Ozanam Education Fund (OEF) – Application – Award - Tax Process

Ozanam Education Fund – Application Process

The application process consists of submitting 4 documents to the OEF review team. The Vincentian sponsor most familiar with the case should coordinate the submission in conjunction with the council/ conference president. The Ozanam Fund is only available to CRA registered conferences/ councils. Please ensure you include your Conference/ Council registration # on the application form.

Application Documents:

1. This form should be completed by the applicant reflecting the resources of the applicant only. It should be reviewed by and signed by the Applicant, the Sponsor, and the conference or council President and sent on to the Ozanam Fund review team. The SSVP sponsor and president’s contact information is important to be on the form for follow up by the review team. If the sponsor is the president a second Vincentian should sign the form as well (always have 2 signatures).
   
   
2. This Income/Expense work sheet completed by the applicant should reflect the resources of the applicant only not of other members in the family. Additional background on the family (financial or other) can be submitted in either the sponsor or applicant’s letter.
   Ensure all amounts are “annual” amounts. Give the annual time period (start and end date) for the annual financial period (not the course period). Ensure that all lines are filled out. If a line is not applicable show a “0” .
   
   
3. Ozanam Education Fund – Vincentian Sponsor Letter
   This letter of recommendation should come from the Vincentian that is most in touch with the applicant’s situation. It should give some background on the applicant and the reason they are being recommended for funding.
   
   
4. Ozanam Education Fund – Applicants Letter
   This letter by the applicant should provide some background on their goals including their expectations of what this education will mean to them for their future. They should provide some background of their basic financial need and any other background or circumstance they consider relevant.

Submissions can be made at any time of the year.
The documents should be sent either by email to ozanamfund@ssvp.on.ca or by mail to “The Ozanam Education Fund” 537 Kenmarr Crsc. Burlington, Ont. L7L 4R6.
The application form should be scanned to include signatures if it is sent by email.

Sponsor/ Conference President Application Instructions:

In the process of ensuring fairness and that we make the best use of the limited money in our Ozanam Fund we rely very heavily on the screening and recommendations by the sponsors and presidents. It is important that the sponsor and council or conference president do the following:

• The Sponsor and the President should be aware of the other educational funding awards or applications by the applicant in particular the amounts of OSAP Grant and Loan funding available. If it is available for the course both the OSAP Grant and Loan must be applied for
  
  
• The Sponsor and the President should jointly interview the candidate to review the worthiness of the request.
  
  
• The Sponsor and the President should have some validation of the applicant’s financial situation and accuracy of the Application Form and Worksheet.
  
  
• The Sponsor and the President should obtain (for their own records) some confirmation that the requested education/training is valid. We recommend having an application letter or acceptance letter from the educational institution.
  
  
• The Sponsor and the President should review the Application form and Worksheet for completeness and sign the Application Form in the places indicated.

Ozanam Education Fund - Awards Process

1. The awards team (ONRC – Ozanam Education Fund Committee) reviews the application material and respond accordingly as soon as possible (allow 3-5 weeks).
   
   
2. When an award has been granted the conference president will be notified by the committee with an Ozanam Education Fund - Notification of Award and Procedure memo. This notification contains the Application # associated with this applicant. Please make note of this number as it will be used for subsequent communications with the committee.
   
   
3. Awards are made by direct bank deposit from ONRC payable to the sponsoring SSVP council or conference. You may be contacted by ONRC for your bank account information.
   
   
4. The council or conference then issues payment cheques as appropriate to cover the applicant’s educational expenses. These can vary from tuition, books, computer hardware/software supplies, food, transportation, rent, etc. (any expenses required to help get the education). As per our normal practice do not issue a cheque or cash directly to the applicant.

Additional Awards by Councils/ Conferences:
In some cases councils/ conferences have decided to provide additional funding support to their applicant for their education. This form of help is to be provided directly by the normal SSVP Council/Conference practice not through the Ozanam Education Fund process.

Ozanam Education Fund: Income Tax Process

The Council/Conference must prepare a Canada Revenue Agency T4A slip for the applicant, and mail it to the applicant not later than the last day of February in the year following the issuance of awards to the payee (not necessarily the year the awards were issued to the council/conference).

Complete information on the T4A process is posted on the ONRC website under Ozanam Education Fund – "T4A Slips & Summary Filing procedure".

Disbursement of award funds is not to be made directly to the applicant, but rather, to the educational institution, bookstore, other “direct” payees. If for some reason the applicant has to pay out of pocket for an expense, a receipt/proof of payment needs to be provided to the Council/Conference before the Council/Conference reimburses the applicant.

Unused funds must be returned to the Ozanam Education Fund. Please direct the funds to “SSVP – ONRC – The Ozanam Education Fund” c/o President Society of Saint Vincent de Paul Ontario Regional Council 240 Church St. Toronto, ON M5B1Z2. Attach a note that includes the Conference/Council name and City as well as the applicants name.

The Council/Conference must retain receipts of payments: 1) Those made directly to educational institutions and other payees; 2) Also when the applicant paid out of pocket. Canada Revenue Agency requires receipts to be kept for 6 years from the end of the year to which they apply.

For your convenience there is an Award Distribution Log on the ONRC Website to help you keep track of your expenditures in preparation for issuing the T4A.

Follow up and Feedback:

We encourage the sponsor to stay in touch with the applicant after the award through their educational journey. We appreciate hearing any feedback on their challenges and successes. We also appreciate any feedback comments for improvements to our process.

For further clarification on these processes contact the review team at
ozanamfund@ssvp.on.ca