Comfort & Care Grant Guidelines

The QEII Foundation Comfort & Care grant program was established in 2005 to provide funding to enhance health care for Nova Scotia patients and their families. Comfort & Care grants are intended for projects that typically would not receive funding through operating or capital budgets.

Each year, QEII Foundation donors provide $100,000 for eligible Comfort & Care grants. Call for applications typically takes place in April and provides grants of up to $5,000 (excluding tax, installation and shipping) in the areas of: 

The QEII Foundation has provided over $1.97m in funding for various initiatives since the inception of the grant.  

Eligibility Criteria

• An employee of Nova Scotia Health (NSH)
      - AND -
• Works at the QEII Health Sciences Centre OR the Nova Scotia Hospital
      - OR - 
• A community-based adult/senior program or clinic within Nova Scotia 

Current community programs or clinics associated with a health care centre which have an associated Foundation are not eligible for a QEII Comfort & Care grant.  Please contact your affiliated Foundation to investigate funding of your request.

If you are unsure of eligibility, please contact the grant administrator.

Grant Administrator 

Tanya Manthorne, QEII Foundation
Phone: 902 334 1546
Email: [email protected]
www.qe2foundation.ca

Key Dates & Timelines

• Call for submissions will be made Monday, April 15^th, 2024 via:
  • Network-wide email to NSH Central Zone staff
  • NSH Newsletter
  • QEII Foundation Website 
• Deadline for submissions – midnight, Friday, May 10^th, 2024
• Adjudication of applications– June 2024
• Grant decision letters distributed to all applicants via email – June 2024
• Grant awards posted on the QEII Foundation website – July 2024 

How to Apply   

Applications will only be accepted electronically by visiting apply.qe2foundation.ca beginning Monday, April 15^th with a deadline of midnight Friday, May 10^th. Visit the application website to register for an account or log in to a previously created account. Only applicants with an @nshealth email addresses will be accepted.

The Application is broken up into key sections:

• Contact Information
• Application Summary Information
• Project Details
• Budget & Vendor Quote (Mandatory)
• Approval from Director or Health Services Manager

Some commonly requested items will not require an initial quote to be included with the application.  However, quotes are only valid until July 31, 2024 and must be reobtained from the usual vendor after the grant is awarded but before placing the order for the item.

Items preapproved by NSHA procurement include:

All other items require a standard quote from an appropriate NSH approved vendor. Contact NSH procurement for direction on approved vendors – [email protected]

To submit the application, each section must be marked as complete. By completing all sections prior to approval from your Director or Health Services Manager, the application will be automatically submitted and the applicant will receive a confirmation email.  If you do not receive the confirmation email your application has not been completed.

Evaluation of the Grant   

Grant eligibility will initially be determined by the Grants Officer in accordance with the mission and values of the QEII Foundation.  Grants will be awarded for projects that demonstrate direct benefit or enhancement of care to patients and/or families within Nova Scotia.  All eligible grants will be reviewed and scored by the Adjudication Committee while considering the following questions:

• Will funding this project make a positive impact on the QEII or community patients and/or their families?
• How many people will be affected by this project?
• Is there urgency to this project?
• Does this request have other sources of funds available?  
• Is the project fundamental to patient care, in which case should be funded by a different health care operating or capital budget? i.e. operational in nature
• Will there be clear outcomes if this project is funded?
• Is this project appropriate for partial funding if the total request cannot be granted?
• Has the submission been provided in a clear and concise manner?
• Is the submission complete, with all necessary information provided?
• Have mandatory quotes been included except for pre-approved items?

Items Not Eligible for Award    

Electronics

• Computers, including service connection fees/charges; internet sticks; gaming systems; smart watches as these items are hard to secure in the care area
• Televisions requiring cable connection due to Nova Scotia Health’s compatibility and installation directives
  • However, applications will be considered for televisions that have an educational need and do not require a cable connection
• DVD players cannot be approved for patient rooms due to connection compatibility – consideration will only be given for Family Rooms or Clinics

Operational

• Operational equipment including scales, examination tables/lights, stretchers, geriatric chairs, commodes, pressure pumps, air-conditioning, privacy curtains, cork bulletin boards (consideration will be given to white boards for patients), wheelchairs
• Ice machines will be considered if location and connection to water and electrical service is outlined in the application.

Memberships

• Renewable or ongoing costs including membership or registration fees; subscriptions including magazines, periodicals, newspapers, Netflix, music apps etc.

Renovations/Décor

• Structural items including window coverings, room painting, flooring or floor repair as these items would include involvement of maintenance
• Décor items including artwork and plants as they require approval and cleaning services

Financial Assistance

• Operating funds, research projects, honorariums 
• Financial assistance, including taxi chits, transportation, taxi/bus fare, parking
  • Please refer to the QEII Patient Essentials or QEII Patient Assistance Grant
• Workshops, related materials, compensation to facilitators or staff; educational video proposals, staff education or replacement costs

Other

• Glider chairs pose a safety issue
• Volunteer attire
• Refreshments 

Access & Allocation of Awarded Funds     

• All applicants will be notified via email by the QEII Foundation (add [email protected] to your safe senders list to ensure emails are not rerouted to your Junk folder)
• All purchase requests using a Comfort & Care grant must be directed to Nova Scotia Health Procurement and follow standard purchasing procedures. Purchasing procedure information will be provided with grant award letters.
• All Comfort & Care grants must be accessed by March 1, 2025.
• All unused grants will be returned to the QEII Foundation.