Partner in Focus: Momentum

Helping people with disabilities access critical financial resources to support their wellbeing

Resources like the Disability Tax Credit (DTC), Canada Disability Benefit (CDB) and Registered Disability Savings Plans (RDSPs) provide crucial financial support to people with disabilities, helping them (or their caregivers) plan for their future security and ensure they continue to have the supports and care they need to live full and healthy lives.

But despite the value of these resources, people with disabilities can face significant barriers to accessing them. One major challenge is awareness: many people simply don’t know these benefits exist or that they qualify.

A woman sitting cross-legged on a couch in an office, with people sitting at tables in the background. She is smiling at the camera and holding a mug.

Photo Credit: Ewan Nicholson

For those who apply, the experience can be daunting. Opening an RDSP first requires applying for the DTC, which can be a complicated and time-consuming process. Then there’s the issue of availability: not all financial institutions offer RDSPs, which leaves people with limited options to choose from when opening an account. And once the account is set up, managing it can feel overwhelming, with rigid withdrawal limits and complex rules around grants and bonds.

How CIRO and Momentum are working to strengthen financial empowerment for people with disabilities

To address these barriers, the Canadian Investment Regulatory Organization (CIRO) has written an article to help people with disabilities and their caregivers understand the complex rules of RDSPs.

In addition, CIRO is proud to support the work that Momentum, in collaboration with Aspire Calgary, is doing to assist low-income Albertans with disabilities in accessing financial benefits. In October, CIRO announced that Momentum was one of seven not-for-profit organizations to receive grant funding to advance their investor education and protection initiatives.

“CIRO is deeply committed to fostering financial education and empowering underserved and vulnerable investors across Canada,” says Alexandra Williams, CIRO’s Senior Vice-President of Strategy, Innovation and Stakeholder Protection. “We are delighted to support the incredible work Momentum is doing to ensure lower-income Albertans with disabilities can access the benefits they are entitled to.”

CIRO’s funding will support the first phase of a multi-year initiative that strengthens disability-related financial empowerment and directly addresses the barriers that prevent people with disabilities living on lower incomes from accessing the DTC, RDSPs and CDB. The work supported by this project will strengthen both Momentum’s direct programming and the capacity of Aspire Calgary partner agencies in community settings.

“The beauty of working with a sophisticated partner like CIRO is that we can address the complexity behind the scenes, so that the people who need access get safe, clear service at whatever community partner they trust,” says Jeff Loomis, Executive Director at Momentum.

Phase 1 of the project will build the foundation needed to support long-term DTC, RDSP and CDB uptake, with a focus on building the awareness, infrastructure, and community capacity needed to help eligible people living in Calgary and area navigate these complex systems safely and confidently. With CIRO’s support, Momentum and Aspire Calgary will lay the groundwork for long-term impact by updating curriculum, creating new tools and resources, training community partners, delivering direct RDSP workshops, and establishing a foundation for future systems change.

In the longer term, Momentum is advocating for policy changes that will enable additional pathways to increase disability benefit uptake, such as automatic enrolment for RDSPs.

“Living with a disability is hard enough,” says Loomis. “People shouldn’t need a PhD in systems navigation just to get the benefits they are entitled to. That’s why creating clear, safe pathways to disability benefits is so important.”

Learn more about Momentum