Grant Proposal Development for Entrepreneurship, Innovation & Responsible AI

Host entity: Action Lab For Development Association

Application deadline: 21/09/2026

Mission and objectives

Action Lab for Development is dedicated to advancing education, food security, and advocacy to empower entrepreneurs, newcomers and promote creative economies in Canada. We envision a future where local innovators and newcomers have the resources to thrive through growth and development.
Our mission includes five key objectives:
We provide tools and opportunities for creative innovation and entrepreneurship, focusing on continuous improvement.
We enable networking and training activities to connect entrepreneurs, institutions, and partners.
We educate entrepreneurs and newcomers about fair business practices and social responsibility.
We guide emerging entrepreneurs in understanding social and business ecosystems through essential skills and techniques.
We encourage youth involvement in volunteering and ensure universal access to research and education by building digital platforms for community knowledge and supporting local ingenuity.
Action Lab For Development was registered as an Extra-Provincial Corporation in Alberta-Canada in 2024, granted special consultative status by the United Nations Economic and Social Council in 2020, reflecting our commitment to the UN's Sustainable Development Goals. Our primary focus areas include:
• Food Security
• Advocacy
• Education
• These initiatives aim to positively impact local innovators, including newcomers in Canada who may be facing challenges related to integration into a new environment and starting life. Our research shows that access to education, particularly in social entrepreneurship, is a powerful tool for these individuals. It enables them to turn their experiences into practical solutions that benefit their communities.

Assignment context

Entrepreneurship Support is a comprehensive economic empowerment initiative delivered through structured classes, workshops, and individualized mentorship by Action Lab For Development Association. The program is designed to equip individuals particularly those from underserved and immigrant communities with future-ready skills, practical training, and access to entrepreneurial ecosystems that enable them to start, sustain, and grow profitable businesses or secure meaningful employment.
Through two-hour workshops held weekly at the Association’s hall and in partnership with the Edmonton Public Library (the Stanley A. Milner Library), participants receive hands-on training in personal development, leadership, creativity, entrepreneurship, applied business skills, research methods, marketing strategies, public speaking, digital literacy, Microsoft Office, graphic design, media communications, renewable services, and technical knowledge. Access to laptops, library computers, and collaborative workspaces ensures inclusive participation and applied learning.
Beyond group workshops, the program provides one-on-one mentoring, startup acceleration, business planning and connections to employers, investors, and entrepreneurship incubators. Participants are supported in refining business ideas, conducting market research, drafting proposals, and preparing outreach letters to potential partners and supporters. The initiative is further strengthened through collaboration with volunteers reinforcing commitments to human rights, non-discrimination, and equitable economic participation.
Integrated with the Association’s open-source community software and MoralityCode AI platform, the Entrepreneurship Support program promotes ethical leadership, innovation, and sustainable enterprise development building community capacity, fostering social cohesion, and advancing long-term economic mobility across Alberta.

Task description

Action Lab for Development Association is seeking three (3) online volunteers to support grant proposal development for initiatives focused on entrepreneurship, open-source community software, and responsible artificial intelligence. The volunteers will research funding opportunities and develop tailored grant proposals that align the Association’s programmes with the priorities and requirements of potential donors.

Objective:

The objective of this assignment is to strengthen the Association’s capacity to mobilize resources by developing high-quality, evidence-informed and donor-aligned grant proposals. The proposals will support initiatives that promote entrepreneurship, community innovation, digital inclusion, and responsible AI through the Association’s Entrepreneurship Support Program, open-source community software, and MoralityCode AI platform.

Tasks:

Each online volunteer will:

• Research assigned funding opportunities and review donor priorities, eligibility requirements, application guidelines, and deadlines.
• Develop three (3) tailored grant proposals for identified funding opportunities.
• Prepare required proposal components, including project summaries, needs statements, objectives, activities, expected results, implementation approaches, and sustainability strategies.
• Ensure each proposal clearly demonstrates the relevance, feasibility, innovation, and expected impact of the proposed project.
• Align proposals with the Association’s mission, programmes, target beneficiaries, and development priorities.
• Adapt proposals to the specific requirements, questions, formats, and word limits of each funding organization.
• Review and refine proposals for clarity, accuracy, consistency, professionalism, and alignment with donor requirements.
• Incorporate feedback from the Association’s internal team and prepare final drafts for internal approval.

Deliverables:

Each volunteer is expected to complete three (3) tailored grant proposals during the assignment period, including all required narrative sections and revisions arising from internal review. Collectively, the three volunteers are expected to develop approximately nine (9) grant proposals.

Expected Outcome:

The assignment will strengthen the Association’s grant-writing and resource-mobilization capacity and produce a pipeline of professionally prepared funding proposals supporting entrepreneurship, open-source innovation, digital inclusion, and responsible AI.

All donor communication, organizational coordination, final approval, and external submission will be handled by the Association’s internal team. Volunteers will not contact donors or submit applications externally.

Each online volunteer must have access to a laptop and a stable internet connection and participate in weekly coordination meetings held online every Wednesday from 2:00–2:30 PM UTC

Skills and experience

Strong research and writing skills.
Experience with grant writing and creating formal correspondence is preferred but not required.
Ability to communicate effectively in writing, with attention to detail.
Self-motivated, organized, and able to work independently.

Full eligibility requirements, conditions of service and application instructions are available on the official UNV platform.