For organisations that applied for Disability Benefits Navigation funding
Last updated: September 16, 2026
Tried to sign up and didn’t hear back? That was our fault, and it’s fixed. Please try again, or write to hello@getowed.ca and we’ll set you up ourselves.
ESDC’s 2026–2027 Disability Benefits Navigation call for proposals (SDPP-D) closed on 8 October 2026. This page is kept up because the terms below did not depend on that deadline, and because organisations holding a navigation agreement ask the same questions between calls. If ESDC opens another call, this page will say so.
I cannot apply to this myself and would not be eligible if I tried. The call lists for-profit organizations among its ineligible applicants, and getowed is made by one. Nothing on this page asks you for money, for a meeting, or for a place in your application.
If your organisation was funded, getowed is free for teams of five or fewer, and the pricing page says what larger teams pay.
What getowed is
It is not a hub, a portal, or anything your organisation would be building. Nothing is developed for your project, and you are not left owning software.
A subscription to a case tool your own navigators use. It records the Disability Tax Credit and RDSP casework your team already does, and turns it into the counts and outcomes a funder report asks for — instead of a compilation by hand at quarter end.
It holds no client names, dates of birth or diagnoses, only your own file reference. There is no field for them. That is deliberate, and it is what should make a privacy review straightforward.
What it costs a funded project
- Free for teams of five or fewer, permanently. No card, no call.
- Larger teams license it, and the prices are on the pricing page.
- Founding organisations that create an account before 31 December 2026 pay nothing until 31 March 2027, then half the published price for the year after.
- There is no charge for being named in an application, and no charge if the application is unsuccessful.
Eligible expenses: what ESDC said when we asked about budgeting for a tool like this
Read the quotations below as they were written. They say a cost of this kind may be considered, and that the determination is ESDC’s and is made at review. They do not say a grant will pay for getowed, and neither do we.
We wrote to the programme address on 8 September 2026 and said plainly that we are a for-profit company, are not applying, and are not asking on anyone’s behalf. This is their answer, quoted rather than summarised.
First, what ESDC asked us to remind you, in their words of 15 September 2026: We would ask that readers be reminded that the official requirements, eligibility criteria, eligible expenditures, and assessment considerations for the Social Development Partnership Program – Disability Component – Disability Benefits Navigation Program are those published in the call for proposals and associated program guidance on Canada.ca.
Any information provided by email should be considered supplementary and does not constitute a funding approval or eligibility determination.
The call’s own pages are on Canada.ca.
The Call for Proposals does not specifically identify software subscriptions as either an eligible or ineligible expense. However, eligible expenditures include costs related to evaluation, data collection and analysis, professional services, and other costs necessary to support the purpose of the funding.
Based on the information provided, a subscription to an existing case management or data collection platform that is used to support project delivery, reporting, evaluation, or performance measurement may be considered as part of the project budget if it is necessary to achieve the project objectives. The assessment of any specific cost will occur as part of the application review and budget assessment process.
Applicants should clearly describe the purpose of the expense and include it in the project budget. There is no separate pre-approval process at the application stage. Final determination of eligible costs rests with ESDC and would form part of any funding agreement discussions.
Naming a provider in your application
In the answer below, ESDC did not say in terms whether a for-profit provider may be named — and we will not say it for them. They described partnerships without excluding us, knowing we are one. What goes in your application is your decision and your risk, not ours.
We asked whether a for-profit software provider may be named as a partner or collaborator, and whether that needs a letter of support.
Applicants are encouraged to identify organizations that will contribute to the project. Applicants should clearly describe the role and contribution of any collaborator or service provider in their application.
The Call for Proposals does not require a letter of support from partners/collaborators. However, applicants may include supporting documentation if they believe it strengthens their proposal and helps demonstrate the feasibility of the project and its partnerships.
What you may count on from us, and what you may not
- You may count on: the free tier for five or fewer, permanently; the founding terms above if you take them up in time; a letter of support written to your project, if you ask for one; and the tool as it exists today, which you can see before you decide anything.
- You may not count on: any assurance that ESDC will approve a cost — that is theirs to determine at review; any claim that we are an eligible applicant, partner or contributor in the funder’s eyes; or development work for your project. We are not building you a system.
Where these words come from
Every statement on this page about the call is a quotation, because a paraphrase of a funding rule is how an application gets refused for a reason nobody intended.
Employment and Social Development Canada, Social Development Partnership Program – Disability Component — Disability Benefits Navigation Program, read 8 September 2026, ESDC’s written answer to our questions, received 8 September 2026, and ESDC’s reply of 15 September 2026 on how that answer is to be read.