How a Microboard Fits into the Funding Landscape

The Microboard Guide: Part 3 of 5

There are several government funding streams available to people with developmental disabilities in Ontario. They come from different ministries, go through different channels, and have different rules. This post provides a high-level overview of where a microboard fits in. The specifics depend on each family’s situation and should be worked through with Microboards Ontario or one of the other organizations listed in Part 1 of this guide.

Funding That Goes Directly to Families

Passport is funded by MCCSS and provides reimbursement for community participation, person-directed planning, and caregiver respite for adults with developmental disabilities. Passport goes to the individual and family through a local Passport agency and can toa microboard. Passport may cover certain microboard-related costs such as hiring a facilitator.

Family Managed Home Care (FMHC) is funded by the Ministry of Health and provides funding for home care services. FMHC goes directly to the family through Ontario Health at Home. The contract is with the person or their substitute decision maker. FMHC does not contract directly with microboards.

Ministry-Funded Adult Developmental Services

MCCSS funds a range of developmental services for adults, including supported independent living, community participation supports, respite, and specialized services. This funding does not go directly to families. It flows through organizations called Transfer Payment Agencies (TPAs), which are organizations that have a contract with the ministry to receive and manage public funds on behalf of the people they support.

How a Microboard Fits In

A microboard, as a registered non-profit corporation, can have a contract with a Transfer Payment Agency. Under this arrangement, MCCSS contracts with a TPA, the TPA contracts with the microboard, and the microboard engages support staff and manages the individual’s supports according to the terms of the agreement.

Administrative costs associated with running the microboard, including facilitation, bookkeeping, insurance, and governance, may be built into this type of funding arrangement. This is one of the ways a microboard can be sustained financially over time.

The microboard provides the governance structure where all funding streams and supports are reviewed and managed together, even when the dollars themselves do not all flow through the microboard.

Current Status

The Ontario government’s Journey to Belonging: Choice and Inclusion framework, released in 2021, describes a long-term vision where individuals have more control over directing their own funding. As of 2026, outside of Passport Funding, other forms of direct funding to adults with developmental disabilities (where the government sends money directly to the individual or family rather than through an agency) is not available under current legislation. The 2025-2026 MCCSS service objectives describe direct funding to individuals as pending legislative authority.

The Microboards Ontario Pilot

MCCSS is testing the microboard model. In January 2025, the first cohort of ten families was launched through Microboards Ontario and is progressing toward incorporation. The Ministry’s published plans describe this as an innovative approach to promote more collaborative and sustainable person-directed supports.

What a Microboard Does and Does Not Do

A microboard does not automatically unlock new funding. It creates a legal structure that can coordinate across funding streams, advocate for the individual, manage supports, and administer funding. The specifics depend on the individual’s circumstances and the arrangements available in their region.