Collaboratives Grant

To apply for funding under the CIP ODC Grant, collaboratives or their fiscal agents must meet the following requirements:

• provide a financial statement that covers a minimum of one year
• demonstrate commitment from all collaborative members, such as non-profits, charities, associations, agencies, or grassroots organizations
• address an identified community or regional need (for example, supporting newcomers, responding to gender-based violence, providing arts education) and/or a broader sector issue (for example, increasing volunteerism, supporting a sustainable non-profit workforce)
• include at least 2 organizations as members of the collaborative
• maintain an Alberta address that is regularly monitored by an active member of the organization
• ensure the fiscal agent is a non-profit organization
  • municipalities, for-profit organizations and individuals may participate in a collaborative but cannot act as the fiscal agent 
  • the majority of the collaborative’s members must be eligible non-profit organizations
• have been operational for a minimum of one full year and in good standing under one of the Acts listed below:

Alberta Acts:

• Agricultural Societies Act
• Business Corporations Act (Part 21, Extra-provincial Corporations)
• Companies Act (Part 9, Non-profit Companies)
• Libraries Act
• Post-secondary Learning Act **
• Societies Act
• Special Act of the Alberta Legislature
• Metis Settlements Act **

Federal Acts:

• Indian Act **
• Special Act of Parliament
• Income Tax Act (Registered Charities)

** Only eligible to apply through the Collaboratives funding category. 

If unsure of applicant’s standing, contact the registering incorporation body:

• Non-profit listing dashboard  
• Alberta Corporate Registry at 780-427-7013 or [email protected]
• Canada Revenue Agency - Charities search

The following collaboratives/fiscal agents are not eligible to apply for funding under the CIP ODC Grant:

• collaboratives that primarily benefit those outside of Alberta
• fundraising bodies for for-profit organizations or business associations

• collaboratives with any member that has overdue or incomplete reporting for a previous ministry grant

NOTE: Regardless of potential eligibility, any collaborative, organization or fiscal agent that is not operating within the laws of the province of Alberta will not be considered.

Please refer to the Resource Document for Collaboratives for more extensive list of examples. 

• costs related to action plans for community or sector change
• research and/or feasibility studies
• strategic planning
• technology upgrades, training and minor equipment purchases 
• essential travel within Alberta
• communications and marketing development expenses 
• office and program supplies 
• salaries and wages 
• start-up costs for new collaboratives only
  • Start-up costs are the initial expenses incurred when beginning a new collaborative and may include legal fees, permits, inventory, licensing, etc.

• events, performances, festivals, celebrations and related costs 
• start-up costs for established collaboratives only
  • Start-up costs are the initial expenses incurred when beginning a new collaborative and may include legal fees, permits, inventory, licensing, etc.  
• debt retirement or deficit reduction
• endowment funds
• large capital or facility expenditures
• costs incurred prior to application submission date
• expenditures covered by other funding from Community Grants 

• Read the CIP ODC Program Guidelines
• Review the Resource Document for Collaboratives 

Questions to consider:

• Is your collaborative eligible? (Sections 3, 19 & 20 of the guidelines)
• Are your budgeted expenses eligible? (Resource Document for Collaboratives)
   

You must have a Front Office account to apply.  If you already have an active Front Office account and login credentials skip to Step 3.

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

• Download and complete the Registrant Form. Select Community Grants as the program area.
• Email the completed form to [email protected].
• Once processed, each user will receive an email with login credentials and instructions for accessing the 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].

There will be additional documents requested to complete your application in Front Office. Your documents should include:

• a list of board members including executives with their contact information
• recently approved and signed financial statements:
  • most recent fiscal year financial statement with 2 signing authority signatures on the Statement of Financial Position
• the completed Application for Electronic Payment form and void cheque or pre-printed bank direct deposit – watch the tutorial video
• letters of support (optional)
• an agreement or commitment letter certifying that all collaborative partners agree:
  • with the contents of this application and
  • to be contacted as part of the program evaluation survey referenced in the Final Reporting Requirements section of the CIP ODC Program Guidelines
• the agreement or commitment letter must:
  • contain a list of all the collaborative partners
  • be signed by a legal signing authority of each collaborative partner and
  • provide contact information for each collaborative partner, including its:
    • legal signing authority contact’s name, position title within the organization, daytime phone number and email address
    • physical address (street address, municipality, province, and postal code) and
    • mailing address, if different from physical address (street address, municipality, province and postal code)
• job description of any staff position for which funding is requested
• quotes or sources of estimates for any funding requests related to new costs, such as hiring a new staff member, one-time costs, such as minor equipment purchases (must be less than $5,000) that are integral to the operations of the collaborative, and activities/action(s) that will be completed by a contractor or entity from outside of the collaborative
  • Quotes or source of estimates are not required for ongoing costs such as administration. If unsure whether a quote or source of estimate is required, please contact Community Grants.
• if the collaborative is formally incorporated, a current list of its board members including name, position, phone number and email address

Important: The Application for Electronic Payment form will be available for download in the online application within Front Office.

Front Office is not currently accepting applications. The portal is expected to open in the coming weeks for the June 15, 2026, deadline.

There are 2 application types depending on your current collaborative capacity. Preview the sample application questions for each application type before logging into GATE Front Office. 

• Established - sample application: For organizations with an existing, well-developed partnership or collaboration that has a clear structure, defined roles and a track record of working together.
• Start-up - sample application: For organizations in the early stages of building a partnership or collaboration, including those exploring new relationships or formalizing a shared idea or approach.

• During the review process, applicants may be contacted for information by program staff.
• Notification of funding decisions will be emailed to the contacts listed on the application approximately 6 months after the intake deadline. If application contact information changes, notify the Community Grants office.