Community Impact Grants

The Applicant must:

• Only submit one application (Community Programs and Projects OR Community Events) and receive funding for only one Community Impact Grant (Community Programs and Projects OR Community Events).
• Be a registered non-profit organization or a community group in partnership with a registered non-profit organization.
• Have resided or operated within the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo for at least one year.
• Have operations within and provide services to residents of the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo.
• Not hold unrestricted net assets in excess of the organization's annual operating expenses, as reflected in the financial statements of the most recent fiscal period prior to application unless the total unrestricted net assets are less than $50,000.

Programs that meet the Provincial Family and Community Support Services (FCSS) Guidelines shall be recommended to receive funding from the Provincial FCSS and must follow the guidelines of the Family and Community Support Services Act, Associated Regulations and FCSS Program Handbook. The allocation of the Provincial FCSS funding is at the discretion of the Municipality.

Programs, projects or events must:

• Align with Council’s Strategic Plan or other Council approved Plans.
• Contribute to the quality of life of residents and outline anticipated impact.
• Provide evidence of community support, including:
  • Additional financial and non-financial resources being leveraged from other sources (including success rate at achieving other funding sources).
  • Number of volunteers that will be involved in the work and the number of hours they will contribute.
  • Collaboration or partnerships with other organizations.
  • Be delivered or hosted within the Regional Boundary.
  • Be either no cost or low-cost for individuals to participate.
  • Be non-political and non-religious in nature.

Community Events must be:

• Open and accessible to the public.
• In relation to a national or provincial holiday or what may reasonably be seen as a community celebration.
• Sport focused (e.g., sports tournament) and show evidence that the event draws participants from outside the community and utilizes local facilities and businesses.
• Cultural focused (e.g., performing arts event, Treaty Day festivals).

The Community Investment Program will not fund:

• Individuals (with the exception of Games Legacy Grant).
• For-profit organizations.
• Political organizations.
• Federal and provincial governments, and affiliated bodies.
• Applicants that have overdue or incomplete accounting or reporting requirements related to any grant previously awarded by Municipality.
• Applicants who request funding for programs or services that are provided by a group or organization that is already funded by the Municipality.
• Applicants that do not demonstrate adherence to policy, strategic priorities and relevant outcome measurements.
• Applicants who request funding for programs, activities or facilities which are the mandate or responsibility of the federal or provincial governments, including but not limited to health care, education, religious, housing and childcare programs and facilities.
• Applicants who request funding for programs or services that conflict or compete with other programs or services funded or provided by the Municipality.
• Applicants who request funding for debt retirement, depreciation or financing charges.
• Applicants who request funding for retroactive payments (i.e., costs incurred before grants are approved), with the exception of Games Legacy Grants.
• Applicants who request funding amounting to more than 75% of the budget of the program, project, event, service or facility operations.
• Applicants that do not meet the minimum eligibility requirements.

Grants shall be used solely for the program, project or event as defined in the application and grant agreement.

The following expenses are ineligible:

• Operating expenses that are not directly related to the program, project or event for which the grant was awarded.
• Programs, projects or events that are expected to be profitable or intended as a fundraiser.
• Providing a grant, donation or scholarship to another person, group or organization.
• Financial assistance to sustain an individual or family.
• Travel to attend events, conferences or training courses outside of the Municipality.
• Sabbatical leave or student exchange.
• Medical facilities or equipment.
• Publication of books.
• Land, building or other capital purchases.

The Community Impact Grant will not fund activities that unnecessarily duplicate successful efforts that already exist in the community.

Grant funding may be requested up to a maximum amount that varies depending on the stream:

• Community Programs and Projects – maximum $80,000.
• Community Events – maximum $20,000.

The Community Investment Program will not fund more than 75% of the total cost of the program, project or event.

The maximum percentage is set to ensure sustainability of the grant and to reduce reliance on the grant over time. The maximum percentage is set at 75%.

Administrative expenses of up to 15% of the total program, project or event costs are eligible, up to the grant stream maximum. 

1. Review these guidelines to ensure your organization is eligible for grant funding.
2. 2024 grant applications will be submitted through the CIP Grant Portal. Log in or register for your CIP Grant Portal account at www.rmwb.ca/CIP.
3. Submit the application, including required attachments, related budgets for January-December of the grant year and Financial Statements of the most recent fiscal year end (Year-end date must fall between July 1, 2022, and June 30, 2023). The CIP Grant Portal will accept applications until 4:30 p.m. on November 1, 2023. Late applications will not be eligible.
4. CIP will conduct a preliminary review of the application and supporting documents to ensure eligibility and completeness.
5. If clarification on the submitted application is required, you will receive an email notifying you that revisions have been requested. Please log in to the CIP Grant Portal to provide clarifications. The CIP Grant Portal will accept requested revisions until 4:30 p.m. on November 24, 2023.
6. All complete and eligible applications will be moved forward to Stage 2 – Application Scoring and Ranking.

Organizations who received Multi-Year Funding are required to submit a 2024 grant application.

1. A review panel consisting of subject matter experts from Municipal departments will complete application scoring based on established assessment criteria.
2. Eligible applications will be prioritized based on the highest ranking and greatest positive impact on the community.
3. CIP will finalize the grant recommendations to be presented to the Approval Committee for Stage 3 – Approval Committee Review and Final Decision.

Assessment Criteria (See Appendix A for Scoring Sheet template) 

1. At the final stage of the application process, the Approval Committee will assess and approve the successful grant applications in accordance with the budget set by Council and Council’s Strategic Plan.
2. Applicants will be notified of the Approval Committee’s decision and their assessment score by January 15, 2024.
3. There is no appeal of the Approval Committee’s decision.  

Formal concerns with the grant approval process may be addressed by submitting a complaint under the Whistleblower Policy LEG-150.

Grant funding will be disbursed only to recipients in accordance with the terms and conditions of the agreement.

The following requirements must be satisfied and will be verified by the Municipality prior to awarding of grant funding:

• Property taxes must be current and paid.
• Utility bills must be current and paid.
• There must not be a related unresolved order to comply with the Land Use Bylaw, Building Code, Fire Code, Community Standards Bylaw or other regulation.
• Applicant must not be a party to a legal dispute with the Municipality.
• All necessary municipal permits and permissions must have been received for the project and are closed and without deficiencies.

Exceptions to the above will be at the discretion of the Municipality on a case-by-case basis.

A successful applicant will be required to complete and/or upload the following in the CIP Grant Portal:

• Certificate of Insurance within 30 calendar days of execution of grant agreement.
• Final Report demonstrating the positive impact of the funded programs and services through account of organization’s collected outcome measures and, if applicable, the status of any additional funds included in the grant application.
• Attachments including examples of how the organization publicly recognized the funding considerations provided by the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo.
• Refer to Logo Request Form and the Logo Standards Guide for usage.
• Financial Statements determined by the total grant thresholds that the recipient receives from CIP for the grant year:  
  • < $100,000 – Summary of Revenue and Expenditures.
  • $100,000 - $499,999 – Review Engagement Financial Statements.
  • >$500,000 – Audited Financial Statements.

1. CIP may require additional reporting on a case-by-case basis.
2. Any reporting requirements not met by the recipient may result in termination of the grant or ineligibility to receive grants in the future.
3. All funds not used for the approved purpose must be returned to the Municipality, as per the guidelines below unless the Municipality approves, in writing, their use for another purpose:

• Amounts below $2,500 may be forgiven.
• Amounts greater than $2,500 and below $25,000 may be requested to be repaid in full or be subject to reduction in future requests.

Where the program, project or event application is a partnership between one or more organizations or community groups, at least one organization must be a registered nonprofit, and must be the applicant.

In these cases, the applicant must:

• Be accountable for all project deliverables and reporting requirements.
• Assume financial responsibility for the grant funds.

Eligible Partners:

• Registered non-profit organizations, registered charities, or community-based groups that work directly with the applicant.

Multi-Year Funding is defined as grant funding provided to an organization with specific conditions where funding is approved for more than one fiscal year, providing longer term financial stability to the recipient.

Organizations recommended for multi-year funding are expected to practice multi-year budgeting and long-term planning, however financial statements and projected budget are required only for the fiscal year pertaining to the current grant cycle. Past multi-year grant recipients will be recommended based on scoring, program deliverables and reporting.

A condition of accepting funding is that the Municipality has the authority to examine recipients’ records at any time to ensure funds are being used in the manner originally agreed upon. Any funds not used as described in the agreement may have to be returned.