Municipal Grants

To be eligible for funding your group must be a community-based group residing within the District of Sparwood or Regional District Area ‘A’ that is one of the following:

• A local non-profit organization
• An ad hoc community group residing in the community
• A registered society
• A community group

To be eligible for funding your event must:

• Be hosted within the District of Sparwood
• Actively encourage local community engagement through volunteerism and participation
• Be intended for the general public; demonstrate funding, in-kind and/or organizational support from the local community

Event costs that are directly attributable to the planning, hosting and operation of the approved event. Some examples include:

• Venue rental fees
• Supplies
• Materials
• Advertising and promotion
• Equipment rental
• Entertainment
• Transportation
• Insurance

Applicants who incur expenses for a project prior to receiving written confirmation of funding approval do so at their own risk. Any expenses incurred prior to event approval are not eligible for funding.

Events in which the sole or main purpose is:

• to conduct fundraising;
• for profit events;
• existing events or recurring events previously held within the District of Sparwood;
• events forecasting a deficit;
• any event to be held outside of the District of Sparwood;
• any event that is deemed not to be in the best interest of the community or provide a net benefit to the community;
• events and activities that are primarily religious, political or commercial in nature; or
• conferences, workshops, and other activities that are not intended for the general public.

The District of Sparwood evaluates applications based on the viability of the event, community engagement and capacity of the event to become self-sustaining. Some specific factors to be considered include:

• Feasibility and sustainability of the event
• Events that demonstrate a net benefit to the community
• How event funds will be used
• Activities to be delivered
• Who will participate or benefit from the event
• Volunteer and community engagement
• Partnering organizations & community support

Applications are evaluated by the Community & Facilities Services department. The District of Sparwood may at its discretion reject any application for any reason whatsoever and is under no obligation to disclose those reasons. The District is under no obligation to allocate all or any portion of the fund in any given year.

A total of $10,000 is available annually. Events will be evaluated individually and may access up to $5,000 in the first year and $2,500 in the second year. Events requesting in excess of the aforementioned amounts will not be considered.

This is a continuous intake program so there are no deadlines for submitting an application. Applications that are not approved due to lack of available funding in the year of application may be considered for funding in future years.

For more information on submitting a funding application, contact the Community & Facilities Services department at 250.425.0552 or by email at recoffice@sparwood.ca.