Community Initiatives Program (CIP) Project Grant

To be eligible, non-profit organizations must be registered and in good standing under one of the following acts:

Provincial Acts:

• Agriculture Societies Act 
• Alberta’s Business Corporations Act (Part 21, Extra-Provincial Corporations)
• Alberta’s Companies Act (Part 9, Non-profit Companies)
• Libraries Act
• Alberta’s Societies Act
• Métis Settlements Act
• a Special Act of the Alberta Legislature

Federal Acts:

• Income Tax Act (Charity status)
• Indian Act
• a Special Act of the Parliament of Canada

Applicants must also:

• have been operational for a minimum of one full year prior to applying
• be able to provide a financial statement for the year
• have an Alberta address, which must be regularly monitored by an active member of the organization
• be operating in Alberta, if a charity

• municipalities
• for-profit organizations
• organizations that have overdue or incomplete reporting relating to any grant previously awarded by the ministry
• schools as defined under Alberta’s Education Act (K-12 Schools)
• university, college or institute as defined under Alberta’s Post-secondary Learning Act
• any other organizations not registered under one of the above-mentioned acts
• individuals

Eligible projects may include, but are not limited to, the following: 

• New Community Programs or Enhancements to an Existing Community Program: leasing space, external program evaluation, wages for new or temporary staff, program materials etc.
• Community Events and Experiences: venue and equipment rentals, food and non-alcoholic beverages, communications and marketing, artists and performers, speakers and more.
• Technology: audio/visual equipment, projection screens, computer hardware, licensing fees, website and application development.
• Portable Equipment: licensed vehicles, team uniforms and sport equipment, furnishings, portable office equipment.

Reference the CIP Project Program Guidelines section 3.3 for more detailed information about eligible projects.

The following projects are ineligible for CIP Project funding:

• Private sector/commercial initiatives or projects with extremely limited public access.
• Activities related to religious observance or church sanctuaries.
• Costs related to any gaming activity or gaming equipment (for example: bingo halls, casinos, horse racing tracks).
• Projects under municipal, provincial, or federal responsibility (for example: hospitals, schools).
• New programs that have started prior to the application submission date.
• Events that took place prior to the application submission date.
• Ongoing programs, standalone research initiatives, private residential or group housing projects and projects outside Alberta.
• Construction, renovation, retrofitting or land purchases for any facility or outdoor space.
• National or international sporting events eligible to apply for the Major Sport Event grant administered by the Ministry of Tourism and Sport.
• Projects that are being organized and/or delivered by a for-profit organization.

Reference the CIP Project Program Guidelines section 3.4 for information about ineligible projects.

Matching funding may be in the form of grants, cash contributions and/or donated labour, materials or services. All matching contributions must be directly related to the project and to eligible project activities and costs.

Applications requesting funding for new staff salaries must provide cash matching.

Applications for equipment purchases or new or expanded community programs may be required to provide a higher level of cash matching.

Donated Labour, Equipment, Materials or Services

Applications must use the following standardized rates to calculate the value of donated labour:

• $20 per hour – Unskilled labour working directly on the project and eligible project activities
• $40 per hour ­– Skilled labour, including qualified, skilled trades and professional services directly related to the eligible project activities (for example: artists, photographers, technical officials)
• $120 per hour – Heavy equipment including operator

A detailed breakdown of donated equipment, materials or services must be included with the application and more details may be requested from applicants for accounting purposes. Refer to section 5 of the CIP Project Program Guidelines for more information.

The following sources are not eligible for the matching requirement:  

• Other Government of Alberta funding:
  • Total Government of Alberta funding for the project - including the CIP Project Grant and any other provincial funding - cannot exceed 50% of total project costs.
• Cash contributions towards expenses that are ineligible under section 3.5 of the CIP Project Program Guidelines:
  • If an expense is ineligible for grant funding, it is also ineligible as a matching contribution, even if the organization chooses to pay for it as part of the project.
• Wages and salaries that are associated with the regular, ongoing operations of the organization.
• Volunteer time related to project planning meetings, fundraising, preparing grant applications or meetings related to the regular operations of the organization:
  • Only volunteer time spent directly on eligible project activities may be counted toward matching.
• Donated materials, equipment or services the organization already owns, or were received prior to the application submission date.
• Personal donations of equipment, materials or services.

Read the CIP Project Program Guidelines.

• Questions to consider:
  • Is your organization eligible? (Sections 3.1 and 3.2)
  • Is your project eligible? (Sections 3.3 and 3.4)
  • Are your project expenses eligible? (Sections 3.5)
  • Are your matching funds in place and eligible? (Section 5)

Organizations must have a GATE Front Office profile to apply. If your organization already has an active GATE Front Office profile, skip to Step 3.

Important: Due to the high volume of registration requests, register for a GATE Front Office account no later than 10 business days before an application intake deadline.

• Download and complete the GATE Front Office Registration Form.
• Select Community Grants as the program area.
• Organizations may register up to 3 users. At least one user must have legal signing authority.
• Email the completed form to [email protected].
• Once processed, each user will receive an email with login credentials and instructions for accessing the GATE Front Office portal.

For help, read the Front Office User Guide, and watch our Front Office tutorial videos at: Preparing and applying for grants.

Need help logging in or resetting your password? Contact us at: [email protected].

The following documents are required for your CIP Project Grant application:

• Board member list:
  • Must include all board members, their executive positions and contact information.
• Recent financial statements (audited or unaudited):
  • Must include the financial statements for the organization’s most recent fiscal year and be signed by 2 signing authorities.
• Current bank statements:
  • Bank statements for all of the organization’s accounts, each signed by 2 signing authorities.
• Grant Agreement:
  • Download the Grant Agreement from the GATE Front Office application. It must be signed by a recognized signing authority for the organization.
• Application for Electronic Payment (AEP) and a void cheque. See the AEP Sample for assistance in filling out the form.
• Estimates, supplier quotes or sources of cost estimates for each project activity.
• Donated in-kind documentation (if applicable):
  • Include letters from donors confirming any donated equipment, materials or services. Letters must be on company letterhead.
• Third-Party Agreement (if applicable):
  • Required if a third party will carry out the project on behalf of the applying organization. This can be in the form of a letter, signed by the applicant and the third party, that outlines the nature of the commitment of each party to the project.
• Letter of support for community events:
  • Applications for community events must include a letter of support from the venue titleholder.
• Job description for any application requesting funding for a new staff position.
• Optional: Letters of support or official statements
  • These may come from partner organizations, community members, government, businesses, or individuals and help demonstrate community support for the project.

Preview the application questions: CIP Project Grant Sample Application

Log in to Front Office

• During the review process, organizations may be contacted for information by program staff.
• Notification will be emailed to the contact(s) listed on the application, approximately 6 months after the intake deadline. If your organization’s signing authority or primary contact information changes, notify the Community Grants office.
• Organizations declined for funding may submit a new application for the same project if expenses have not been incurred prior to the submission of the new application.