The original proposal called for a portion of $10,000 to go toward supporting the gathering together of consumers at a county level, and for a portion to support specific activities which would strengthen self-help capacity. Keeping with that original intent, approximately $1,500 has been earmarked for an annual consumer get-together, $2,500 to support the meeting costs of the County Consumer Project Steering Committee, and $6,000 to seed peer support and self help activities. The $6,000 is the minimum for seed funding. If the annual and ongoing meeting expenses can be reduced, then more can and will be made available.

The overall goal of the Seed Money project is to enhance the peer support and self-help capacity of people who suffer from the effects of serious mental illness. It is hoped that consumers, consumer groups would come forth with many creative ideas that could have long lasting benefits to their local communities and to the county. We have given a few examples in these guidelines. The purpose of these guidelines is to inform you as to who is eligible, how to apply and what happens when your application is approved.

Who is Eligible to Receive Seed Money Assistance?

*Established mental health related peer support or self-help groups(for example, an established Schizophrenia self-help group wishes to purchase some educational material)
*Two or more mental health consumer working together or with family members to strengthen the peer support or self-help capacity of their community
(2 or more people have a self-help idea they wish to promote, but they are not necessarily part of an established group)
*An individual mental health consumer, whose proposal demonstrates an intended benefit to the broader consumer community (e.g. someone wishes to compile a book of consumer poetry from around the county)
In some cases applicants will be participants within agencies or funded consumer run programs; in other cases, not. Regardless, any application will be from the consumers, not from the funded program. The funded program may encourage or assist consumers in putting forth applications but may not, itself, apply for assistance.

What Types of Activities are Eligible for Seed Money assistance?

To be eligible, proposed activities must demonstrate an intention to:
*promote wellness or stability.
*benefit a group of individuals, not just one.
*improve the self-help or peer support opportunity for people affected by mental illness.

What are Some Examples of Eligible Activities?

*the purchase of peer support / self-help educational or training material.
*the production of peer support / self-help educational or training material.
*assistance with registration and travel costs for courses or workshops.
*money to pay for a speaker or consultant - e.g. honorarium and / or travel.
*consultation with regard to self-help or peer support strategies.
*assistance in the purchase of supplies, materials or services that will seed the development of artistic, musical or other creative abilities among consumers.
*assistance in the purchase of supplies, materials or services that will seed the development of economic initiatives among consumers (not a loan to start a business, but perhaps assistance to investigate a business idea or develop a business plan).
*seed money to initiate fund-raising activities (flyers, letters, mailings etc...)
*assistance in researching new ideas (e.g. a small group may need travel funds to visit a program in another city and bring back new ideas; or a group may get assistance to find a source for computer donations).

What Activities or Purchases are Not Eligible?

*business loans (while we want to promote the development of consumer economic activities, we are not allowed to make business loans with government money).
*capital items expenditures in excess of $500, such as buying furniture, computers or other equipment.
*regular ongoing expenses.

How Do You Apply For Assistance?

*By completing an application form (available through any Committee Member or calling CSP) and mailing or faxing it to County Steering Committee c/o CSP Collingwood.

What Process is Used to Review and Approve Applications?

*Requests under $100 which meet the criteria, can be approved directly by the administrative staff of the Collingwood Consumer Survivor Project. If there is a difference of opinion as to whether the request meets the eligibility criteria or that there is sufficient money available, the County Consumer Committee will make the final decision.
*Requests of $100 or over will be reviewed by the County Consumer Committee before approval is given. If there is a difference of opinion as to whether the use of the money meets the eligibility criteria, the County Committee's decision is final.

What factors and principles will guide the review of applications?

The project meets basic eligibility requirements:
*promotes wellness or stability.
*will benefit a group of individuals, not just one.
*will improve the self-help or peer support opportunity for people affected by mental illness.
*is not a capital equipment request.
*is not intended to meet regular operating expenses.

In addition, the following factors will be taken into consideration:

*granting a request should not diminish the availability of funds for over the one year period.
*granting the request should not cause some parts of the county to have a large portion of the funds at the expense of other parts of the county.

How is the money handled?

There are three ways money is paid out, once there has been an approval.
*the project can issue a cheque to the applicant (or to another organization who will handle the money for the applicant).
*the project can reimburse the applicant for expenses incurred.
*the project can pay expenses ahead of time (e.g. conference registrations and submit them on behalf of the applicant).

When am I notified?

You will be notified within two weeks of your application as to whether immediate approval can be given or whether it must go the County Consumer Committee for review. It is hoped that the eligible requests under $100 can be approved within 2 weeks; the larger requests may take as long as one month.

What report is required after receiving the assistance?

Two reports are required. One is a simple financial statement form which shows where money is being spent, and the other attempts to monitor the effectiveness of this project. Anyone wishing further information, please call CSP and we will be more than happy to help!