NSLA Ceremony Assistance Fund
As a donor-funded nonprofit, No Stone Left Alone has a limited fund to assist organizers in covering critical expenses such as transportation - in cases where those costs would otherwise form a barrier to youth participation.
Before applying, organizers are expected to exhaust local options such as organizational, school or school board funding, community fundraising, and requesting donation of services to cover or partially fund the expense.
Application Requirements
Applicants to the Ceremony Assistance Fund must:
be fully registered for an NSLA ceremony in the current calendar year,
exhaust organizational, school or board-funded options first*, and
consider fundraising, or requesting sponsorship/donation of services from local sources where feasible.
How to Apply
Fill out and submit the application form at the link below.
Deadline for Applications
The deadline for 2024 applications is October 4, 2024. Requests received after this date will not be considered for funding.
Receiving a Decision
Our funding committee will review all submissions to determine whether applicants meet the criteria, and to decide the value of any award. Funds are subject to availability, so not every application meeting the requirements shall be approved or shall receive the full amount requested. Applicants may be contacted for further information before a decision is made.
Final decisions will be communicated within 3 weeks of receiving all requested information.
Approved funding will be provided after the event’s completion, and after NSLA has received all of the following:
a completed Post Event Summary,
Letters of Reflection from the youth participants of the event, and
photos or video of the event.
*Applicants will be asked to submit a signed letter from their organization or school/board which outlines the funding avenues explored and the results of those requests.
Example Funding Case:
An inner city elementary school is registered to hold an NSLA event at the nearest cemetery, which is 5 km from their location – too far for the students to walk. A bus is required to transport the students to the cemetery.
The organizing teacher or administrator has already requested funding from the school and school board level. Those requests have been denied due to lack of available funds.
Requests have been made to other school organizations such as the parent fundraising committee, and those requests have been denied.
The teacher/administrator has also reached out to the transportation company to request donation of the transportation service or a reduced rate, given that the students are attending an event commemorating Canadian veterans. (Many businesses will donate or discount services to support veteran commemoration.) The transportation company will not agree to donate the full cost of the service, but reduces it by half.
The teacher/organizer documents the requests made and their results in a letter signed by their school administrator, and submits an application to NSLA to fund the remainder of the expense.