Healthy Workplace Initiatives Program – successful applicants

Information for successful applicants of the Healthy Workplace Initiatives Program (HWIP). 

Congratulations on being a successful recipient of HWIP funds! Thank you for taking the time to invest in wellbeing within your workplace.  

Find information below on everything you need to know for your HWIP initiative, including running your initiative, important dates, the reimbursement process and required documents for submission after your initiative is complete.  

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2025-26 cycle important dates

  • April 7, 2025 – deadline to apply for HWIP 2025-26 funding year.
  • April 18, 2025 – successful applicants notified.
  • May 2025 – April 2026 – successful applicants run their initiative and pay for initiative through their department or out-of-pocket.
  • February 23, 2026 – optional partial reimbursement date prior to end of fiscal year (only if required by department).
  • May 3, 2026 – wrap up your initiative.
  • June 3, 2026 – deadline to submit all documents.
  • After June 3, 2026  – department is reimbursed by HWIP within 6-8 weeks.

Running your initiative  

Review the information on the HWIP webpage, including the category-specific toolkits – these will have specific budget guidelines and relevant contact information for each unique initiative category. 

HWIP steps 

View the steps involved once you have been selected as a successful HWIP applicant.  

  1. Receive confirmation that you have been selected for HWIP funding.
  2. Review the orientation video and your category-specific toolkit.
  3. Proceed with your initiative, as outlined in your submission.
  4. Purchase relevant expenses according to approved funding guidelines.*
  5. If you pay out-of-pocket for expenses, submit expense report to get reimbursed by your department.
  6. Submit all relevant documents for reimbursement at the end of the HWIP cycle year, after which your department will be reimbursed by HWIP. 

*Please note that regardless of your proposed application details, all expenses must adhere to the approved funding guidelines to be reimbursed. 

Tips for success 

Planning your initiative 

  • Get support from leadership: connect with your manager or senior leaders about the HWIP initiative and ask them to participate and help promote it. This is an excellent opportunity for leaders to show their commitment to wellbeing. Senior leaders’ involvement can also generate interest and inspire others to join the initiative.  
  • Get help with planning and coordinating activities: enlist support from others on your team to help coordinate or set up activities. Ask your department’s wellness or social committee, or your department’s Workplace Wellbeing Ambassador, if you have one. Enlist the support of those who are already interested in supporting wellbeing. Create a small working group or planning committee to share the workload  
  • Think beyond one-off events: Consider how this initiative can be integrated into ongoing programming, processes or initiatives (e.g., team meetings, Pro-D workshops, strategic sessions).
  • Plan ahead: Consider the different seasons and workloads of the team. For instance, you can organize one activity or workshop per season (Fall, Winter, Spring, Summer)
  • Get feedback from participants: Brainstorm ideas and get feedback from those participating in the initiative. This gives a chance to voice ideas, increase buy-in and generate interest in the team.
  • Factor in accessibility and inclusion: When planning, consider accessibility, ease of access to workshops and activities, dietary restrictions, and accommodating various physical abilities
  • Include an educational component: If you are hosting a nutrition or food related event, consider bringing in a dietitian or nutritionist, or contact the Workplace Wellbeing team to provide free workshops and resources. The Workplace Wellbeing team also offers free training, on-demand workshops and consulting services. 

During your initiative 

  • Get feedback from participants: Check in regularly with your planning team to discuss progress and determine what is working or what could be improved. Review, adjust, and modify the plans.  
  • Monitor your progress: Having data can be useful and can be sent to managers and leaders to promote their continued support of the initiative.
  • Use effective encouragement and reminders: Provide incentives and reminders to garner interest in the initiative and recognize participation.  

After your initiative 

  • Celebrate success: Take time to celebrate your achievements and successes, both big and small. You may wish to host a wrap-up event or share the success of your initiative and activities in an internal email or newsletter.
  • Conduct program evaluation: Make sure to evaluate program success so that you can make improvements and gauge the full impact of the initiative. Consider doing a short verbal or written survey of program participants to track how things went, popularity, viability, and future sustainability.  

Funding and reimbursement process

HWIP initiatives are funded first by the department of the successful applicant. At the end of HWIP funding year (i.e. one year later), the department is then reimbursed by HWIP 

Reimbursement steps 

  • Gather all the receipts and invoices for your HWIP expenses.
  • Scan or take clear photos of your receipts and invoices.
  • Clearly label your receipts and invoices (e.g. #1 Hardware Purchase_HWIP)
  • Acquire the General Ledger. Ask your finance representative to download the Ledger Summary for your HWIP expenses.
  • Complete the Coversheet (Excel file) using the template provided. 

For the full funding and reimbursement guidelines, see the Funding Guide at the bottom of this page. 

Required HWIP documents for submission

At the end of your HWIP initiative, you will need to submit the following documents.

  1. Cover sheet (Excel)
  2. Copies of invoices/receipts
  3. General Ledger report (PDF)
  4. Participant post-HWIP surveys (Qualtrics)
  5. Final report (Qualtrics)

Resources and guides 

Funding Guide #funding

View the detailed funding guide, which outlines the full funding and reimbursement process. 

View HWIP Funding Guide

External Service Provider Guidelines

View guidelines for external workshops, classes or initiatives.

View External Provider Guide

Orientation Video Recording

View the video recording from the 2025 HWIP orientation session. Passcode: gLL!nH6H. 

View orientation recording

Final submission 

 When you have all the required documents together and are ready to submit for reimbursement, please submit everything in one email to ubcempl-g-hwip@mail.ubc.ca.  

Final submission documents should include: 

  • Coversheet
  • Copies of invoices/receipts
  • General Ledger report 

Also ensure you have acquired at least 10 participant surveys, and that you have filled out the final report. Everything should be submitted by the appropriate deadline.  

HWIP info

For general HWIP information for staff, please view the Healthy Workplace Initiatives Fund Program page. 

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