GENERAL
All Research Grant proposals and Letters of Intent are submitted via the CAAA Grants page.
There are two-stages for the CPA Canada–CAAA and CBV Institute-CAAA Research Grants. First, you must submit a letter of intent, which the sponsoring organization evaluates. Second, the successful applicants are invited to submit a full grant proposal, which is evaluated by a research sub-committee appointed for each specific grant program.
No letter of intent is needed in submitting for the CAAA Research Grant. You only need to submit a full blind proposal with a cover page. (See Terms and Conditions "Proposal").
It’s important to remember your audience:
- Letter of intents are reviewed by the sponsoring organization, whose reviewers may be experts in accounting practice (or, in the case of the CBV Institute-CAAA grant, business valuation practice) but unaware of the current literature in your research area.
- The full blind proposals are reviewed by a research sub-committee, comprising active researchers, expert in the particular area of the grant program. The proposal should highlight the relevance to the accounting community (or, in the case of the CBV-CAAA grant, the business valuation community).
- The proposals will be blind, and reviewed solely on their content. Very important: In the blind proposal, there should not be any author(s) contact information or institution.
Both the letter of intent and the full proposal must be understandable to a knowledgeable person who is not an expert in the research area. Use common language, not jargon, and describe your research tools. For example, an empirical model familiar to you may be unknown to a behavioural researcher. Define essential acronyms and avoid using any others. We encourage you to have a colleague working with a different research paradigm review your letter and proposal to ensure they are easily understood.
Please refer to the terms and conditions before submitting a letter of intent or proposal.
LETTER OF INTENT
Letter of intent is reviewed by the sponsoring organization, whose reviewers may be experts in accounting practice (or, in the case of the CBV-CAAA grant, business valuation practice) but unaware of the current literature in your research area.
The letter of intent is limited to one single-spaced page, so you must be clear and concise. You must include a cover page with project title, full name, institution and current e-mail address. The letter should focus on three issues: research question, research method, and relevance. There is no need to review the related academic literature or provide a budget and timeline, as these items belong in your full proposal.
- Clearly describe the research question.
- Concisely describe the proposed research method. For example, are you using archival data, a questionnaire, or an experiment where will you use subjects and/or data?
- Clearly describe the project’s relevance, focusing on practice and on the sponsoring organization’s criteria.
PROPOSAL
When invited to submit a full proposal, include the following:
- Title page: Project title; all author(s)’ names, affiliations, and email addresses.
- Blind proposal:
- Project title
- Project description: Objectives, purpose, expected contributions; relationship to existing research; how the research contributes to the literature; significance of the research.
- Research plan: Steps, methods, and data sources (if any).
- Timetable: Major time commitments (teaching, research, administration) during the research period; clear timeline for completion.
- Budget: Detailed costs and stipends; justification for unusual items (e.g., course release); inadequate justification may reduce funding.
- Other funding: List any other funding obtained or applied for; indicate if CAAA is asked to fund the entire project or part of a larger program; if part of a larger program, explain fit.
- Previous grants: Details of CPA Canada–CAAA, CBV Institute–CAAA, and CAAA grants received in the past five years, with outcomes (separate document).
- Curriculum vitae: CV of each applicant (combine into one PDF if multiple authors).
Additional notes:
- No length limit, but most successful proposals are under 15 double-spaced pages (including bibliography, budget, and timetable, excluding CVs).
- Proposals are blind reviewed by a sub-committee of active researchers. Do not include author contact information or institutions in the main body.
- Use common, accessible language. Avoid jargon, define acronyms, and consider having a colleague outside your paradigm review for clarity.
For CPA Canada-CAAA and CAAA, applicants can expect funding in the range
of $5,000 to $15,000. The final award amounts will be determined based on the
overall number and quality of applications received. For
CBV Institute-CAAA the maximum grant is $13,000.
If you follow the Guidelines and our recommendations, we firmly believe that you have a good chance of getting your project funded. The Research Committee looks forward to receiving your proposals now and in the future.
This page was last updated September 11, 2025