Criteria for Community Grants

Community Grants are an opportunity to support new or expanding projects and programs that improve the community vitality of Grey and Bruce Counties. Applications from eligible community service organizations of up to $5,000 will be considered. 

Applicants must either have a registered charitable number or be sponsored by an organization that is a CRA qualified donee within Grey or Bruce County.

• Definition of qualified donee

Applicant's project must benefit local communities in one of the following categories:

1. Applicant's project must benefit local communities in one of the following categories:
   • Arts and Culture
   • Recreation
   • The wellbeing of children and youth
   • Reduction of poverty
   • Education
   • The environment
   • Health and wellness of the people of Grey & Bruce
   • Living Standards and Housing
2. Community Foundation Grey Bruce produced it's first Vital Signs report in 2016, containing data on health & wellness, arts & culture, education and lifelong learning, living standards, the environment, and community connections in Grey Bruce Counties. The statistics gathered in the Vital Signs report are indicative of needs to be addressed in our region. Applicants will be asked to describe how their project addresses one of the indicators of community vitality as outlined in Vital Signs. View a copy of the report.
3. Grant applications will be considered for honoraria & speakers at meetings and presentations. Wages and salaries will not be considered.
4. Applicant organizations may ask for up to 25% of their project budget for project administration costs. 
5. Applicant organizations may include capacity building and value-added training to a maximum cost of $1,000.
6. Capital purchases up to $1,500 that support the project/program request.
7. Community projects/programs may be submitted for up to $5,000 of funding. 
8. Grants are not usually made to support the normal annual operating costs of organizations or core services that are otherwise directly or indirectly, publicly funded, such as municipalities, hospitals, and school boards.  Enhanced services that are not core funded or part of regular operating budget are eligible. Applications of this type must explain clearly why the funding requested from the Community Foundation is not available from government sources. All applications involving activities with primary and secondary schools must be accompanied by a Letter of Permission from the relevant School Board.
9. Charitable organizations applying must have a strong local presence (e.g. a local Board of Directors, a well-defined accountable local committee, a local office with strong community involvement) or must demonstrate that the project/program will specifically benefit residents of Grey and/or Bruce Counties.
10. Applications will not be considered:

• To support ongoing operating costs including wages and salaries
• To support existing and core programs
• In response to fundraising campaigns
• To cover deficits or to retire debts
• To increase endowment funds
• To fund activities that serve primarily the membership or purposes of religious or political organizations
• From individuals, or for individuals (including subsidies)
• To fund tours or travel outside Grey or Bruce Counties
• To similar projects more than 3 times
• To organizations that have not completed the terms of any previous grant(s) or have not submitted reports due for those previous grants. (exception: organizations with an in progress capital grant from the previous year are eligible to apply.)

All applicants should contact the CFGB office well in advance of the application deadline to help determine whether your organization and project meets the granting criteria.

Grant Timelines:

Spring application - April 15, completed by Feb 1

Fall application - September 15, completed by July 1

Selection Procedure

All applications for grants from CFGB will be reviewed by a skilled volunteer team to determine their eligibility. Applicants will be notified of their status one month after the deadline. Project spending before the approval email will be inelegible. 

When completing the online grant application, it is important to complete the application in full as incomplete applications will not be considered. The primary contact will receive an email when the application has been submitted

All eligible applications will be reviewed by the CFGB Review Team and assessed on the basis of:

• Proven/researched need for the project/program
• Program objectives/evaluation procedures
• Organizational strength
• Mission/track record/ people served
• Fiscal & management responsibility/stability
• Community support/partnerships

PLEASE NOTE:  From time to time a maximum grant amount per organization may be established.

Applications approved in the Spring Community Grants need to be completed and reported on by February 1st of the following year, and Fall Community Grants need to be completed and reported on by July 1st of the following year. Please consider these times and apply in the appropriate season.

• View/download Report Forms

Whenever possible, photographs of the project for inclusion in the CFGB Annual Report and/or on the Foundation’s website are requested.

The applicant organization agrees to CFGB's Grant Recognition Guidelines.
The CFGB logo can downloaded here

If the approved project fails to proceed, the full grant must be returned to CFGB. Unused funds must be returned to CFGB. You will be asked to provide receipts in the follow-up report.

To support non-profits in their application to our Spring or Fall Community Grants, we’ve compiled a list of fictional projects and programs that may demonstrate the goals of this grant.

1. A local hot food program that serves dinner weeknights wants to expand and offer lunch over the summer to students that might normally get that support through a school program. They need re-usable lunch containers, they have some projected food costs, and they want to have an educational game to go in the kits once a week on loan. Vital Signs – Living Standards
2. A local pickle ball association wants to get kids active and involved with the sport by starting a free youth program weekly after school for 12 weeks. They need to buy some paddles and nets, rent gym space, and feed the kids a snack to fuel up after school. Vital Signs – Recreation
3. A grassroots organization working with a charity is planning to start a free diversity festival in their town. They would like to pay an honorarium for musical entertainment, and also for an Indigenous Elder to join the day and bring words of welcome. They also need a tent in case of rain and to print advertising posters to put up around town. Vital Signs – Arts and Culture
4. A provincial environmental charity is planning to visit 4 beaches in Grey Bruce this summer for a community clean-up. They plan to do 4 different beaches next year. They need to advertise the event and manage online registrations. They’d like to purchase buckets, gloves and trash pickers that they’ll retain for future use. And they’d like to follow-up with a mailed thank you letter and sticker to retain their local volunteers. Vital Sign - Environment