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. 

Grant Timelines:

Spring
Application Deadline: April 15
*Follow up report must be completed by February 1

Fall
Application Deadline: September 15th
*Follow up report must be completed by July 1

Eligibility

Applicants must either:
• Have a registered charitable number
• Be sponsored by an organization that is a CRA qualified donee within Grey or Bruce County 

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

Vital Signs Requirement

Community Foundation Grey Bruce produced its first Vital Signs report in 2016, containing data on health and wellness, arts and culture, education and lifelong learning, living standards, the environment, and community connections in Grey Bruce Counties.

Applicants will be asked to describe how their project addresses one of the indicators of community vitality as outlined in Vital Signs. Please contact the CFGB office to receive a copy of the Vital Signs Report.

Eligible Expenses

Community Grants may support:

• Honoraria and speakers at meetings, workshops and presentations
• Capacity building and value added training up to $1,000
• Small capital purchases up to $1,500 within the Community Grant stream
• Project administration costs up to 25 percent of the total project budget, provided they are directly related to delivering the project

Wages and salaries are not eligible as general operating expenses. However, wages that are directly tied to delivering the specific project may be eligible and must be clearly outlined in the project budget.

Capital projects exceeding $1,500 should apply through the Capital Grant stream.

Ineligible Requests

Applications will not be considered:

• To support ongoing operating costs
• To support general operating wages and salaries not directly tied to the proposed project
• To projects that have started before the application submission date
• In response to annual fundraising campaigns
• To cover deficits
• To retire debts
• To increase endowment funds
• To fund activities that primarily serve the membership or purposes of religious or political organizations
• From individuals
• To fund tours or travel outside Grey or Bruce Counties
• To the same project more than three times
• From organizations that have not completed the terms of a previous grant or have not submitted required reports

Publicly Funded Organizations

Grants are not usually made to support normal annual operating costs 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 a regular operating budget may be eligible. Applications of this type must clearly explain why funding from the Community Foundation is not available from government sources.

All applications involving activities with primary or secondary schools must include a Letter of Permission from the relevant School Board.

Local Presence

Charitable organizations must demonstrate a strong local presence, such as a Board of Directors, an accountable local committee, or a local office with strong community involvement. Alternatively, they must clearly demonstrate that the project specifically benefits residents of Grey and/or Bruce Counties.

Follow Up Reporting

A Follow Up Report is required:

• By February 1 of the year following Spring granting
• By June 30 of the year following Fall granting

The online report form is located in the Follow Up section of the organization’s granting portal account.

If an reasonable extension is needed, please reach out to grants@cfgb.ca before the follow-up deadline. 

If the project does not proceed, the grant must be returned to CFGB.

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