Here is a number that should change how you think about grant success rates. In the Canada Council for the Arts' 2024–25 core funding competition for arts festivals and presenters, 72.6% of eligible applications were successful. But of the 71 applicants who were new to core funding, only 12 got in, a success rate of 16.9%. Same program, same year, same reviewers. The difference was largely history with the funder.
So when a board member asks, "What's a good grant success rate?", the honest answer is: it depends on which grants you are counting, and how. This article explains what published Canadian figures actually show, how to calculate a success rate that means something, and practical ways to raise yours.
What Canadian Funders' Published Success Rates Show
Most private foundations do not publish success rates. A few large public funders do, and they show how wide the range is:
| Program | Cycle | Funded / assessed | Success rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| CIHR Project Grant (health research) | Fall 2025 | 421 of 3,101 | 13.6% |
| Canada Council: Explore and Create (all applicants) | 2024–25 | 1,735 of 7,370 | 23.5% |
| Canada Council: Explore and Create (arts organizations only) | 2024–25 | 141 of 449 | 31.4% |
| Canada Council: Arts Festivals and Presenters (core, Year 1) | 2024–25 | 162 of 223 | 72.6% |
Three lessons jump out. First, rates range from roughly one in seven to nearly three in four, so there is no single "normal" grant success rate in Canada. Second, organizations did better than individual artists in the same Explore and Create competition, which suggests that structure, track record and capacity count. Third, returning applicants to an established program fare very differently from newcomers. If your organization is applying mostly to new funders, a lower rate is expected.
A success rate is not a grade on your writing. It is a reflection of which funders you chose, how well you fit them, and how many times they have seen you before.
How to Calculate Your Own Grant Success Rate Honestly
Most organizations calculate their rate as "applications funded divided by applications submitted". That is a start, but it can mislead you in both directions. Track a few extra numbers:
- Count rate and dollar rate. Winning eight small grants and losing two large ones might be an 80% count rate and a 20% dollar rate. Both matter.
- Separate new funders from returning ones. Renewals inflate the overall rate. Your new-funder rate tells you whether your prospecting is working.
- Separate by funder type. Community foundations, corporate programs and government streams behave differently. Group them.
- Track partial awards. Being funded at half your request is a win with a lesson attached, usually about budget or scope.
- Use a rolling 12 to 24 months. A single season is too small a sample for a small organization.
A simple spreadsheet with funder, program, date, amount requested, amount awarded, new or returning, and the feedback you received is enough. Our guide on tracking grant outcomes covers the reporting side.
What a "Good" Success Rate Looks Like for Your Organization
Rather than chasing an industry average, judge your rate against your own mix:
- Mostly renewals with long-standing funders: you should expect a high rate. A dip is a warning sign about reporting or relationships.
- Mostly new, competitive government programs: a lower rate is normal. Focus on the trend over time and on reviewer feedback.
- Lots of small local grants: rates are often higher, but check whether the dollars justify the time.
A rate that is too high can also be a problem. If you win nearly everything, you may be applying too cautiously and leaving larger, better-fit opportunities on the table.
Six Ways to Raise Your Grant Success Rate
- Apply to fewer, better-fit grants. The fastest way to improve your rate is to stop submitting long shots. Before writing, score each opportunity: Are you clearly eligible? Does your project match the funder's stated priorities, not just its topic? Can you meet the match and reporting requirements? If you cannot answer yes to all three, skip it.
- Talk to the program officer before you apply. Many government programs and community foundations encourage it. A short conversation can confirm fit, flag a common mistake, or save you from an application that was never going to be eligible. Our post on building relationships with funders explains how to do this without being pushy.
- Write to the scoring criteria. If the guide lists assessment criteria, structure your answers around them using the funder's own language. Reviewers score against a rubric; make your points easy to find, under headings that mirror the criteria where the format allows.
- Make the budget and narrative tell the same story. Mismatches between what you say you will do and what you budget for are one of the most common reasons solid applications lose points.
- Ask for feedback every time you are declined. Many public funders will explain their decision if asked. Write down what they say and fix it before the next intake.
- Steward the funders you have. On-time, honest reports and a genuine thank-you make renewals far more likely, and renewals are the backbone of a healthy rate.
When to Stop Applying to a Funder
Persistence pays with some funders and wastes time with others. A decline is not always a "no forever"; many programs have more eligible requests than money, and a solid application can lose simply because the pot ran out. But there are signs it is time to move on:
- You have applied two or three times, used the feedback, and the response has not changed.
- The funder's published priorities have shifted away from your work.
- The program officer tells you, directly or politely, that your project is not a fit.
- The size of the grant no longer justifies the hours, the match requirement, or the reporting load.
Dropping a poor-fit funder is not giving up. It frees time for opportunities where your odds are genuinely better, and that is how a success rate improves over time. If a rejection just landed, our guide on what to do after a grant rejection walks through the next steps.
A Hypothetical Example
Imagine a small arts nonprofit in Red Deer that submitted ten applications last year and won three, a 30% rate. When they split the results, the picture changed. Of four renewals, three were funded. Of six new applications, none were. Looking closer, four of the six new applications were to programs where they only partially met the priorities. The fix was not "write better". It was "choose better and talk to program officers first". The next year they submitted seven applications instead of ten, called every new funder in advance, and spent the saved time on stronger budgets.
The example is illustrative, but the pattern is common: the biggest gains usually come from selection and preparation, not from polishing sentences.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a good grant success rate in Canada?
There is no single benchmark. Published rates range from about 13.6% for CIHR's Fall 2025 Project Grant competition to 72.6% in the first year of a Canada Council core funding competition. Compare your rate against your own mix of new and returning funders, and track the trend over time.
Why is my success rate lower with new funders?
New applicants lack a track record with that funder and may misjudge fit. In one Canada Council core program, newcomers succeeded at 16.9% compared with 72.6% overall. Talking to program officers before applying and choosing closer-fit programs usually helps.
Should we apply for more grants to win more money?
Not necessarily. Applying to more poorly matched grants lowers your rate and burns staff time. Most organizations get better results by applying to fewer, better-fit opportunities and investing more in each one.
How long should we track our success rate?
Use a rolling 12 to 24 months and split it by new versus returning funders and by funder type. One season is usually too small a sample to draw conclusions.
Published figures come from the Canada Council for the Arts and CIHR funding results pages; programs and rates change every cycle. Always confirm current guidelines on the funder's website before applying.
If you want a second opinion on which grants are worth your time this year, Book a 10-minute discovery call and we'll help you build a shortlist that fits.