FAQs

  • Who can apply?

    All legal residents of Canada who are 13 years of age and older.

  • How many can apply?

    Every other month, a maximum of 300 ideas can be submitted.

  • How many Pepsi Refresh Grants will be awarded?

    Every other month, there will be up to 10 Pepsi Refresh Grant Recipients selected.

  • What are the Pepsi Refresh Grant Levels?

    Every other month, up to $200,000 will be awarded as follows:
    1. One Grant at the $100,000 level
    2. Two Grants at the $25,000 level
    3. Three Grants at the $10,000 level
    4. Four Grants at the $5,000 level

  • What kind of ideas qualify?

    We are looking for ideas from individuals, non-profit organizations and businesses that can make a positive impact in the community. Ideas should be feasible and completed 12 months from the date you receive the first funds. Ideas must have impact within Canada.

  • When can I submit my idea?

    For every cycle, submissions begin the first day of the month at 12 pm ET and end at 11 am ET on the 7th day of the month or when the first 300 Applications are received, whichever occurs first.

  • How many Applications will be voted on?

    A lot! Up to 300 new Applications per cycle will be eligible for voting. The top 5 runners-up from each grant level category will be automatically transferred over to the next cycle's voting period, but accumulated votes from past months will not be carried over.

  • When will I know who the potential Grant Recipients are?

    Potential Grant Recipients will be notified by email and will be posted shortly following the close of each voting period. Official Grant Recipients will be posted about 2 weeks later.

  • If I am a Grant Recipient, when will I get my funds?

    Quickly! We want to help you get your project up and running fast. As a Grant Recipient, you will receive your funds within four weeks after you have signed a Grant Agreement and completed the verification process. Grant Recipients will receive their funds in two or more disbursements, the first within four weeks of being announced a potential Grant Recipient.

  • May my project help someone overseas?

    No, all Applications must be submitted by Canadian residents and must benefit projects taking place in and serving Canada.

  • I work with a church teen center and my work does not involve religious activity. May I still apply?

    Yes! While projects cannot engage in religious activity, projects may nonetheless be carried out in association with religious organizations, so long as project activities do not involve religious advocacy or proselytizing acts and intentions to advance a religious denomination or expand membership or encourage conversion. Provided these conditions are met, a church teen center (or charter school, or similar initiative) is eligible.

  • May I submit my application via fax or mail?

    No, you must submit online and have a valid email address.

  • What does the Grant Application entail?

    There will be a series of questions regarding your project activity, your budget, your experience in managing a project like this, how your project will impact the world around you as well as measurements and milestones you will use to determine success.

  • Will I be able to save my application and work on it later?

    Yes. As long as you create an account you will be able to work on your project proposal, save it, and come back to it later.

  • What is the deadline for submitting my application?

    There are 6 Submission Periods. The latest date/time to submit is 11:59:59 a.m. ET on the 7th of each submission month OR once 300 Applications have been received for that Application Period, whichever occurs first. We expect a lot of entries, so aim to submit your project soon after the submission window opens. Remember, saving your project is not the same as submitting it. When the submission period begins, you must go to your project profile and click "submit."

  • May I edit my application after submitting?

    No. Once your application is submitted, you will not be able to make changes. However, you will be able to delete your application at any given time to create a new submission.

  • What is the deadline for voting?

    Voting will go through 10:59:59 p.m. ET on the last day of every cycle.

  • How can I improve my application?

    You can improve your application by making sure that you answer the application questions thoroughly and thoughtfully. Projects should reflect a positive impact in the community.

  • What is the timeline for implementing my project and using the Grant?

    You have up to 12 months from the date you receive the first funds for completing your project.

  • Who can I contact for additional information?

    If you have any questions that are not covered in the Informational Toolkit, please call 1-800-510-2592.

  • What is required of me if I get a Grant?

    If you receive a Grant, you will need to sign a Grant Agreement and agree to certain terms and conditions for implementing your project and reporting back your project progress and grant expenditures. You will also be asked to provide certain financial and legal documentation as outlined in the Grant Agreement.

  • May I submit more than one vote from the same IP address?

    Yes, you may vote up to 10 times per day, but each vote must be for different projects.

  • How are the votes counted?

    Voting is done in a democratic way online wherein members of the public will vote for projects that they find the most compelling.

  • Will my personal information be shared as a voter?

    No.

  • Will my personal information be shared as a submitter?

    Your personal information will be used by Pepsi and by partners Pepsi has selected to help execute the Pepsi Refresh Program (including organizations that evaluate and distribute the grants).

  • How do I know you've received my entry?

    You will receive a confirmation email.

  • What web browser should I use?

    For the best site experience please use one of the following browsers:
    Firefox 3.0
    Firefox 3.5
    IE 8
    IE 7
    IE 6 (*limited support where items such as carousels are not enabled)
    Safari 4

  • Can an application for the same idea be resubmitted the next month if I don't win?

    Yes, if your application is not one of the 10 recipients selected OR one of the top 20 runners-up (5 in each grant level, which automatically carry over). To submit the same application again, you will need to delete your current application and resubmit it.

  • If I receive a Grant under this program, will the Grant money I receive be tax-free?

    You will receive a T4A Form for the full amount of the Grant. Please consult with your tax advisor to discuss whether you must report some or all of the Grant funds to Canada Revenue Agency, and any potential tax implications.

  • Will my idea be accessible in French if I submit in English, and vice versa?

    Yes, Pepsi will be translating all 300 submissions, so all Canadians can vote on all ideas!

  • If I submit my idea or become a Grant Recipient, does Pepsi own my ideas?

    No, your ideas are yours to own. Grant Recipients will be required to sign a Grant Agreement, and agree to certain terms and conditions for implementing your project, but you own your idea. See Official Application Guidelines for more information.

  • Does my idea need to have impact within a certain geographic area?

    The Pepsi Refresh Project is launching with Grants that will provide support for Canadian-based projects only. There may be global expansion at a later time. Currently, ideas that qualify must have impact within Canada.

  • Can I submit an idea and/or vote if a family member works for PepsiCo?

    Yes! Employees of PepsiCo and their family members can submit ideas and vote for ideas. Partners of PepsiCo can also participate. There is a field where you will need to indicate your association with PepsiCo in the Application.

  • Who can vote?

    All legal residents of Canada who are 13 years of age and older. Starting on July 1st, participants can vote for up to 10 of their favourite ideas every day. If you submitted an idea, feel free to vote for your own. Voting starts on the 1st day of the month following the close of the Application Period, and continues through the last day of the subsequent month. Unused Votes do not roll over to the next day.

  • Suppose there is conflicting direction in the FAQs and the Official Application Guidelines. Which should I believe?

    If there is any ambiguity or conflict between these FAQ's and the Official Application Guidelines, the Official Application Guidelines will prevail.

  • My idea was not selected. Can I submit a new idea or resubmit my current idea for the next distribution of grants?

    Yes. The Pepsi Refresh Project allows you to submit one (1) idea at a time for voter consideration. If your idea is not selected, it may remain on RefreshEverything.ca for viewing. If you would like to submit a new idea or resubmit your current idea AND your application is not one of the 10 recipients selected OR one of the top 20 runners-up, you will need to delete your current idea from the website and fill out a new application.

  • I have noticed my ideas have not moved in ranking. Is the leader board working properly?

    Yes, the leader board updates every 30 minutes. All ideas are updated based on the number of votes received. During the first two days of each cycle the leader board does not show much movement as votes are being accumulated. For this short timeframe, "ranking" is based on the timestamp of a submission. After the 3rd day if a user's idea does not receive any votes their ranking continues to be based on the timestamp of submission trailing all ideas that have received votes.

  • How can I vote?

    You can vote in the following ways:
    - On this site, www.refresheverything.ca
    - Via the Pepsi Refresh Project Facebook voting application