Holland Bloorview Family Support Fund

Our goal is to complete the whole Family Support Fund process in approximately 8 weeks. (from decision to receiving funding), However, there are several scenarios that can impact your overall wait time. 

• If we have to put your application on hold for updated documentation (new quotes, new letters of support
• If you would like the Family Support Fund to pay your vendor directly, the vendor will have to submit and invoice to the FSF before we can process the funding
• If the proof of payment is not included on your application; we need to wait until we receive the proof of payment to process the approved funding.
   

• A client
• parent/legal guardian/caregiver,
• member of your clinical care team(individual’s applying on behalf of a client must obtain the client/family’s consent.

Note:

• This includes community care clinicians

Not sure which Holland Bloorview Service qualify? Click here for the list.

The eligibility criteria are as follows:

• A child under the age of 19 who is receiving clinical care and/or therapy through an OHIP-covered service from Holland Bloorview. Please note that if your child only uses fee–for-service programs such as aquatics, dental, or Spiral Garden camp they cannot access the Family Support Fund. The fee for service programs are not clinical services.
  • Please contact the Family Resource Centre for information on other funding options available.
  • Accessing care through Holland Bloorview after the age of 19 does not qualify your child for this fund.
• Installation, labour, assessment, repairs, replacement materials (e.g. fabric, etc.), accessories, additions to existing equipment or delivery costs are not funded.
• Funding and items are subject to change.
• The application submission period runs from April 1, 2025, to March 31, 2026, or until funds run out. Should funds run out before the submission deadline, your application might be declined

The Family Support Fund currently offers financial support for the following categories of items/services:

• Medical equipment (buying to own and rental/lease fees)
• Medication
• Recreation
• Respite

Click here for a full list of funding categories.

The amount of funding families can receive may vary based on:

The item you are applying for - did the Family Support Fund already fund the same/or like item according to the Family Support Fund policy, the fund will not approve funding for an item that has already received funds towards its over cost in a previous operating year OR in a previous application. 

• For example, the same ramp cannot be requested for funding in 2024-2025 fiscal year and then again in 2025-2026.
• Level of funding requested and available

There is a maximum amount that can be requested for each category, although receiving the maximum funds is not always guaranteed. The Family Support Fund Team is likely to provide some the requested sum from your application for you to use towards the designated service or item.

When an application has been submitted, you will receive a confirmation email.

If you have saved an application to return to it later, you will receive a survey code.

For reference, survey refers to the funding application

• Please keep this code, so that, in future, you can access your application. It will look like this:

• You will receive the funding decision via email, with an estimated wait time of 4-6 weeks.
• We will also provide a “Next Steps” document for all funding decisions involving an approval.

Unfortunately, once an application is approved, we cannot make any changes. If there is a different item/service/vendor you prefer, you can contact us at fsfdoc@hollandbloorview.ca to withdraw your application and re-apply. Please ensure you are certain of your choices before applying, though we understand that changes may be necessary.

Feel free to contact the administrative team via email at fsfdoc@hollandbloorview.ca. If the questions are very particular, please provide context and our admins will do their best to get back to you as soon as they can.

The REDcap platform is simple to use and has little to no technical flags. One message you might encounter is this:

Please refresh the webpage to load it again.

Please contact us at fsfdoc@hollandbloorview.ca.

An application is placed on hold if we are missing necessary information. This often happens if a support letter or quote is missing, or if the quote is not detailed enough. 

To avoid this, please ensure that you upload a letter of support with every application that discusses every item/service you are requesting funding for. You may attach more than one letter of support if each letter only discusses some items/services you are applying for. 

Also, ensure the quote includes the total cost, not just a weekly/monthly fee. If using a website screenshot with weekly/monthly rates, please specify the number of weeks or months you are applying for. 

As stated on our website and on your approval email, the requested amount is not guaranteed. Typically, we approve a portion of the requested amount. We have a file review process that determines how much funding each application will receive. This is based on numerous factors including financial need and perceived benefit to the client/family.

Know the difference between a receipt and an invoice?

• A receipt is like a proof of purchase you get after buying something, showing what you bought and how much you paid. It's like a record for you.
• An invoice, is more like a request for payment before you buy something. It tells you what you're going to pay for and how much it costs. So, while a receipt comes after you pay, an invoice comes before.

See visual examples below

Example of an invoice

Example of a receipt

Example of a completed respite worker invoice form

Example of a letter of support

What is a letter of support?

A letter of support is a letter written by a clinician for the item/or service you are requesting. This letter tells the Family Support Fund team the rationale behind the need for the item and your request for Family Support Fund. The letter of support should explain the connection between the need for the item and the diagnosis. 

Below you can find examples and elements you should be thinking about when deciding who should write the letter of support.

For Rental Equipment and equipment, letters of support can be written by: 

• Occupational Therapists, Physiotherapists, Prescriber, Nurse, Physician

Medication letters of support can be written by: 

• Nurse Practitioner or Physician

For Respite:

• Social Worker, Psychotherapist, Therapeutic Recreation Staff, Physiotherapist, Psychologist, Youth Worker Staff, Nurse, or Physician

For Recreation, letters of support can be written by

• Social Worker, Psychotherapist, Therapeutic Recreation Staff, Respiratory Therapist, Psychologist, Nurse or Physician