Federal Granting Agency: SSHRC

SSHRC Partnership Grants

2026-27 Guide to Partnership, Partnership Development and Partnership Engage Grants

SSHRC Partnership Grants fund new and existing formal partnerships in the social sciences and humanities for four to seven years. Stage 1 awards up to $30,000 to prepare the full proposal (next deadline: February 10, 2027); Stage 2, by invitation, awards up to $500,000 a year and up to $2.5 million in total, and partners must add at least 35% on top of the SSHRC budget in cash and/or in-kind contributions. Smaller partnerships apply for Partnership Development Grants ($75,000 to $250,000 over 1 to 3 years) or Partnership Engage Grants ($10,000 to $50,000 for 1 year).

Facts checked against sshrc-crsh.canada.ca on November 13, 2026.

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What is an SSHRC Partnership Grant

Partnership Grants support new and existing formal partnerships over four to seven years to advance research, research training and/or knowledge mobilization in the social sciences and humanities. They work through mutual cooperation and shared intellectual leadership, and through resources such as cash and/or in-kind contributions. SSHRC intends them for large teams of postsecondary institutions and/or organizations of various types that work in formal collaboration.

SSHRC defines a formal partnership as a bilateral or multilateral collaboration agreement between an applicant and one or more partner organizations, at least one of which must be a Canadian postsecondary institution and at least one of which must be different from the institution that will administer the grant. Partner organizations are expected to share in intellectual leadership or provide expertise, and to provide cash and/or in-kind contributions.

Partnership Grants run in two stages: Stage 1 funds the development of a full proposal, and only successful Stage 1 applicants are invited to Stage 2. SSHRC also runs two smaller partnership funding opportunities on their own cycles: Partnership Development Grants, to develop new partnerships or design and test partnership approaches, and Partnership Engage Grants, for short-term research with a single partner organization outside academia.

Official SSHRC Partnership Grants page

SSHRC partnership funding at a glance

Values are the SSHRC contribution. All deadlines are 8:00 p.m. eastern.

Funding opportunity	Best for	Value	Duration	Partner contributions	Next deadline
Partnership Grants, Stage 1	Large teams preparing a Stage 2 proposal for a formal partnership	Up to $30,000	Development funds for the Stage 2 application	A plan to secure at least 35% on top of the SSHRC request	February 10, 2027 (results June 2027)
Partnership Grants, Stage 2 (by invitation)	Applicants successful at Stage 1	Up to $500,000 a year, up to $2.5 million in total	4 to 7 years	At least 35% on top of the SSHRC budget, with confirmation already under way	October 29, 2027 (the October 29, 2026 competition announces results in May 2027)
Partnership Development Grants	Developing new partnerships, or designing and testing partnership approaches	$75,000 to $250,000	1 to 3 years	No minimum, but cash and/or in-kind support is expected	November 16, 2026 (results March 2027)
Partnership Engage Grants	Short-term research that informs decisions at one public, private or not-for-profit partner	$10,000 to $50,000	1 year	Not mandatory, but expected	December 15, 2026; four deadlines a year (2027 competitions launch in December 2026)

Values rose for the current cycle: the Stage 1 grant is now up to $30,000 (up to $20,000 in the 2024 and 2025 competitions), Partnership Development Grants are $75,000 to $250,000 (previously $75,000 to $200,000) and Partnership Engage Grants are $10,000 to $50,000 (previously $7,000 to $25,000).

How the two-stage Partnership Grant process works

Dates are for the 2027 competition unless stated otherwise.

Stage 1 application: February 10, 2027

The project director prepares the application on behalf of the host institution and the partnership: a goal and project description (up to eight pages), a description of the team (up to three pages), a one-page summary, references (up to five pages), a letter of engagement from the host institution (up to two pages), a letter of engagement from each invited partner organization (up to two pages) and a budget with up to $30,000 in development funds plus estimates for the full project.

Stage 1 merit review: results in June 2027

A multidisciplinary merit review committee, with academic expertise and research expertise from the public, private and/or not-for-profit sectors, recommends which applications to fund. Successful applicants receive up to $30,000 to prepare the Stage 2 application.

Stage 2 application, by invitation: October 29, 2027

Applicants refine the questions to be addressed, establish partnership arrangements and a governance structure, and show they have already started to confirm the 35% minimum contribution. Partner organizations submit details of their cash and in-kind contributions, and the application includes evidence of the formal partnership, such as governance frameworks, agreements and strategic plans.

Stage 2 review

Expert review panels assess each proposal (SSHRC seeks, but cannot guarantee, at least three experts per proposal), applicants respond in writing to the expert review, and a multidisciplinary committee makes funding recommendations. The October 2026 Stage 2 competition announces results in May 2027.

Grant term and reporting

Stage 2 grants run four to seven years. Grant holders track partner contributions throughout and report the total leveraged in the Partnership Achievement Report, due within six months of the end of the grant period.

The 35% partner contribution rule

At Stage 1, applicants must include a plan to secure, over and above the budget requested from SSHRC, at least 35% in additional cash and/or in-kind contributions from sources other than SSHRC during the four- to seven-year term. In SSHRC's example, a $1 million request needs at least $350,000 in additional contributions from partner organizations, for an actual budget of $1.35 million.

At Stage 2, applicants must show they have already started to confirm the 35% and give a clear, detailed plan for securing the full amount. The strength and credibility of the contributions plan, including how much is already confirmed, is an important consideration under the Feasibility criterion. If the minimum is not sufficiently confirmed and the committee raises concerns about the leveraging plan, SSHRC follows up with the award holder.

What counts and what does not

Contributions can come from the host institution, other academic institutions, philanthropic foundations, federal, provincial, territorial and municipal governments, Crown corporations, private-sector firms, not-for-profit and community organizations, professional associations, labour organizations and individuals, in Canada or abroad.
Eligible cash contributions pay for direct costs of the research or research-related activities, with the Tri-agency Guide on Financial Administration as the baseline.
Eligible in-kind contributions are non-monetary resources that would otherwise have to be bought with project funds, such as the time of non-faculty experts at partner organizations, specialized skills and advice, or access to equipment, space or data sets. SSHRC recognizes them at fair market value.
Grants from CFI, CIHR, NSERC, SSHRC and tri-agency programs (for example the Canada Research Chairs Program and the Research Support Fund) cannot be counted as required contributions, and a contribution already used for another tri-agency-funded project is not recognized.
Faculty compensation does not count, but the actual cost of releasing faculty from teaching duties (for example, hiring a sessional instructor) does.
Total government assistance (federal, provincial and municipal) for the same eligible expenditures cannot exceed 100%; SSHRC adjusts its funding if it would.

Who can apply and who can take part

Partnership Grants are institutional grants: the host institution is the applicant, and a project director prepares the application on its behalf and on behalf of the formal partnership.

An eligible Canadian institution (a postsecondary institution or a not-for-profit organization) submits the application as host institution. The project director must be affiliated with the host institution.
A not-for-profit organization applying as host must have at least one Canadian postsecondary institution as a partner organization.
Postdoctoral researchers can be project directors if they are formally affiliated with an eligible institution for the whole grant period. Students enrolled in a program of study cannot apply.
Co-directors and co-applicants must be formally affiliated with a Canadian eligible postsecondary institution, not-for-profit organization, philanthropic foundation, think tank, municipal, territorial or provincial government, or Indigenous government, governing body or band council, or with an international postsecondary institution.
Individuals from the private sector or the federal government can take part only as collaborators.
Partner organizations can be Canadian or international institutions or organizations of any type: public, private or not-for-profit.
Projects whose primary objective is curriculum development, teaching materials, program evaluation, digitizing a collection or creating a database are not eligible.
Project directors who have not submitted a required SSHRC achievement report by its deadline cannot apply until they submit it.

Merit review criteria and weights

All three partnership opportunities are scored on Challenge, Feasibility and Capability, with different weights. Each criterion is scored out of 6, and an application must score at least 3.0 on every criterion to be recommended for funding.

Criterion	Partnership Grants	Partnership Development Grants	Partnership Engage Grants
Challenge: the aim and importance of the endeavour	40%	50%	60%
Feasibility: the plan to achieve excellence	30%	20%	20%
Capability: the expertise to succeed	30%	30%	20%

Partnership Grants pilot equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) requirements: applicants address EDI in research practice (team composition, trainee recruitment, an inclusive working environment) and in research design (for example intersectionality, Gender-based Analysis Plus or disaggregated data), assessed under Challenge and Feasibility. In every partnership opportunity, committee discussions are guided by the principle of minimum essential funding.

Partnership Development and Partnership Engage Grants

Both are single-stage competitions with no minimum partner contribution.

Partnership Development Grants

$75,000 to $250,000 over one to three years. The November 2026 competition closes November 16, 2026 and announces results in March 2027.
For teams that want to develop research and related activities by fostering new partnerships, or to design and test partnership approaches that could become best practices or models.
No minimum contribution, but institutions and partners are expected to show a formal partnership exists or is being developed by supporting it with cash and/or in-kind contributions.
An applicant affiliated with a postsecondary institution does not need a partnership agreement with another postsecondary institution.
PhD candidates can apply if they will have met all degree requirements before the grant is awarded and affiliate with an eligible institution within five months of the grant start date.

Partnership Engage Grants

$10,000 to $50,000 for one year. The 2026 deadlines are March 16, June 15, September 15 and December 15, with results at the end of each cycle (May, August, November and February).
Exactly one partner organization, Canadian or international, from the public, private or not-for-profit sector. Postsecondary institutions and scholarly associations cannot be the partner.
The partner must be at arm's length: the applicant and academic co-applicants cannot own part of it, be employed by it, sit on its governing board or be related to someone who controls it.
Applicants must be affiliated with an eligible Canadian postsecondary institution; students cannot be applicants or co-applicants.
You can apply as applicant for only one Partnership Engage Grant per calendar year.

For partner organizations: companies, not-for-profits and governments

Partner organizations do not apply. The project director invites each partner's contact person through SSHRC's online system, and the contact completes the partner organization form.

Letter of engagement

At Stage 1, each invited partner submits a letter of engagement of up to two pages, on letterhead, stating it is willing to help develop a Stage 2 application, why it is involved and its anticipated cash or in-kind contribution, if known.

Cash and in-kind both count

Toward the 35% minimum, a partner can contribute cash or in-kind resources such as staff time, expertise, equipment, space or data, recognized at fair market value.

Private-sector staff join as collaborators

A private company can be a partner organization, but individuals from the private sector or the federal government can take part only as collaborators, not as co-directors or co-applicants.

Release time for not-for-profits

When a Canadian not-for-profit partner has a project director, co-director or co-applicant on the team, the budget can include a salary research allowance to release that person from duties at the organization.

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SSHRC Partnership Grants frequently asked questions

What is an SSHRC Partnership Grant?

A Partnership Grant is SSHRC funding for a new or existing formal partnership that advances research, research training and/or knowledge mobilization in the social sciences and humanities over four to seven years. It is an institutional grant: an eligible Canadian institution applies, a project director prepares the application, and partner organizations contribute intellectual leadership, expertise and cash and/or in-kind resources. Applications go through two stages, and only successful Stage 1 applicants are invited to Stage 2.

How much is an SSHRC Partnership Grant worth?

Stage 1 grants are worth up to $30,000 and help applicants prepare the Stage 2 application. Stage 2 grants are worth up to $500,000 a year over four to seven years, up to a total of $2.5 million. Partner contributions of at least 35% come on top of the SSHRC amount: in SSHRC's example, a $1 million request needs at least $350,000 more from partners.

When is the next SSHRC Partnership Grant deadline?

Stage 1 of the 2027 competition closes February 10, 2027 at 8:00 p.m. eastern, with results in June 2027. Stage 2, by invitation only, closes October 29, 2027. The 2026 Stage 2 deadline (October 29, 2026) has passed, and SSHRC announces those results in May 2027. Partnership Development Grants close November 16, 2026, and the last 2026 Partnership Engage deadline is December 15, 2026; the 2027 Engage competitions launch in December 2026.

What is the 35% partner contribution requirement?

Partnership Grant applicants must secure, over and above the budget requested from SSHRC, at least 35% in additional cash and/or in-kind contributions from sources other than SSHRC over the term of the grant. At Stage 1 you submit a plan to secure it; at Stage 2 you must show you have already started to confirm it, and partners submit details of their contributions. Grant holders report the total leveraged in the Partnership Achievement Report, due within six months of the end of the grant. Partnership Development and Partnership Engage Grants have no minimum, but partner support is expected.

What counts as a cash or in-kind contribution?

Cash contributions count when they pay for direct costs of the research or related activities. In-kind contributions are non-monetary resources that would otherwise have to be bought with project funds, such as the time of non-faculty experts at partner organizations, specialized advice, or access to equipment, space or data sets, recognized at fair market value. Grants from CFI, CIHR, NSERC, SSHRC and tri-agency programs cannot be counted, faculty compensation does not count (the actual cost of teaching release does), and a contribution already used for another tri-agency-funded project is not recognized.

What is the difference between Partnership Grants, Partnership Development Grants and Partnership Engage Grants?

Partnership Grants are the large, two-stage opportunity: up to $30,000 at Stage 1, then up to $500,000 a year and $2.5 million in total over four to seven years, with at least 35% in partner contributions. Partnership Development Grants are worth $75,000 to $250,000 over one to three years, for developing new partnerships or testing partnership approaches. Partnership Engage Grants are worth $10,000 to $50,000 for one year, for short-term research that informs decisions at a single public, private or not-for-profit partner organization.

Who can apply for an SSHRC Partnership Grant?

An eligible Canadian postsecondary institution or not-for-profit organization applies as host institution, and a project director affiliated with it prepares the application. Postdoctoral researchers can be project directors if formally affiliated with an eligible institution; students enrolled in a program of study cannot apply. Co-directors and co-applicants can come from Canadian postsecondary institutions, not-for-profits, philanthropic foundations, think tanks, municipal, territorial or provincial governments, Indigenous governments or band councils, or international postsecondary institutions.

Can a not-for-profit organization lead a Partnership Grant?

Yes. A not-for-profit organization that meets SSHRC's institutional eligibility requirements can be the host institution, provided it has at least one Canadian postsecondary institution as a partner organization. Organizations seeking institutional eligibility are strongly encouraged to contact SSHRC's institutional eligibility team at least 10 business days before the application deadline.

Can a company be a partner on an SSHRC partnership grant?

Yes. Partner organizations can be Canadian or international organizations of any type, including private companies, and their cash and in-kind contributions can count toward the 35% minimum. Individuals from the private sector can take part only as collaborators. For a Partnership Engage Grant, the single partner must be at arm's length from the applicant and the academic institution, which rules out a company the applicant owns part of, works for or helps govern.

How are Partnership Grant applications evaluated?

Merit review committees score Challenge (40%), Feasibility (30%) and Capability (30%) out of 6, and an application needs at least 3.0 on each criterion to be recommended for funding. Feasibility covers the quality and genuineness of the formal partnership and its governance, the contributions plan and knowledge mobilization; Challenge includes the quality of training and mentoring for students and emerging scholars. Partnership Grants also pilot equity, diversity and inclusion requirements, assessed under Challenge and Feasibility.

Can I apply for a Partnership Development Grant and a Partnership Grant in the same year?

Not as the lead on both. SSHRC does not allow an individual to apply for a Partnership Development Grant and be the named project director on a Partnership Grants Stage 2 application in the same calendar year, and an individual can submit only one application as applicant in any given competition. There is no limit on taking part as co-director, co-applicant or collaborator, and an institution can submit several Partnership Grant applications in the same competition if they have different objectives and different project directors.

Do I need a Canadian Common CV for an SSHRC Partnership application?

No. For the Partnership competitions SSHRC asks for its own online SSHRC CV; CVs from other systems, including the Canadian Common CV, are not accepted and their information is not transferred. (SSHRC's Insight Development Grants 2027 competition is different: it requires the Canadian Common CV.) At Stage 1 of a Partnership Grant, co-directors attach their CV when they accept the invitation, while co-applicants and collaborators invited in the participants module do not submit SSHRC CVs.

How is a Partnership Grant different from an Insight Grant?

Insight Grants support research by emerging and established scholars over two to five years, with one annual deadline (October 1, 2026 for the current competition): Stream A offers $10,000 to $125,000 and Stream B $125,001 to $500,000. Partnership Grants fund a formal partnership with partner organizations over four to seven years, can reach $2.5 million, go through two stages and require at least 35% in partner contributions on top of the SSHRC budget.

Primary sources

Every figure on this page comes from these official SSHRC pages, read on November 13, 2026. SSHRC updates its funding pages without notice; confirm the details on the official page before you apply.

Partnership Grants (SSHRC funding opportunity, competitions 2024 to 2027)https://sshrc-crsh.canada.ca/en/funding/opportunities/partnership-grants.aspx (read November 13, 2026)
Partnership Grants, Stage 1: February 2027 competitionhttps://sshrc-crsh.canada.ca/en/funding/opportunities/partnership-grants/2027/stage-1-competition.aspx (read November 13, 2026)
Partnership Grants, Stage 1 (2027): instructions for the project directorhttps://sshrc-crsh.canada.ca/en/funding/opportunities/partnership-grants/2027/stage-1-competition/instructions/project-director.aspx (read November 13, 2026)
Partnership Grants, Stage 2: October 2026 competitionhttps://sshrc-crsh.canada.ca/en/funding/opportunities/partnership-grants/2026/stage-2-competition.aspx (read November 13, 2026)
Partnership Development Grants (competitions 2024 to 2026)https://sshrc-crsh.canada.ca/en/funding/opportunities/partnership-development-grants.aspx (read November 13, 2026)
Partnership Development Grants: November 2026 competitionhttps://sshrc-crsh.canada.ca/en/funding/opportunities/partnership-development-grants/2026/competition.aspx (read November 13, 2026)
Partnership Engage Grants (competitions 2025 to 2027)https://sshrc-crsh.canada.ca/en/funding/opportunities/partnership-engage-grants.aspx (read November 13, 2026)
Partnership Engage Grants: 2026 competitionshttps://sshrc-crsh.canada.ca/en/funding/opportunities/partnership-engage-grants/2026/competition.aspx (read November 13, 2026)
Guidelines for cash and in-kind contributionshttps://sshrc-crsh.canada.ca/en/funding/policies-regulations-and-guidelines/guidelines-cash-and-in-kind-contributions.aspx (read November 13, 2026)
Multiple applications for grants and fellowship and scholarship awardshttps://sshrc-crsh.canada.ca/en/funding/policies-regulations-and-guidelines/multiple-applications-for-grants-fellowships-and-scholarships.aspx (read November 13, 2026)
SSHRC definitions of terms (formal partnership, partner organization)https://sshrc-crsh.canada.ca/en/funding/terminology.aspx (read November 13, 2026)
SSHRC online CV instructionshttps://sshrc-crsh.canada.ca/en/funding/opportunities/instructions/cv.aspx (read November 13, 2026)
Insight Grants (for the comparison with Partnership Grants)https://sshrc-crsh.canada.ca/en/funding/opportunities/insight-grants.aspx (read November 13, 2026)

Questions about Partnership Grants go to SSHRC: partnershipgrants@sshrc-crsh.gc.ca or 1-855-275-2861 (toll free).

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