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Community Investment Program

The District of Sechelt’s Community Investment Program (CIP) Grants are intended to support non-profit and charitable organizations that serve residents of Sechelt. These grants are provided to assist eligible organizations with the delivery of services which contribute to the social, cultural, and environmental well-being of our community. There are two funding streams: Annual Project Grants and Multi-Year Operating Grants.

Both annual and multi-year grants are available for programs, projects, services and/or events that do one or more of the following:

seek to preserve, celebrate and strengthen the local arts, culture and recreational opportunities for residents
respond to an environmental and/or social need in the community and contribute to creating a community that lives well and cares for the environment
support and contribute to a diverse and resilient local community

Multi-year grants may be approved for up to three years. To be eligible for multi-year funding, an organization must have received at least two consecutive annual grants from the Community Investment Program.

CIP Grant Policy

2023 Grant Application Deadline: Monday, February 27, 2023

Eligibility

To be eligible for an Annual Grant, applicants MUST meet the following requirements:

A non-profit society in good standing with the Societies Act and/or a registered charitable organization in good standing with the Canada Revenue Agency. (Member-funded societies are not eligible); and
Be requesting funds for a program, project, service, or event that will directly benefit the citizens of Sechelt; and
Have submitted a final report demonstrating appropriate use of funds for all previous projects funded through the District of Sechelt’s Community Investment Program.

To be eligible for a multi-year grant, applicants MUST also meet the following requirements:

A non-profit society in good standing with BC Registrar of Societies and/or a registered charitable organization in good standing with the Canada Revenue Agency for at least three (3) consecutive years at the time of application; and
Have a track record of receiving, at minimum, two (2) consecutive grants from the Community Investment Program; and
An organization that delivers a service or program that benefits the community and complements and extends the reach of District of Sechelt programs and services; and
An organization that has demonstrated sustainable and diverse financial resources.

Required Documents

Ensure you have the following documents ready to upload with your online application form:

Budget Worksheet - Annual Grants OR Budget Worksheet - Multi-Year Grants
Prepared Financial Statements (Notice to Reader) OR Society-Produced Financial Statements, consisting of a ‘Statement of Operations’ (Expenses/Revenues) and a ‘Balance Sheet’ signed by two officers of the organization
Proof of good standing

Ineligible Expenses

The following expenses are not eligible for CIP Grant funding:

Major capital expenditures
Deficit or debt repayment
Private or invitation-only events
Commercial activities
Fundraising projects or programs
Prizes or awards
Expenses associated with activities and programs that are clearly the responsibility of other governments or government agencies

Grant Conditions

Successful applicants must:

Recognize the District of Sechelt on all promotional materials associated with the project
Agree to be named as such in the District of Sechelt’s Annual Report
Submit a final report to the District of Sechelt
Use the CIP grant funding for approved eligible purposes

Evaluation Criteria

The CIP Grant Review Committee shall use some or all of the following criteria to assess applications:

Evidence of community need or desire for proposed program, project, service or event
Potential benefit to the residents of the District of Sechelt
Evidence of community partnerships or support (financial or in-kind)
Capacity to deliver the proposed program, project, service or event
Level of volunteer involvement
Evidence of financial need
Evidence of funding from other sources
Ability to demonstrate or anticipate future outcomes
Public accessibility

Reporting Requirements

All grant recipients are required to submit a final report. Please submit the following by January 9, 2023:

Part 1

Final Report Form (Annual Grants)

Final Report Form (Multi-Year Grants)

Part 2

Financial Report Form (Annual Grants)

Financial Report Form (Multi-Year Grants)

Part 3

Copy of most recent Financial Statement (Notice to Reader)

Past CIP Grant Recipients

2022 Grant Recipients

2021 Grant Recipients

2020 Grant Recipients

2019 Grant Recipients

2018 Grant Recipients

How to apply for a CIP Grant

The CIP Grant application is now completely online. You can save as you go and return to the form at anytime. Alternatively, you can prepare your responses in advance by using this worksheet for annual grants, or this worksheet for multi-year grants. These worksheets are simply intended to help you prepare your answers, you will still need to submit an official application through the online system.

These are the documents you’ll need to attach to your online application:

Budget Worksheet - Annual Grants OR Budget Worksheet - Multi-Year Grants
Most recent Financial Statement
Proof of Good Standing

Samples:

BC Societies Online Dashboard

Societies Online Screenshot

CRA Charity Listing (detail page)

CRA Charity Listing Screenshot

Determine your eligibility

Read through the CIP Grant Policy and the eligibility requirements found on this page

Gather required documents

Download a copy of the Budget Worksheet and complete this before you apply for your grant. You will also need a copy of your most recent Financial Statement and proof of "good standing" as a non-profit or charity.

Complete the online form

Online application form will be available starting Tuesday January 31, 2023