Community Impact Grants

No. Applicants are permitted to submit one application per intake. However, regardless of the outcome of your submission, you are welcome to reapply during the next available intake.

 All applicants must speak to the Community Foundation before gaining access to the application portal to ensure you have all the information necessary to put forward a strong application. We can provide you with the link and a unique passcode to begin the application process.

Requests can range from $10,000 to $50,000. Our suggestion is to request the amount that you need within this range. We do not prioritize smaller requests. We also discourage you from asking for more than is required in hopes of receiving less. Whenever possible we will try to fund the full amount requested. With this said, our reviewers will be looking for increasing detail as the requested amount increases.

Whenever possible we will try to fund the full amount requested. In some cases, an applicant may be asked if partial funding is an option. In these cases, the committee may recommend partial funding.

There are no advantages to selecting one application stream over the other. The division is solely to support the applicant in communicating their idea and our reviewers while evaluating. Emerging Impact applications will describe a new project or service where the impact can only be anticipated. Sustaining Impact applications will speak to known impacts seen over time from existing programs and services. The Community Foundation will work with you to help determine the appropriate application stream.

Our Community Impact Committee is comprised of volunteers who bring a wide variety of perspective and life experiences to the review process. A small number of committee members are also board members, but most are from the community at large. We require this committee to be comprised of a minimum of 50% women, girls, two-spirit, or gender diverse individuals. Learn more about this committee: view the terms of reference here.

This applicant guide outlines our three-stage approach to decision making. The Community Impact Committee is responsible for reviewing each application and putting forward their recommendations for funding to our board. Community Foundation staff facilitate intake and the review process. Staff are not involved in the selection process.

Our community impact grants are highly competitive. We generally receive 30-45 applications during a single intake period. The amount of funding available per intake can vary year-to-year but we are generally positioned to support 10-15 applications per intake. Depending on the number of applications received, the size of the requests, and the funding available, we have historically been positioned to fund approximately 30-40% of applications received.

We are committed to updating you about the status of your application within 6 weeks of the intake deadline. Successful applicants will be contacted by phone. Unsuccessful applicants will be provided an update via email.

During the notification process all applicants are invited to receive feedback about your application. This is not a mandatory activity but we strive to be as transparent as possible about how the review process unfolded and specific feedback related to your application. This provides space to explore if you should reapply during the next intake with some minor adjustments to your existing application, or if there may be an alternative worth exploring. Many applicants are able to secure funding in following intakes after receiving feedback from our committee and integrating it into their proposals.

Activities proposed in your application should aim to be completed within one year. With that said, we recognize that things do not always unfold as planned and we can work with a grant recipient to make adjustments as necessary.

Organizations are permitted to submit one application per intake. We currently have two intake periods – Spring & Fall. Organizations are permitted to apply to either or both.