Youth Justice Fund

The Youth Justice Fund provides grants and contributions to support projects that encourage a more effective youth justice system, respond to emerging youth justice issues, and enable greater citizen and community participation in the youth justice system.

The Fund is currently accepting new proposals for both multi-year and short-term pilot projects starting between April 1, 2026 and March 31, 2027.

Youth-serving organizations are invited to apply for funding for projects that promote community safety by addressing the root causes of youth criminality. They especially encourage organizations who provide services for Indigenous, Black, and other racialized youth to apply for funding, as these groups continue to be disproportionately represented in Canada’s youth criminal justice system.

Projects must target one or both of the following groups:

• Youth aged 12 to 17 at the time of committing an offence (or alleged offence) and who are being dealt under the Youth Criminal Justice Act (YCJA), or
• Justice professionals and/or service providers who work directly with these youth.

All of the following are eligible for funding:

• Non-profit community organizations, societies, and associations which have voluntarily associated themselves for a non-profit purpose;
• Canadian institutions/boards of education;
• Bands, First Nations, Tribal Councils, local, regional, and national Indigenous organizations;
• Provincial, territorial, and municipal governments and their agencies and institutions;
• Private sector organizations that will not make a profit on the work performed;
• For-profit enterprises, research/evaluation organizations, and individuals are eligible for funding to conduct research and evaluation activities; and,
• Individuals.

Projects must target youth aged 12 to 17 at the time of committing an offence and who are currently being dealt with under the Youth Criminal Justice Act, or justice professionals and/or service providers who work with these youth.

Deadline: October 17, 2025, at 23:59 Pacific Time Zone

Please note that funding is limited, and not all eligible projects will receive support. As the Youth Justice Fund is a federal program, funding decisions may take into account geographic location and areas of need to help ensure representation across Canada, where feasible and appropriate.

Click on the Learn More link for additional information, including on how to apply.