FAQs

We are pleased to announce that the Support to Sports Participation Grant program will re-open for a limited time on Monday, October 5, 2026, at 12:00 p.m. (ET)

Funding for the remainder of FY 2026 – 2027 is limited, and approximately 70 to 100 additional applicants are expected to be supported. Applications will be assessed on a first-come, first-served basis. Once all remaining funds have been allocated, the program will close for the remainder of the fiscal year.

 

During this intake, applications will be considered eligible for sport competitions occurring between June 3, 2026, and March 31, 2027. 

Once all additional funds have been allocated by CAF Sports HQ, members may inquire with their local Bases and Wings if they are able to provide local public funds however it wouldn’t be under the SSPG.

Member will receive an automatic email response confirming their application for a Support to Sports Participation Grant for FY26-27  

Requests submitted by email following the portal closure on June 3, 2026, have not been accepted and will need to be re-submitted through the online application portal once it reopens.

CAF members must complete their request online at the following link:  Support to Sports Participation Grant | CFMWS

Paper and PDF applications are no longer accepted.

Applications will be reviewed and a response/feedback will be provided to the applicant within approximately 14 days of submission or inquiry.

Please note that the response time may be longer if additional information or clarification is required to complete the review.

Reimbursements are normally processed within up to 30 business days from the date your complete claim is received and approved by our finance department.

Once processing is finalized, the reimbursement will be deposited directly into the bank account provided.

Please note that processing times may vary depending on volume, completeness of your submission, and internal verification requirements.

Yes. If you have already attended the event or course, you can submit an online application after the event or course has been completed.

Prior to applying, ensure you have the required justification and approval from your CoC (i.e. on duty, approval to participate).

The program now falls under CAF Sport National Office in order to:

1. improve program operations and consistency for CAF members
2. reduce workload of BW’s sport personnel allowing them to focus on local/regional program delivery
3. improve efficiency for program reporting

It is our intent to have the Support to Sports Participation Grant available in FY27-28.

Yes, however if members would like to use the memo/process available on our website they can. However, any reference to the Support to Sports Participation Grant should be removed, as they are not applying under that program.

This change has been implemented to confirm that the member has approval from their CoC to participate ON DUTY at the event they wish to submit a grant.

Do not submit an application if you do not have approval as our office will not process it.

 

CAF Sports HQ will not be opening the online Support to Sports Participation Grant (SSPG) portal for members to submit participation requests with $0 financial support from our office.  

That said, members can still seek approval from their CoC to participate in sport competition while On Duty outside of the SSPG.

For International competition, CAF Sport HQ must be notified at sspg@cfmws.com   when a member participates in an international competition hosted OUTCAN (if the event location is considered OUTCAN based on the traveler’s assigned workplace)

Members must submit a Notice of Intent to Travel (NOIT) (accessible only on the National Defence network)

General inquiries and suggestions about the grant can be directed to sspg@cfmws.com 

You will receive a response within approximately 14 days of submitting your question.

Yes. However only three (3) applications per CAF member will be supported financially for FY26-27. 
 

Financial support for this program is administered by the CAF Sports National office 

Local Bases and Wings Sport departments, Unit and Chain of Commands are encouraged to augment  financial support of sport participation to CAF members with local public funds (over and above what is provided by CAF Sports National office)

No. Members must be considered on duty in order to benefit from the Support to Sports Participation Grant as per DAOD 5045-1, Canadian Armed Forces Sports Program - Canada.ca

No. 

No. As of March 31, 2024, the Out Service Request Program is no longer available. Since September 26 2024, the Support to Sports Participation Grant has replaced the Out Service Request Program. 
 

Applicants must complete and submit the application form at least thirty (30) days in advance of their event/course. Application submitted within 30 days of the event commencing will still be considered for support however, we cannot guarantee it will be process due to administrative process and level of approval. We recommend that you plan and submit your request in advance! 

No. The Support to Sports Participation Grant program is likely to be oversubscribed with a large number of applicants each year. We hope that we can support as many CAF members as possible and demonstrate the need for additional resources and funds for future year. 

If your circumstance change and you are no longer able to attend the event/course please inform the CAF Sports National Office via email at sspg@cfmws.com as soon as possible.  

If approved, you can use the grant on some of the associated costs for you to attend your event/course.

• Competition entry fee (athlete) / In person course fee (coaches and officials)
• Local support for local community league fees* 
• Transportation costs (airfare, gas, car rental) 
• Accommodations 
• Meal 
• In-person Professional Development (Courses / Workshops) - (coaches and officials not already supported by their CAF Sports region)                                                                                               * Grant doesn't cover mileage, fuel cost, or meals for members participating in a local league 

The Support to Sports Participation Grant is designed to support sportspeople and ease the financial pressures for CAF members to be involved within the sports community. 

With limited funding the CAF Sport HQ office made the difficult decision to support these role for FY 26-27. Support for Athletic Trainers remain available via the Canadian Armed Forces Athletic Trainer Program (CAFATP). 

Thanks for asking! We have several other programs and events to support CAF members. Some of our most well-known are:

• CAF Regional / National Championships 
• CAF Coaches Program
• CAF Official Program 
• CAF Sport Awards 
• Canadian Armed Forces Athletic Trainer Program (CAFATP)
• CAF Sport Women’s in Sport Initiative

The round-trip distance travel determines how much financial support a member may receive through the support to sports participation grant 

Examples: 

1. A member travelling from Greenwood to Bangor, Maine, USA (874 km Round-Trip) to compete at the 2026 Powerlifting World Championship may receive a grant of up to $600 (up to $400 minimum grant & up to $200 additional financial support option 1)
2. A member travelling from Vancouver to Edmonton (2318 km round-trip) to compete at the 2026 Canadian Broomball Championship may receive a grant of up to $750 (up to $400 minimum grant and up to $350 additional financial support option 2)
3. A member travelling from Calgary to Edmonton (600 km round-trip) to compete to take in the Softball Canada Blue Convention 2025 may receive a grant of up to $400 (up to $400 minimum grant)
4. A member travelling from North Bay to Miami, Florida, USA (5426 km round-trip) to compete in the 2026 Ironman Miami may receive a grant of up to $1000 (up to $400 minimum grant and up to $600 additional financial support option 3).

CAF Sports National Office is limiting the number of applications to three (3) in order to try and support as many members as possible.
 

Yes, members must submit two (2) separate applications online.
 

Continental USA is defined as the 49 States (including Alaska, excluding Hawaii) located on the continent of North America, and the District of Columbia.

Yes. Members of the Cadet Instructors Cadre (CIC) are eligible for the Support to Sports Participation Grant Program. However, cadets between the ages of 12 and 18 are not eligible for this program.