John R. Evans Leaders Fund (JELF)

John R. Evans Leaders Fund (JELF) sits under the Canada Foundation for Innovation and helps Canadian universities attract and retain strong researchers through research infrastructure. It is part of CFI's institutional funding system, so the university applies on behalf of the researcher rather than the individual submitting alone. The fund is named for John R. Evans, CFI's first board chair, and its awards are meant to strengthen the lab base around a recruitment or retention case. The fund can cover up to CAD 800,000 per proposal, with total eligible project costs up to CAD 2 million. CFI generally pays 40% of eligible infrastructure costs, while the Small Institution Fund and certain small requests can reach higher support. The unaffiliated stream has three annual deadlines in February, June, and October, and partnership routes align with CRC, CERC, NSERC, or SSHRC timelines. Eligible applicants are Canadian universities, with research hospitals and institutes applying through an affiliated university, and up to three researchers per proposal. JELF suits institutions trying to make a concrete recruitment case rather than a general equipment wish list. Strong applications tie the infrastructure to a specific hire or retention risk, stay within the university allocation logic, and show why the package cannot be split across ordinary departmental budgets. The program is most compelling when the lab, the talent plan, and the institutional commitment move together.

Each grant below is a distinct funding opportunity with its own eligibility, scope, and deliverables.