it is the duty of the organization to keep all the supporting documents for project costs. As such, please provide as much information as possible about the costs and their nature and why they are necessary to achieve the expected results.

7 - Environmental sustainability and climate resilience

An internship abroad can be an opportunity for exchange and environmental capacity-building for interns and local partners. Considering the nature of the internship projects, GAC does not expect that the internship projects will pose significant environmental risks. Note that under this call, GAC will not authorize construction work, with the exception of minor work facilitating the participation of interns facing barriers to employment.

This section will assess whether the applicant makes connections between the proposed project and the environment—in particular, climate change (where applicable)—and whether the analysis presented is relevant (where applicable). An applicant who identifies opportunities for integrating environmental sustainability, any potential environmental impacts of the project and mitigation measures (if applicable) will receive an “acceptable” mention in this section, while an applicant whose reflection does not include these considerations will receive a “needs improvement” mention.

8 - Other comments and thoughts

In this section, the applicant may include any additional information that they feel is relevant to GAC’s evaluation of the proposal and for which they have not had sufficient space elsewhere in the form. This section will not be evaluated on its own, but the new information included in this section will be considered in the evaluation of the relevant sections of the proposal.

Prioritization of selected proposals

Among the proposals assessed as meritorious, preference will be given to project proposals:

that mostly or fully prioritize youth facing barriers to employment
where the applicant is an organization whose identity is closely tied to the specific youth targeted by their proposal

When selecting the proposals to be implemented as part of the program, GAC will consider the following aspects:

representativeness of the different groups of youth targeted within the program
geographic and linguistic distribution of projects so that youth from across Canada can participate in the program

Networking

Organizations interested in contacting other organizations potentially interested in participating in this call for proposals may send an email to correspondance.pid@international.gc.ca by December 16, 2022, indicating their interest in being included in the networking list. This list will be sent the week of December 19, 2022, only to those organizations on the list.

Available resources

Before applicants begin their application, GAC encourages them to review the many online resources that may be helpful.

How to submit your application

Important: If you intend to apply to this call for proposals, you must email correspondance.pid@international.gc.ca by February 24, 2023, to receive the budget template for this call. Please indicate that you are requesting the budget template for the International Youth Internship Program call for proposals. The budget must be completed and uploaded to the portal, along with all other documents, as outlined below.

For the project proposal to be considered for this call, the complete application must be submitted through the Partners@International portal by March 1, 2023, at 12 : 00 p.m. ET (noon).

If you have not already done so, you must register your organization on GAC’s Partners@International portal. We recommend that you do this as soon as possible, as processing the registration can take up to 10 business days.

The application must include all of the following documents:

the Call for Proposals form (PDF, 324 KB, 9 pages) (completed form with the “Validated” notice on the first page)
proof of legal status of the signatory organization(s)
2 separate financial statements from each signatory’s most recent fiscal year (audited financial statements are preferred; if not available, the financial statements must be signed by a member of each signatory’s board of directors, the board’s designee, or the owner[s])
the Country Annex form for each country where the application includes activities and for each backup programming country
the completed Organization Attestation Form (PDF, 100 KB, 3 pages) (1 form must be provided by each organization that would sign a funding agreement with GAC, if applicable)
the completed Declarations and Guarantees form
the completed Local Partner(s) – Information form (PDF, 136 KB)
core local partners’ attestation (as described in the Application Form under section 3.3)
2 to 4 support testimonials (as described in the Application Form under section 3.1) if applicable
the completed budget spreadsheet

How to access and use the PDF forms

Only Adobe Reader/Adobe Acrobat and Internet Explorer should be used to complete the standardized PDF forms to be submitted with the application. Any other software may not be able to validate the form or submit it, or the information entered may not be visible once the documents are sent to GAC. In this case, the application would be deemed ineligible.

If you have trouble downloading forms, it is often due to the software (or missing software) on your computer. Please read and follow the instructions provided on GAC’s Help page. If the right software is installed, you will need to download the form to a workstation and open it directly in Adobe Reader. If these instructions are not followed, you may not be able to complete and submit the form.

Questions about the Partners@International portal

Please read and follow the instructions carefully on using the portal Partners@International (links on the right side of the window). Do not open multiple windows in the portal as technical problems may occur.

Avoid registering or submitting the application at the last minute. If you have technical difficulties registering or submitting your project proposal, you should email partners-partenaires@international.gc.ca. GAC will not accept project proposals submitted after the deadline.

Please note that in the 2 weeks before a call’s closing date, the service standards in effect provide for 3 working days to obtain a response. The technical support office is only open Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. ET.

It may take up to 10 business days for an organization’s registration to be finalized.

Webinar

The webcast is now available and will remain until the closure of the call on March 1st, 2023. The video is available with simultaneous American Sign Language interpretation (ASL).

Webinar – International Youth Internship Program 2023-2028

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