Municipal Community Grants
Municipal Community Grants
Purpose of the Grants
Purpose of the Grants
To improve the well-being and quality of life of the community and its residents, through financial assistance to not-for-profit and community based organizations which provide programs and services in culture, heritage, recreation, environment, and health & human services. The municipal community grant intends to support the work of community organizations across Prince Edward County that benefit a wide cross section of residents.
Program Details
Program Details
- Culture: beliefs, customs and traditions of certain communities, societies or cultural groups relating to language, ethnicity, race, gender, sexual or gender identity, disability, religion, class, and diversity;
- Environment: beautification, conservation, documentation, education, interpretation, preservation, restoration, and research of the environment/natural heritage (air, water, flora, fauna, and natural landscape);
- Heritage: identification, documentation, interpretation, or preservation of built heritage (structure, building or group of buildings, landscape), cultural heritage (archaeology, archives, genealogy, monuments, museums, and galleries/collections), natural heritage, historic people and events, and traditions (customs and beliefs);
- Social Services, Health, and Recreation: activities contributing to physical, mental and social wellbeing with a focus on prevention; access to housing, accessibility for people with disabilities, food and clothing, freedom from violence.
To apply for a Municipal Community Grant, applicants must be a "Community Organizations" as defined below:
Applicants must also:
- Be located and conduct most activities within the geographic boundaries of the Municipality of Prince Edward County or be a local chapter of a larger organization that provides consistent services within Prince Edward County.
- Have demonstrated sound fiscal management and are in good standing with the Municipality.
- Demonstrate that they provide those services and programs in an effective, accessible, open, and inclusive manner; and,
- Must have financial records in the name of the applicant (such as a bank account).
What can a Municipal Community Grant be used for?
*Only 1 request for cash funding per Community Organization will be considered per year.
- Individuals or households;
- For-profit businesses;
- Organizations with political affiliations or whose primary purpose is political activity or lobbying;
- Non-profit organizations with a mandate to serve the business sector, such as a Chamber of Commerce or a business sector association;
- Hospitals or other organizations whose primary purpose is to provide medical treatment/clinical services;
- School boards, primary and secondary schools, post-secondary institutions;
- Government organizations, including agencies, boards, commissions, service corporations, and committees established by the Municipality, the Province, or the Federal Government;
- Provincial, national, and/or regional organizations, unless a local chapter exists to serve residents of Prince Edward County; and/or,
- Organizations receiving 80% or more of their funding from upper levels of government.
- Mandated Arts Organizations: A Community Organization that has a stated organizational mandate to provide services,programs and amenities in the realm of the arts (various fine and applied art forms including but not limited to visual, performing and performance, literary, media and decorative arts.)*
Municipal Community Grant funding may not be used for:
- Major capital purchases such as vehicle purchases, land or building purchases or renovations, except for small capital purchases or projects that support compliance with Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act or accessibility provisions within the Ontario Building Code;
- Prize money, awards, travel expenses, hospitality (food, beverage, alcohol);
- Reduction of accumulated or annual deficits, debt reduction or financing;
- Programs, services, activities, or amenities that are already supported by the Municipality through another funding program, service contract or an Exceptional Funding Partnership;
- Fund raising campaigns, events, or activities, except for In-Kind Grants which may be used to support fund raising initiatives;
- Programs with mandates legislated or regulated by the Provincial or Federal governments;
- Programs, services, activities, or amenities that promote a particular faith, or require participants to adhere to a particular faith;
- Activities, programs services or amenities that will be delivered outside of the geographic boundaries of Prince Edward County;
- Activities that serve to raise funds for other organizations, individuals/households, businesses, or causes; and/or,
- Activities that would qualify for fee reductions or waivers as described in the current municipal Fees and Charges By-Law.
- Application deadline is Monday, March 2nd 2026 at 4pm
- Review and assessment by TCF: March & April 2026
- Notification and funds distributed by end of May 2026
- Funds spent and grant report submitted to TCF by end of May 2027
The Municipal Community Grants program accepts applications for multi-year grants (for up to $15k per year). Organizations and community groups can apply for multi-year support for the term of Council if they have previously received a Community Grant.
Important note: Please be aware that funding of multi-year grants is contingent on the total funding envelope approved for the Community Grants budget during the annual budget deliberations by Council. Therefore, if the total funding for the Community Grants budget was reduced, then all multi-year grant commitments could be reduced as a result if there was not enough funding approved to cover the multi-year grants.
Multi-year grants are not available to apply for in 2026 as it is the final term of our current Council.
Webinar - Cash & In-Kind Grants - 2026 Municipal Community Grants
On Tuesday February 17th, The County Foundation hosted a webinar on the Municipal Community Grants program, and how to apply for the cash & in-kind grant streams. Please see the video below for additional tips on how to apply.
Applying for a grant is a competitive process and we often receive more grant applications than there is funding available. Past funding commitments should not be interpreted as a guarantee that future requests will be approved.
Required Documents
To apply for a Municipal Community Grant, you will need to provide additional required documents along with your application. The above tabs detail what you will need to submit so you can prepare them in advance if you wish to.
Applicant Profile
Attach a background of your organization. Include whether your organization is a not-for-profit such as a registered charity or a community organization, what program or services you provide, details of leadership team and Board of Directors if applicable. You can also include information on any partnerships relevant to your application.
Vulnerable Sector Check: Please include your organization's current policy regarding maintaining up-to-date vulnerable sector checks for staff and volunteers as part of the Applicant Profile if relevant to your project.
Operating or Initiative Budget
You will need to submit either an Operating or Initiative Budget as part of your application. In either case, please detail where the grant funding will be directed. Budgets are stronger when they clearly identify how the requested grant amount will be used and the difference it will make.
- Operating Budget - If you are seeking operational support for the work of your organization or community group then you would submit an operating budget. This would detail your organization's revenues and expenses for the current year.
- Initiative Budget - If you are requesting grant funding specific to a project, program, or purpose then please include a budget detailing revenues and expenses related to this initiative.
- We’ve provided a budget template to help guide your submission; however, its use is optional. You’re welcome to use your own budget format, as long as the required information is included.
Annual Financials
Please submit your most recent financial statements if you are requesting more than $5,000 in your application. It is preferable that the financials have been prepared by an accountant or other qualified third party if available. Financial statements will show the overall financial status of your organization, including income and expenses.
The purpose of the financials is to provide information on the organization or community group's current financial status, as opposed to a budget which forecasts a plan for managing money. If you are applying for a grant less than $5k, then you are not required to submit financials as part of the application.
Supplementary Documents
In addition to the other required documents, you can submit up to 2 additional supplementary documents along with your applications. This can include images from your programs, an Annual Impact Report, testimonials or stories, or anything else you feel would be relevant to your application that you would like to highlight.
Key Question: What is the overall benefit to the community?
Considerations
- Alignment to Municipal Strategic Plan or other applicable plans (such as the Community Safety and Well-being Plan or the 10-Year Community Plan);
- Uses local evidence (such as Vital Signs data), statistics, or community consultation;
- Addresses an identified opportunity/issue/need/gap;
- Demonstrates urgency or immediate impact;
- Complements rather than duplicates existing services;
- Number of people impacted, cross section of geography served;
- Long-term or lasting benefit beyond grant lifecycle.
Key Question: How effectively does the organization create meaningful, accessible, and inclusive opportunities for PEC residents?
Considerations:
- Creates accessible, welcoming, and inclusive opportunities to experience or participate in the programming;
- Programs and services offered are valued and in demand within the community as evidenced by strong participation, attendance, participant feedback, repeat engagement, or other relevant data;
- Removes barriers and/or creates opportunities for those who would otherwise be unable to participate or underrepresented communities;
- Number, diversity, and geographic reach of people served across Prince Edward County.
Key Question: Can the objectives of the application be successfully delivered as proposed?
Considerations:
- Experience delivering similar work;
- Leadership and staffing;
- Community partnerships;
- Strong plan to deliver goals;
- Timeline is achievable;
- Governance and organizational stability;
- Necessary pieces in place (people/resources/partnerships) to be successful.
Key Question: Does the budget and financial information clearly demonstrate that the requested funding will be used responsibly and effectively to achieve meaningful impact?
Considerations:
- Realistic and detailed budget;
- Costs are appropriate;
- Funding will have a significant impact on this organization's success and outcomes for the community;
- Other funding sources identified;
- Organization demonstrates sound financial management;
- Grant is proportional to the scope of the objectives;
- Plan for sustainability beyond grant funding.
Merit to Other Applications
After your project has been reviewed stand alone on the above criteria, your application is evaluated within the context of other applications. Below are examples of the questions we ask the committee to consider during an adjudication:
- Have we funded grants across a range of sectors, or has funding become concentrated in one particular area of interest?
- Consider which applications provide the clearest and most compelling evidence of the benefit to the community if approved.
- Is this a project or initiative that will fill a gap in the community. Is there more urgency to address a particular area of need at this time?
- Have we funded grants from across Prince Edward County or has the funding become too concentrated to one area? How many residents will this benefit?
- If there are multiple applications who propose similar activities or serve similar purposes, consider which application made the strongest case based on factors such as community need, reach, quality, and potential impact.
- Have we approved grant amounts that will make a meaningful difference and allow applicants to be successful? Could grant funding be allocated elsewhere to meet a higher need?
- How inclusive or equitable is the application and activities proposed? Does it meaningfully reach people who may experience barriers to participating or accessing services?
- Providing multi-year support allows organizations to plan for and deliver long-term. Where appropriate, we encourage you to consider if a multi-year grant could strengthen their capacity and stability to deliver impact.
In-Kind Funding
In-Kind Funding
In-Kind Funding refers to services or resources offered by the municipality (use of municipal venues, services, equipment, labour, etc.) as valued by the Fees and Charges By-Law that can help support the work of the applicant and reduces expenses of the work or initiative proposed. Each year, there is a Primary intake in the spring with the full amount of funding for the year available and a Secondary intake in the fall to grant out the remaining In-Kind funds for projects or events taking place between November 1st and May 31st.
Note: While the In-Kind funding grant stream has two intake periods for applications, all events, regardless of when they occur during the year, can apply during the Primary intake period. The total available funding is not divided between the two intakes periods, meaning that it is possible that 100% of the year's available funding could be disbursed during the Primary intake. Whatever is left over from the Primary intake becomes the total funding available for the Secondary intake.
For this reason, we strongly recommend applying for the year's Primary intake period if possible.
*Only 1 request per applicant for each submission period (Primary and Secondary). If an applicant does not receive the maximum amount ($2k) during the Primary intake, then they are welcome to re-apply during the Secondary intake.
Maximum Grant Size: $2,000 per year
Applicants can apply twice a year for In-Kind Funding during the Primary or Secondary intakes unless they have received the maximum grant size during the Primary intake.
Timing: For activities taking place from November 1st 2026 to May 31st 2027.
How to Apply for In-Kind Funding
Applications for the secondary intake will be accepted from September 1st to October 6th at 4pm.
No late submissions will be accepted.
For Grant Recipients
For Grant Recipients
