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A division of Northward Advisory

Services

The full funding cycle, four disciplines

Strategy, applications, financials, and follow-through — each a defined engagement, with scope and price agreed with you before anything starts.

Funding Strategy

Know which programs fit — and which to skip.

Canadian governments, foundations, corporations, and industry bodies run hundreds of funding programs that change every year. Funding Strategy turns that noise into a plan: which opportunities genuinely fit your projects, what each will require, and the order in which to pursue them. For organizations planning beyond a single application, a quarterly advisory engagement keeps the roadmap current as programs open, close, and change.

Assessments begin at CAD $399; roadmaps and standing advisory are scoped from there.

What a typical engagement covers
  • Discovery and project-fit analysis
  • Eligibility assessment against the published criteria of relevant government, foundation, and corporate programs
  • Funding roadmap with application sequencing and documentation requirements
  • Quarterly advisory: standing reviews, program monitoring, and an annual funding calendar

Application Development

Applications a reviewer finds credible.

Strong applications are built, not written. We develop the application strategy, draft the narrative in your organization's voice, coordinate supporting documents, and run a final readiness review against the program's own criteria before anything is submitted. If you have already drafted an application, we review and strengthen it.

Scope and price agreed in writing once the program and the work are defined.

What a typical engagement covers
  • Application strategy aligned to stated program criteria
  • Proposal development and narrative drafting
  • Independent review of applications you have drafted
  • Supporting-document coordination and submission-readiness review

Financial Readiness

The numbers that carry the argument.

Reviewers fund projects they can believe, and belief is built in the financials. We prepare grant budgets, financial projections, cash-flow forecasts, use-of-funds schedules, and funding-focused business plans — the documents that make an application's case, and that most applicants underinvest in.

Scoped and priced per deliverable — budget, model, plan, or the set — before work begins.

What a typical engagement covers
  • Grant budgets and use-of-funds schedules
  • Financial projections and cash-flow forecasts
  • Funding-focused business plans
  • Support documents for loan and program applications

Post-Award Support

Keep the funding you worked to win.

A signed agreement is a set of obligations, not just a cheque. We build the reporting calendar, prepare claims documentation and milestone reports, track reimbursements, and keep records structured the way funders expect — so a well-administered award supports your next application rather than complicating it. Standing advisory is available for organizations managing multiple agreements.

Priced per engagement, sized to the reporting load in your agreement.

What a typical engagement covers
  • Reporting calendars built from the obligations in your agreement
  • Claims documentation and reimbursement tracking
  • Milestone and progress reports
  • Recordkeeping structure and compliance reminders

Questions

Fees, scope, and how engagements work

The short version: scope and fees agreed in writing before anything starts, and outcomes that belong to the funder alone. The details are here.

Ask something else
How are engagements priced?

There are three ways to work with us. The optional Funding Assessment starts at CAD $399. Application engagements are scoped and quoted before work begins. Ongoing or fractional advisory is priced to the support you need. In every case, scope and fees are agreed in writing first. Depending on the engagement, that may be a fixed project fee, a retainer or another agreed structure — always subject to funder rules and professional standards. Many funders and nonprofit grant-ethics codes do not permit fees paid from, or as a percentage of, an award, and we follow those rules.

Do you guarantee funding?

No — and no honest advisor can. We assess eligibility against published program criteria, but final eligibility and funding decisions are made solely by the funder. What we control is the quality of the strategy, the application, and the financial case. When a program is a poor fit, we say so before you spend money pursuing it.

What is outside your scope?

Northward does not provide legal, accounting, tax, investment, immigration, or assurance services, and does not lobby program officials. Where a matter calls for a licensed professional, we say so and refer you to one.

Do you write the application, or do we?

Either. We can develop applications end to end with your input, or review and strengthen materials you've already prepared. Either way, scope and price are agreed before work begins.

What does a first engagement look like?

Every engagement begins with a complimentary introductory conversation. Depending on your needs, we may recommend a detailed funding assessment, a specific application engagement, or ongoing advisory support. The assessment is optional — organizations whose funding needs are already clear can go straight to application or advisory work.

Where do you work?

Northward is based in Toronto and serves organizations across Canada, with an initial focus on Ontario. Our deepest program knowledge today is federal and Ontario; for clients elsewhere in Canada, we take on engagements where the fit is strong — and say so quickly when it is not.

Not sure where to start?

Start with a complimentary introductory call. We'll recommend the right starting point — an assessment, an application engagement, or ongoing advisory.

Book an Introductory CallSend an Inquiry