Community Recreation and Culture Funding Grant

The County provides limited operational and capital assistance for the County’s nonprofit organizations who provide programs or services that benefit County residents through our Community Recreation and Culture Funding Program and the Community Recreation and Culture Grant Funding Policy, C-317.

Policy C-317 was updated in October 2023 to better support our communities.

Some of the key changes include:

• Capital projects are now defined as being either small, medium, or large, depending on the expected cost of the total project.
  • The cost sharing contribution from organizations for capital projects has also been updated. Organizations that are located in the County will be required to raise the following percentage of the total project cost based on the size of the project:
    • Small capital projects have a total project cost of less than $500,000 and require a 50% contribution of the total project cost from the organization.
    • Medium capital projects have a total project cost of $500,001 to $1 million and require a 30% contribution of the total project cost from the organization.
    • Large capital projects are projects in excess of $1 million and require a 15% contribution of the total project cost from the organization.
       
• Salaries and wages have now been included in eligible expenses for the Operational Assistance Grant.
• School projects must receive approval from their respective School Board. School Boards are required to now provide formal written requests for any funding projects on school owned lands.
• The County is committed to providing funding to organizations that are in need. The updated Policy includes a recommendation from the Recreation and Parks Master Plan in which organizations must demonstrate financial need by operating at a deficit, or up to a 20% surplus.

• Non-profit organizations that offer programs and services to County residents.
• Neighbouring municipalities who offer programs and services to County residents
• School Boards operating under the Joint Use and Planning School Reserves Agreement,
• First nations and Metis Settlements neighbouring the County and who offer programs and services to County residents

Organizations that are located outside of Rocky View County but serve County residents through their facility or programming, are eligible to apply for funding.

The County accepts funding applications twice a year, March 1 and October 1. For more details, please visit the Community Funding webpage.

Yes. Organizations can apply for one Capital Assistance Grant, and either an Operational Assistance Grant or Community Enhancement Grant each calendar year.

Community Enhancement Funding applications are only accepted for the March application program.

Eligible organizations are invited to apply through the Community Funding webpage. Applicants can also send an email to recreation@rockyview.ca. to get assistance with application submission.

Applications can be found on the Community Funding webpage, or send us an email at recreation@rockyview.ca and we would be happy to send you an application.

If you need assistance, contact us at recreation@rockyview.ca or 403-230-1401 and ask for the Recreation Department.

• Major projects that involve purchasing, constructing, upgrading, or renovating recreational and cultural facilities.
• Operational costs such as utilities, insurance, salaries and wages.
• Costs associated with events can be applied for up to $7,500 under our Community Enhancement funding programs.
• For further details and items that are eligible or ineligible, please refer to the Community Recreation and Culture Grant Program Policy C-317.

Although the County prefers audited statements, if audited statements are not available, unaudited financials will be accepted as part of the application package. Applications without financial statements will be considered incomplete and may not be recommended for funding.

Consumable items are defined as items that are not essential for the core operations of the facility or program. These can include clothing, food items, gifts, trophies, flowers, temporary decorations, and other items that do not impact the day-to-day operations of the organization.

Our team reviews your application and if additional information is required, we will contact the primary contact noted on the application.

The Recreation Governance Committee approves funding applications at their June and December meetings. Grant funding decisions made by the Committee are final. Meeting dates are posted on our website and Committee meetings are livestreamed.

Only if your funding requests is $100,000 or more. You will be notified if you need to attend a funding meeting.

A notification letter will be sent to all applicants at the email address provided on the application.

If you applied for operational or community enhancement funding, your organization will receive a cheque four to five weeks after the approval from the Recreation Governance Committee.

If your funding approval was for a capital project, cheques are issued for the approved expenses once the receipts are submitted. Based on the funding approval, the applicants will receive up to 50 per cent of the submitted receipts, excluding GST, until the approved funding amount has been reached. For more information, please email recreation@rockyview.ca.

Emergency funding can be requested any time during the year if your facility is unable to remain open to the public due to a safety concern.

Yes. We will advise you on the reason(s) your funding was not approved and work with you to strengthen your application before the next funding deadline.

The organization that is applying for a Capital Assistance Grant would be required to contribute to the cost of the project. This contribution can be made through other grant funding, sponsorships, donations, cash contributions, or other fundraising initiatives. For more details, please email recreation@rockyview.ca.