Perth County believes that community organizations play an essential role in improving the quality of life of residents. The County’s role in supporting these organizations is guided by the Strategic Plan and Council’s vision of creating an active, rural, caring, and diverse community. The Cultivating Opportunity Grant Program closely aligns with the Strategic Plan by aligning with the following goals: Growth & Economic Development, Customer Service Excellence, Community Development & Planning, and Corporate Sustainability.
The Cultivating Opportunity Grant Program has been developed with the following goals in mind:
- Direct grant funding to eligible not-for-profit organizations and registered charities to enrich the community and support the goals of the County’s Strategic Plan and other initiatives
- Establish specific eligibility criteria, standardize the application process and ensure that the allocation of grant funding is transparent, consistent and achieves the maximum impact for the investment provided
- Establish standardized reporting criteria for grant recipients
The authority to for a municipality to provide a grant program can be found in the Municipal Act, 2001:
Section 107 (1) Despite any provision of this or any other Act relating to the giving of grants or aid by a municipality, subject to section 106, a municipality may make grants, on such terms as to security and otherwise as the council considers appropriate, to any person, group or body, including a fund, within or outside the boundaries of the municipality for any purpose that council considers to be in the interests of the municipality. 2001, c. 25, s. 107 (1).
Two Streams
The Program consists of two streams. The first is the Tree Planting Stream, where the goal is to foster environmental stewardship through funding that is distributed to the Lower Tier Municipalities to help offset costs for new tree planting. This stream consists of a total of $25,000, which is divided among each of the four Lower Tiers based on weighted assessment. The second, is the Community Stream, which is a grant to local organizations to assist with funding projects that support the community and align with the County’s strategic goals.
For more information on each of the two streams, including how to apply for a Community Stream grant, please see below.
Policy
The Cultivating Opportunities Grant Policy provides the administrative framework for the Grant Program, including eligibility criteria and outlining the application process for the Community Stream grant.
Community Stream |
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Please review the County’s Grant Policy for detailed eligibility requirements and download the Community Stream Grant Application Package for additional information on how to apply for a community stream grant. Applicants are strongly encouraged to review this package prior to submitting their application. This stream of the Cultivating Opportunity Grant is intended to support not-for-profit organizations and registered charities whose programs and services are aligned with the goals of the Perth County’s strategic plan. Priority is given to organizations that provide programming and services for the benefit of the Perth County community and that align with the County’s Strategic Plan. Projects that support goals of the County’s Diversity, Equity and Anti-Racism Charter and/or the Joint Multi-Year Accessibility Plan are also encouraged. The intent of this stream is not to provide annual, ongoing funding to support the operations of an organization. Success in one year does not automatically indicate success in future years. Furthermore, points will be awarded for organizations that did not receive a grant in the previous year in order to encourage a broader scope of applicants and support a wider variety of projects. Eligible applicants will be considered for grant funding. Maximum funding per applicant is set at $2,500. If all eligible applicant funding requests total more than total funds budgeted, then grant funds awarded may be divided among the eligible applicants and amount awarded could be adjusted below the requested amount. The process is competitive, therefore not every eligible application is guaranteed funding. Click here to download the 2022 Information Package Once the application intake period closes at the end of November, applications will be compiled and presented to Council for assessment based on the scoring matrix included in the application package. Successful applicants will be notified once the annual budget is approved. The Community Stream of the Cultivating Opportunity Grant will operate on an annual application cycle, beginning with marketing of the grant at the end of the third quarter and continuing until the budget is passed early in the following year:
Please download the Community Stream Grant Application Package for more information on eligibility, how applications are evaluated, application process deadlines, and the obligations and expectations of grant recipients. |
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Tree Planting Stream |
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In 2007, County Council established a $15,000 budget to offer free trees to residents of Perth County. This was to offset the cost of planting approximately 500 trees. The program did not end up spending its full amount in 2008 or 2009. In September of 2009, County Council opted to grant the entire budgeted amount to the Lower Tier municipalities with the only proviso being that amount was to be used to plant trees. In 2022, the total amount was increased to $25,000.
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Questions?
If you have any questions about the Cultivating Opportunity Grant Program, please contact Legislative Services.
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