Athlete Funding and High-Performance Budget 

This information is provided to help athletes understand high performance funding. 

Competition Trip Budgets

Nine athletes will attend Period 1. The cost per athlete is $9380. When performance bonuses and COC subsidies are included, we anticipate the athletes will pay the following amounts for this four-week trip with international and European flights, accommodation and insurance included: 

  • Athlete 1 – $0 
  • Athlete 2 – $2780 
  • Athlete 3 – $1390 
  • Athlete 4 – $4690 
  • Athlete 5 – $4690 
  • Athlete 6 – $4690
  • Athlete 7 – $9380 
  • Athlete 8 – $9380 
  • Athlete 9 – $9380 

 

Where does Nordiq Canada’s money come from? 

Sport Canada and OTP   $2,223,000 
Membership and Associated Fees  $1,262,000 
Strategic Priorities Fund and $40K ‘other’  $605,000 
Partner Support and Grants  $470,000 
Athlete Fees  $450,000 
Personal Donations and Corporate Sponsorships**  $306,000 

**Fundraising generates $500,000-$1,400,000 in club donations and $275,000 in free clothing and equipment; this is not captured in this budget. 

Where does Nordiq Canada spend its money? 

Olympic High Performance   $1,808,000 
Paralympic High Performance  $1,329,750 
Division, Club, and Administration Support*  $1,090,000 
Athlete Development  $489,500 
Marketing and Fundraising**  $206,000 
Coach Development  $219,000 
Events and Officials  $175,000 

*Administration expenses include things like SafeSport, grant expenses, insurance, bank fees, rent, GST, CEO, and COO salaries, AGM, Board expenses, and accounting support. 

Quick Facts

  • Core Sport Canada funding to national sport organizations has not increased since 2005. When inflation is factored, we are receiving half of what we were in 2005.

 

  • Most sports are running a deficit. Nordiq Canada’s deficit is $568,000 this year. Most of that money is coming from the Strategic Priorities Fund, money that was set aside during COVID. The Strategic Priorities Fund will be empty by April 2026.

 

  • Nordiq Canada receives $626,500 for Olympic high performance; Nordiq Canada spends $1,808,000 in Olympic high performance.

 

  • $236,000 in training centre support is included in the Olympic High Performance budget.

 

  • Most of Nordiq Canada’s funding must be spent in specific areas. Nordiq Canada’s budget is $5,300,000; only $1,500,000 can be spent anywhere we want. This money comes from donations, sponsorships, and membership fees; 79% is spent in Olympic High Performance.

 

  • Development generates $810,000 in income and spends $880,000. Para Nordic generates $1,329,750 in income and spends $1,329,750

 

  • The following amounts are not included in the budget:
      • $275,000 in value in kind equipment for athletes
      • $614,000 in Sport Canada carding money to athletes
      • $195,740 in Sport Canada funding to sport institutes to support athletes
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Questions by athletes and coaches 

I know we received an Airbnb grant for the federation, when and how will this be used?

The Canadian Olympic Committee and Airbnb partnered to give each national sport organization $3500 USD in Airbnb credit to be used by November 30, 2024. Nordiq Canada was successful in negotiating extra credit and spent it on accommodation at the Para Nordic Development Camp and FIS Para Nordic COC races. We consider several factors when choosing where to use credits, including the overall budget, where we spent previous credits, and budget priorities. In this case, ensuring Paralympic performances and a pipeline of new athletes is critical to protecting the overall Nordiq Canada budget. Last year, the Olympic program benefited from airline credits.

I can see that the total cost for period 1 is 176,410. If the rest of the season costs are similar, the total for WC (not including world juniors and World champs) would be close to 900,000. Would it be possible to get details on how the other 900,000 is spent?

The budget can be split into three buckets:

  • · Direct athlete support (e.g., camps, competitions, uniforms, equipment, IST) ~$1M
  • · Grants (NWSDA and Training Centres) ~$425,000
  • · Other (e.g., staffing, wax truck, appeals, phones, staff travel, research) ~$375,000
The budget is based on what the athletes are currently paying, if many of us attain performance benchmarks, how will NC cover these costs?

We hope we will have the challenge of finding extra money to cover more performance bonuses! Balancing the budget is complex. Several times a year, Nordiq Canada compares actual costs to the budget. As part of that process, we update the budget to address changes. When we look at the whole budget, including revenue and expenses, changes often balance each other out.

When they don’t, we can access our ‘contingency.’ That’s money we set aside at budget time to pay for surprises. While we never know what surprises will come our way each year, we know there will be surprises. If the contingency is fully spent, we may have to change what we planned to do. No matter what happens, our decisions are guided by our strategic plan, which is focused on sustainable funding, safety in sport, and high performance including development.

Why did Nordiq Canada hire a new staff member?

Nordiq Canada hired a part-time, temporary office administrator to fill a vacancy. The vacancy was created when another staff member moved into a role fully funded by Own the Podium. The Office Administrator is responsible for tasks like book-keeping, supporting the Officials and Coaching databases, processing race licenses, filling eStore orders, selling youth program supplies, SafeSport, and supporting insurance requests. When the position became vacant, we reviewed our needs and looked for efficiencies. We were able to reduce a permanent full-time position to a temporary part-time position, reducing our overall spending on salaries and contracts. We’ll test this out and reassess our needs in the spring.

Something you want to know but can’t find on this page? You can submit an anonymous question to Nordiq Canada’s high-performance team through our online form. Your answer will be posted above.

Anonymous question form

Athlete Assistance Program

The Athlete Assistance Program (AAP) is a Sport Canada funding program that contributes to the pursuit of excellence. AAP support seeks to relieve some of the financial pressures associated with preparing for and participating in international sport and helps high-performance Canadian athletes combine their sport and academic or working careers while training intensively in pursuit of world-class performances. 

Athlete Grants

Thanks to our generous partners and donors, we have a number of grant programs available to support coaches, athletes, officials and clubs.

Athlete Grants