Apply for out-of-province travel funding

Foothills Orienteering (FWOC) actively encourages our members to further their orienteering skills development, knowledge, and networking by participating in orienteering events hosted by other clubs. Every year, we dedicate a small portion of our budget to support out-of-province travel and/or Team Canada program fees for our member volunteers. FWOC also donates funds directly to the Team Canada training program.

FWOC is now accepting applications from club members (that have been active volunteers) for partial reimbursement of Out-of-Province travel expenses and Team Canada Program fees. Each year the FWOC board allocates funding for Team Canada and non-Team Canada FWOC member in the annual budget. Successful applicants will receive a portion of these funds up to the maximums stated in this policy or on the application forms. See below for links.

The deadline for receiving applications and supporting documentation is Dec 1st for travel expenses and Team Canada Program fees incurred during the previous 12 months. Applications will be reviewed annually shortly after the deadline.

Application instructions and eligibility criteria are found in the policy below. (Note that the Team Canada Program was previously known as the High Performance Program).

Competitive Development and Participation Travel Expense Reimbursement Policy

Changes June 2025 – All references to HPP removed in place of Team Canada; disclosure of additional funds language added; application deadline changed.

Overview:

The objectives and benefits of this policy are to:

  1. Support Team Canada Program athletes and team leaders who are active FWOC members, volunteers, mentors, and coaches to travel to and represent FWOC and Canada at world-ranking orienteering races. Team Canada Program athletes are those athletes selected by Orienteering Canada to participate in the Canadian Youth or Adult Programs for the dates covered in the reimbursement application. The club benefits when actively engaged Team Canada Program members and team leaders represent FWOC while strengthening their skills and relationships with the broader orienteering community at international orienteering events.
  2. Encourage all other FWOC members to strengthen their orienteering skills, relationships, and contributions to the club through participation in orienteering events outside the province. FWOC benefits when its engaged members strengthen their skills and relationships with the broader orienteering community at high-quality orienteering events and increase their engagement with the sport of orienteering.

There are two categories of expense reimbursements awarded under this policy:

  1. Team Canada Out-of-Province Travel Expense reimbursements.
  2. Non-Team Canada Out-of-Province Travel Expense reimbursements.

Note that the Alberta Orienteering Association (AOA) may also provide grants to support Team Canada and non-Team Canada attendance at orienteering events or workshops. All FWOC club members are also AOA members and are encouraged to apply directly to the AOA for these grants. At the time of drafting this policy, the AOA Grant Policy and documents were found at https://www.orienteeringalberta.ca/aoa-policies--grants.html

Eligibility for Travel Expense Reimbursements:

All active FWOC members are eligible to apply and be considered for partial travel expense reimbursement if they have either:

a) Volunteered at five or more club events (or equivalent as determined by the committee) in the 12 months preceding the annual application deadline, (in this case plan to submit accurate details including date, event, volunteer role/activity for each occasion) or

b) Been employed by FWOC to help deliver FWOC programs.

To be considered for reimbursement, applicants, during the time period of the application, must have:

1) Represented FWOC and

2) Registered as a FWOC member at the events included in their application. Team Canada Program members are expected to wear FWOC, AOA, or Orienteering Canada clothing during competitive events.

Disclosure of Additional Funding Sources: To ensure transparency and equitable allocation of FWOC funds, applicants are required to disclose any other funding sources they have applied to or received support from for the same events or expenses covered in this application. This information assists the review committee in understanding funding availability and in preventing duplication of reimbursements.

Expense Reimbursement Amounts:

The total amount of funds available for Team Canada and non-Team Canada expense reimbursement categories are set in the club’s annual budget. The amount which can be reimbursed for each application is shown below. These amount may be reduced depending on the club budget, number of applications, and the relative contributions of the applicants to club events or training during the previous year:

  1. Team Canada Out-of-Province Travel Expense Reimbursements: up to $1200 per Team Canada athlete or up to $500 for a Team Canada team official.
  2. Non-Team Canada Out-of-Province Travel Expense Reimbursements: up to $200 per member.

The expense reimbursement applications may include requests for reimbursement of economy travel, accommodation (not including meals), event registration, and Team Canada Program application fees. If you drive to an event, please keep your gas receipts as applicants cannot collect mileage.

Normally, only one application per member will be reimbursed per year, however, the committee will consider reimbursing more than one application per member if there are sufficient funds remaining and the applicant has made exceptional contributions to the club during the period covered in the applications.

Travel Expense Reimbursement Application Procedure:

All travel expense reimbursement applications must be received by the application deadline (normally December 1st) and must be for an event during the 12 months preceding the application deadline. Applicants must submit the following:

  1. Travel expense reimbursement application form (see link below);
  2. Evidence of travel expenses paid (including Team Canada Program application fee if applicable); and
  3. Evidence of event participation and website url of the event(s) covered by the application, this link should include the event results.

Team Canada members should only submit a Team Canada travel expense reimbursement form as their application will automatically be considered for non-Team Canada travel expense reimbursement if the Team Canada application is not fully reimbursed.

As part of the application submission, applicants will be required to agree to the following statement on the application form:

“By submitting this application, I agree that the information is accurate and may be made publicly available for marketing and promotion purposes. I agree that I have read and understood the Competitive Development and Participation Travel Expense Reimbursement Policy at https://orienteeringcalgary.ca/pages/resources (Apply for out-of-province travel funding). I understand that: 1) to be considered for reimbursement, evidence of the expenses paid and events attended must be submitted to [email protected]; 2) I have not included expenses that have been or will be reimbursed by another source(s); and 3) any inability to verify the expenses or contributions claimed in this application may result in this and future applications to be rejected.”

Travel Expense Reimbursement Application Review Process:

Travel expense reimbursement applications will be evaluated by the FWOC board (or a board-appointed committee) shortly after the application deadline, based on the following criteria:

  1. Completeness of the application and supporting documentation; and
  2. Evidence of applicant’s contributions to the club during the period covered in the application (the 12 months preceding application deadline).

For Team Canada FWOC members, the application form is at https://forms.gle/3TiVB3a48UeowzVm6

For non-Team Canada FWOC members, the application form is at https://forms.gle/2x4RpzrDwx9ZH8Fh7