Funding Guidelines and Eligibility

Application Guidelines for Donations and Sponsorships

While worthy causes and organizations are abundant, we try to focus our support on the areas where we can have the greatest positive impact. Here are general guidelines and eligibility criteria for sponsorships and donations.

Donations

We are dedicated to working with charitable organizations that share our goal to help make a difference in local communities and regions where we do business.

We aim for our charitable partners to have sustainable sources of funding and use their donors' funds responsibly. Our donations professionals follow a rigorous process when evaluating proposals to ensure our funds are invested with the utmost care and responsibility.

The process includes a complete assessment of your charity's financial statements as well as its fiscal management and governance practices. We require our charitable partners to clearly demonstrate the social impact of our contribution.

How applications are evaluated:

• Organizations that are registered charities in their jurisdictions
• Projects or programs that take place in communities where RBC has a business presence
• Charitable organizations that provide direct community benefit
• Programs with measurable social outcomes

• Individuals
• Sports teams (unless they are a qualified donee)
• Political organizations
• Private or Corporate Foundations
• Community Foundations, unless for programmatic support
• Private (fee based) elementary or secondary schools
• Individual federated appeal member agencies (organizations that we already support, directly or indirectly, through federated appeals such as United Way/Centraide)
• Trade associations, advocacy organizations, chambers of commerce and professional organizations
• Organizations with Values, purposes, policies or practices in conflict with RBC values
• Religious or sectarian programs or purposes, unless they are engaged in a significant project benefiting the entire community
• Endowment or memorial campaigns
• Conferences or golf tournaments
• Advertising or promotional campaigns
• Travel-related costs or events

RBC evaluates funding applications based on:

• The organization’s ability to provide direct-impact programming to the end-user
• Whether the organization’s programs/projects align with our donations focus areas
• Whether the organization provides unique services to underserved communities
• Whether the organization has a clear evaluation process with planned outcomes that support its mission
• Whether the organization delivers programs/projects that facilitate the transfer of skills or knowledge
• Whether the organizations can demonstrate willingness to work with other charities to achieve greater sustainability and shared knowledge

Programs will be eligible for RBC or the RBC Foundation funding if it can demonstrate that:

• It has strong financial management
• It has a budget/recovery plan to strengthen its financial position if it is currently in a deficit position
• It has multiple donors
• It has audited financial statements
• It is managed by an Independent Board of Directors

How Much is a Reasonable Request

Please consider the following information when considering how much to request in your application:

• RBC normally funds no more than 20% of an organization’s operating budget
• For requests that pertain to one of your specific projects or programs, we determine funding based on strategic alignment. RBC will consider funding up to 50% of a specific project or program budget.

Your application or proposal needs to contain each of the following items:

• A brief statement of your organization’s history, goals and accomplishments to date
• An outline of the project for which you are requesting funding
• A project budget showing anticipated expenses and incomes
• List of other committed or approached donors, including government sources
• Most recent audited financial statements (must be less than a year old)
• List of the Board of Directors and Campaign Cabinet members if applicable
• Cultural organizations should submit their most recent 12-month audience statistics

Sponsorships

Sponsorships are an integral part of RBC’s marketing and promotional activities.

We are always looking to help bring great events and ideas to life. Our preferred - but not exclusive - areas of sponsorship are:

• Arts & Culture
• Olympics
• Golf
• Environment

Proposals in other categories are evaluated on how well they support the strategies of our various lines of business.

Tips and suggestions when completing online proposal:

Maximize Your Marketing Potential

The more marketing opportunities you identify, the more attractive your proposal becomes. Look for maximum marketing potential, media extensions, community relations activities and client development opportunities.

Your proposal should show clear opportunities to promote RBC, as well as the products and services of our member companies, to targeted audience(s).

Think Beyond Your Organization

Demonstrate your imagination and flexibility by enhancing your programs through cooperative local events or package offerings.

Your proposal should broaden the promotional playing field. Involve co-sponsors, suppliers and affiliates in active and inventive cross-promotions.

Project-Specific Guidelines

The following projects have additional eligibility guidelines:

• RBC Future Launch
• RBC Youth Mental Well-being
• RBC Emerging Artists
• RBC Tech for Nature
• RBC Foundation Community Infrastructure Fund