HOW TO ACKNOWLEDGE YOUR GRANT
A guide for Trans Canada Trail funding recipients
Congratulations on receiving a grant from Trans Canada Trail! By accepting this grant, you commit to publicly acknowledging our support for the duration of your grant contract. This guide will help you understand the requirements for providing appropriate recognition as part of your funding agreement.
INTRODUCTION
With support from government at all levels and generous donors, Trans Canada Trail (TCT) invests in the development and enhancement of the Trail. Your recognition of this support raises awareness about Trans Canada Trail and encourages future funding for similar projects.
Organizations benefitting from a Trans Canada Trail grant are accountable for the use of those funds and are required to provide appropriate recognition for the support received as part of the funding agreement governing the grant. Recognition efforts should demonstrate how TCT’s contributions contribute to overall Trail enhancement and improvement.
This guide is intended to support your recognition efforts and includes information about recognition requirements, logo use and display, media and public relations activities, and event opportunities.
Recognition of Trans Canada Trail must include some or all of the activities outlined in the grant recognition grid, depending on the amount of funding you have received. Additional recognition of Trans Canada Trail is appreciated wherever possible.
To ensure effective communication and promotion of your trail improvement activities and Trans Canada Trail’s contribution, we recommend planning your recognition activities as soon as possible.
GRANT RECOGNITION GRID
The Trans Canada Trail Grant Recognition Grid outlines the specific requirements for acknowledging our support based on the grant amount received.
REQUIREMENT | Up to $24,999 | $25,000 plus |
|---|---|---|
CONSTRUCTION SIGNAGE Display signage at the project site from the beginning of the project until one year following the official opening. Provide photos of the signage with your Final Report. | ✔️ | ✔️ |
PUBLIC ACKNOWLEDGEMENT Include the acknowledgement logo (provided in toolkit) in all materials related to the Trans Canada Trail funded project. Provide digital copies with your Final Report. | ✔️ | ✔️ |
SOCIAL MEDIA PROMOTION Announce your grant on social media using pre-written text, visuals, and hashtags provided in the toolkit. Provide links and/screenshots with your Final Report. | ✔️ | ✔️ |
LOCAL MEDIA & PUBLIC RELATIONS Promote your story to local media through a media release, email, or phone call (a media advisory template and media release template provided in the toolkit). | Optional | ✔️ |
EVENT If you opt to hold an event, Trans Canada Trail must be advised and given the opportunity to attend (if available). All event advisories/invitations must be submitted to Trans Canada Trail a minimum of 4 weeks in advance by email at events@tctrail.ca . | Optional | Optional |
LOGO FORMATS & USAGE
The Trans Canada Trail funding acknowledgement logo consists of a lock-up of two elements: the official logo and a sentence that indicates the project was funded in part by a Trans Canada Trail grant.
Available versions
The following versions are available in blue, black and white. You are welcome to use the logo version that best suits your purposes.
English
Vertical/stacked
Horizontal
French
Vertical/stacked
Horizontal
Sizing
- The minimum size of the logo is:
- For print: 2.5 cm (1 inch) wide
- For digital: 175 px wide
The relative dimensions of the logo must be respected so that no distortion occurs.
- The size at which the logo is used must be proportionate to the size of the materials you are producing.
- For small-sized acknowledgement materials, the words in the logo should be legible and the logo overall, preferably, equal in size to any other funder or partner logos that appear.
- For large-sized acknowledgement materials, the logo should be big enough to be clearly visible from a distance of five metres and, preferably, equal in size to any other funder or partner logos that appear.
Protected space around the logo
There is a set amount of protected (blank) space that must appear around the logo. Apply the relative space of the TR from the word TRANS in the TRANS CANADA TRAIL wordmark at any given scale to determine the protection area.
If space does not permit a grant acknowledgement logo to be included Where logo placement is not available, the following sentence should be used instead: This project was funded in part by a grant from Trans Canada Trail.
PUBLIC ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
Publicly acknowledging your grant means the Trans Canada Trail funding acknowledgement logo must be visible in all print, digital and online materials produced for your project.
Announcement
Receiving a grant is an achievement that should be shared with your community! Your announcement isn’t just a way to recognize Trans Canada Trail’s contribution, it can increase awareness in your community about the Trail and your project, engage to new volunteers or trail users and shed more light on grant opportunities for trail sections across the country. Announcement activities might include:
- Preparing and distributing a media release with the details of your grant.
- Issuing the announcement online through web and social media (this might include an online statement, social media posts or multimedia content like a short video on social platforms).
- Making an announcement at a related community event.
- You may choose to host a public or private event with relevant stakeholders, such as government representatives, media, volunteers and community members.
When making a public announcement, notify Trans Canada Trail as early as possible. We can provide support such as: a quote for inclusion in the media release, Trans Canada Trail staff attendance at an event, or additional announcement amplification online via Trans Canada Trail’s social media channels.
Promotional Material & Publications
Include the funding acknowledgement logo on all printed and digital materials related to your project, for example:
- Brochures or postcards
- Print and digital newsletters
- Maps and posters
- Educational materials and guidebooks
- Advertising material
- Annual reports
Relative sizing of the logo should be appropriate to the overall dimensions of the promotional piece. Specific details about minimum logo size and required protected space around it are available here .
In digital materials, the logo should be hyperlinked to https://tctrail.ca .
CONSTRUCTION SITE SIGNAGE
To publicly acknowledge the grant at your construction site, signs that include the Trans Canada Trail funding acknowledgement logo must be displayed at the project site and be visible to the public from the beginning to the end of your project.
We provide 18” x 24” construction site signage free-of-charge, featuring the logo. We request that construction site boards be situated at entrances and exits where they are clearly visible to the public. For best results, we recommend installing these signs onto a wide wooden post using appropriate galvanized fasteners and washers.
Additional signage to consider:
- Trans Canada Trail wayfinder signage and arrows
- Safety and regulatory signage
- Rebranding your trailhead or traverse signage
- Rebranding your online/print maps with the Trans Canada Trail logo
We're here to help! Following Trans Canada Trail guidelines and recommendations will help establish a consistent signage system that is easy to follow and improve trail user experience. For any signage questions, get in touch with: Raymonde Arseneault Coordinator, Trail & Signage rarseneault@tctrail.ca
WEBSITE
Grant recipients are required to:
- Acknowledge your grant on website by including the funding acknowledgment logo or written message with a hyperlink to https://tctrail.ca .
- Where possible, it is recommended to include photos or other visual elements to create opportunities for your audience to see what is happening and understand the advancements being made as the project progresses.
To make this even easier, we encourage you to refer to our Promotion Toolkit , which contains pre-written messages, visuals, and all of our social handles. You can customize these materials to fit your project and audience, while ensuring consistency with our messaging.
SOCIAL MEDIA PROMOTION
Social media is one of the most powerful ways to connect with your community.
Grant recipients are required to
- Publish funding acknowledgement messages on your social media profile(s) - at least one post on each of your platforms but more will always be appreciated
- Tag the platform-relevant Trans Canada Trail social handle
- Include the hashtag #ThankYouTCT in all posts
To make this even easier, we encourage you to refer to our Promotion Toolkit , which contains pre-written messages, visuals, and all of our social handles. You can customize these materials to fit your project and audience, while ensuring consistency with our messaging.
LOCAL MEDIA & PUBLIC RELATIONS
For grants of $25,000 or more, grant recipients are required to:
- Promote their story through a media release, email, or phone call.
To make this even easier, we encourage you to refer to our Promotion Toolkit , which contains a media release template. You can customize these materials to fit your project and audience, while ensuring consistency with our messaging.
EVENTS
Events are a great way to tell your community about your project, engage stakeholders in your work and demonstrate the benefits of trails and trail enhancement.
If you choose to host an event to announce your project, Trans Canada Trail would be pleased to participate in some way. We can provide support such as: a quote for inclusion in the media release, Trans Canada Trail staff attendance at an event, or additional announcement amplification online via Trans Canada Trail’s social media channels. Notify Trans Canada Trail at least 4 weeks in advance to request TCT staff attendance or support (email events@tctrail.ca ).
Recommendations for hosting a successful announcement event:
- Invite important stakeholders such as government representatives, members of the media, trail users and volunteers
- Host the event at or near the project site to demonstrate your work
- Create a run-of-show document that includes the agenda and timing, including remarks from stakeholders
- Promote the event through use of social media, websites, or media announcements (see previous sections for more details on these types of promotion)
- Include the Trans Canada Trail funding acknowledgment logo on all printed materials (such as event programs and signage, promotional materials, slide decks and web pages), and acknowledge Trans Canada Trail in speeches given at the event.
To notify Trans Canada Trail about your event, email events@tctrail.ca .
