Responsive Community Grants

Apply for a grant up to $10,000

The 2025 Responsive Community Grants program will open on February 1, 2025.

Responsive Community Grants offer grants of up to $10,000 for serviceable community projects or programs. These grants ‘respond’ to local and current needs as demonstrated in applications submitted by local organizations.

Please review the updated program Guidelines, Eligibility, and Restrictions – COMING SOON!

To view past Responsive Community Grants recipients, please visit this page.

GUIDELINES

1. The concept of community strengthening is the cornerstone of the Foundation’s community grants program. Community strengthening occurs when the resilience, skills, infrastructure, and/or well-being of the community is enhanced.

2. Funding proposals will be assessed against four key pillars of community strengthening:
a. Resilience and Sustainability: Does the proposed project or program increase the community’s or organization’s ability to adapt, survive, and thrive in the face of challenges (e.g., economic, environmental, social)?

b. Skills and Knowledge Development: Does the proposed project or program provide local individuals or groups with new skills, knowledge, or leadership abilities that will contribute to the community’s growth and well-being?

c. Infrastructure and Resource Enhancement: Does the proposed project or program strengthen or develop the physical or organizational resources that the community needs or relies on?

d. Leadership, Collaboration and Community Engagement: Does the proposed project or program foster leadership, encourage collaboration, or increase community participation?

3. The Foundation will consider applications to support: general programming, operating costs, small capital projects, or the purchase of equipment and/or supplies for eligible organizations.

4. The Foundation will only award one Responsive Community Grant per year to an eligible organization. NOTE: If your organization has previously received a grant from the Foundation, and you are once again invited to submit a full Application in the current year, any outstanding Final Project Reports must be completed and submitted prior to the pending full Application stage.

5. The Foundation will accept and review one Letter of Intent from an eligible organization. In cases where an organization submits multiple Letters of Intent, the first submission received will be considered by the Foundation.

ELIGIBILITY

To be eligible to receive the Foundation’s charitable funding, the applying organization must:

1. Be listed by the Canada Revenue Agency as a qualified donee with a status eligible to receive charitable funding,

2. Benefit citizens of the Sunshine Coast directly through its charitable activities,

3. Use the Foundation’s funding to carry on its own charitable activities and be able to meet the ‘own activities test’ by carrying on these activities through its staff, volunteers or through an intermediary, and

4. Complete the Foundation’s required paperwork:
➤ Community Grants Letter of Intent
➤ Community Grants Application Form
➤ Community Grants Project Budget
➤ Community Grants Agreement
➤ Community Grants Final Project Report
➤ Community Grants Project Expense Report

Non-Qualified Donees
If you are not a registered charity or other qualified donee (i.e., a non-qualified donee) and you wish to apply for funding, we encourage you to develop a formal and genuine partnership with a registered charity or other qualified donee whose mandate is similar. The registered charity or other qualified donee would apply for funds for the proposed project on your behalf. CRA recommends that the relationship between the registered charity and the non-charitable organization is documented. Please visit the CRA’s website for more details.

RESTRICTIONS

Responsive Community Grants will not be made for:
・Academic research (i.e., research intended for publication only without application to current activities),
・Tours or travel outside the community,
・Scholarships or bursaries,
・Activities of partisan political organizations or religious organizations that serve primarily their membership and/or their direct religious purposes (community programs delivered by religious institutions are eligible),
・General endowments,
・Major capital or building fundraising campaigns,
・Operating or capital deficits, or
・Individuals.

PROGRAM TIMELINE

Stage 1: Letter of Intent
Eligible organizations are invited to submit one Letter of Intent (LOI) during the LOI intake period.

Web Portal Opens
→ February 1, 2025 at 9:00 AM PST

Web Portal Closes
→ February 28, 2025 at 5:00 PM PST

LOIs Reviewed
→ March 2025

Organizations Notified
→ No later than March 28, 2025
→ Successful organizations will be invited to submit a full Application. This process is outlined below.

Stage 2: Full Application
Organizations invited forward to submit a full Application may do so during the Application intake period.

Web Portal Opens
→ April 1, 2025 at 9:00 AM PST

Web Portal Closes
→ April 30, 2025 at 5:00 PM PST

Applications Reviewed
→ May 2025

Organizations Notified
→ No later than May 30, 2025
→ Successful organizations will be required to sign a Grant Agreement prior to receiving any funds.

Funding Distributed
→ June 2025
→ Successful organizations will receive 100% of funding up front.

HOW TO SUBMIT A LETTER OF INTENT

Once you have reviewed the Guidelines, Eligibility, and Restrictions sections above, and you believe your organization and project qualify for a Responsive Community Grant, you can start your Letter of Intent here.

NOTE: Letters of Intent must be completed and submitted online, through the Foundation’s grants management system. However, if you’d like to prepare or practice in advance of using the online grants management system, a sample version of the Letter of Intent for is available to view and download here – link coming soon!

For assistance in navigating grants management system, various tutorials can be found in the ‘Links and Resources’ section below.

LINKS AND RESOURCES

Acknowledgement
If you receive a Responsive Community Grant, please acknowledge the Sunshine Coast Foundation as a supporter of your organization and/or project on your website, in your social media posts, and in any media stories, newsletters, displays, and posters, or at any project-related events.
SCF logo – PNG
SCF logo – JPG

Grants Management System
Foundant Technologies has created some video and written tutorials to help you navigate the grants management software used by the Sunshine Coast Foundation:
Applicant Tutorial Video
Create an Account/Log on
Apply for a Grant
Your Dashboard

Other Sources of Funding
Sechelt Public Library offers access to Grant Connect, a searchable database of Canadian and US funders. Access Grant Connect on one of the Library’s computers. Other local sources of funding include: Town of Gibsons, District of Sechelt, Sunshine Coast Regional District, Sunshine Coast Community Forest, Sunshine Coast Health Care Auxiliary, and TELUS.

Previous Grant Recipients
To view past Responsive Community Grants recipients, please visit this page.

Program Updates
Follow us on social media (Facebook, Instagram, X) or subscribe to our mailing list to get updates about this program, as well as future grants opportunities.

Questions?
For any questions related to our grants programs, please contact Emily Schach, Communications and Grants Administrator.

Every year, the Sunshine Coast Foundation awards Responsive Community Grants to local Sunshine Coast charities. It is a two-step process. On (or about) February 1st of each year, the Foundation opens a portal to accept Letters of Intent, with a deadline of (or around) February 28th. In late March, successful applicants are invited to submit a full Application, with a deadline around April 30th. Successful recipients are notified around June 1st.

The Responsive Community Grants stream offers up to $10,000 for serviceable community projects or programs. These grants ‘respond’ to local and current needs as demonstrated in applications submitted by local organizations.

How to Submit a Letter of Intent

Review the Guidelines, Eligibility and Restrictions before starting (see FAQ’s below).

Once you have reviewed the Guidelines, Eligibility, and Restrictions, and you believe your organization and project qualify for a grant, start your Letter of Intent here.

For assistance in navigating the grants management system, please find tutorial links for applicants found in the FAQ’s section below.

If your organization has previously received a grant from the Foundation, and you are once again invited to submit a full Application in the current year, Final Reports for all prior projects must be completed before submitting the pending full Application.

For grants awarded in 2019 and later, the Final Project Report forms can be found on the applicant organization’s Dashboard on the Foundation’s grants management site. Please contact the Foundation if you have an outstanding Final Project Report for a grant received prior to 2019.

In accordance with Canadian income tax laws, the Foundation may award grants only to registered charities or qualified donees (e.g., municipalities, First Nations, universities, or registered amateur athletic associations). The applicant organization named in any Letter of Intent or Application to the Sunshine Coast Foundation must be a registered charity or qualified donee. (Please note: the Foundation’s former practice of allowing non-charities to complete Letters of Intent or Applications is no longer permitted.) Charities can work with non-qualified donees as intermediaries through a specific arrangement. The Canada Revenue Agency has specific requirements for any such arrangement. Please see “Information for Charities/Qualified Donees working through Non-Charity Intermediaries” in the FAQ’s below. Contact us for more information and assistance identifying potential charity partners.

If you receive a grant from us, please download a copy of the Foundation’s logo to use in any communications acknowledging the grant.

Looking for other sources of funding? The Sechelt Public Library offers access to Grant Connect, a searchable database of Canadian and US funders. Access Grant Connect on one of the Library’s computers. Other local sources of funding include: Town of Gibsons, District of Sechelt, Sunshine Coast Regional District, Sunshine Coast Community Forest, Sunshine Coast Health Care Auxiliary, and TELUS.

FAQ’s

Guidelines for Responsive Community Grants

  1. The concept of “community capacity building” is the cornerstone of the Foundation’s Responsive Community Grants program. Capacity building occurs when resources, skills, leadership, or expertise in the community is increased.

 

  1. Grant making for community capacity building occurs when proposals:
  • Build on the strengths and assets of a community or an organization,
  • Include the involvement of diverse groups in the development and implementation of a project,
  • Demonstrate clear outcomes,
  • Help create and strengthen participation and networks among residents and organizations,
  • Provide seed funding for initiatives,
  • Respond to a need identified in Vital Signs, or
  • Address another community priority.

 

  1. The Foundation will also consider applications for small capital projects or the purchase of equipment or supplies.

 

  1. Grants may be awarded to support general programming or operating costs for eligible organizations.

If you are a national or provincial organization delivering programs on the Sunshine Coast, please describe how a grant from the Foundation would stay on the Coast to benefit local community members.

Fields of Interest

In addition to general Responsive Community Grants, funds are also available to support certain Fields of Interest:

Environmental Grants are available for projects that:

  • Protect and preserve the habitat and biodiversity of our fragile and unique Sunshine Coast ecosystems,
  • Protect and improve the quality of our air, water, and soil,
  • Encourage stewardship of private lands, water, and shorelines, or
  • Educate the community about environmental and stewardship issues.

Thanks to the Gibsons Landing Fibre Arts Festival, we have Fibre Arts Grants to support or encourage the creation and public presentation of fibre art (fine art whose material consists of natural or synthetic fabric or yarn or other materials such as wood and generally refers to pieces made by hand).

Thanks to generous donors, each year we offer Choral Music Grants from the Sue Milne Memorial Choral Fund. These grants are available to support choirs and choral groups with expenses related to developing and preparing for performances.

Youth Legacy Fund Grants supports projects or activities that benefit young people, broadly defined.

Field of Interest grants are also offered from endowments that support Health and Wellness, as well as Food and Shelter, Seniors, and Reading & Literacy.

Additional Forms for Submission

Successful applicants who are invited to submit a full Application will be required to complete a Project Budget.

When the time comes to submit your Final Grant Report, you will need to submit a Grant Project Expense Report with your report.

Eligibility for Responsive Community Grants

In order to be eligible for a grant from the Sunshine Coast Foundation, the applying organization must:

  • be providing services which directly benefit citizens of the Sunshine Coast;
  • be a federally registered charity or other qualified donee under the Income Tax Act;
  • provide all information required pursuant to the “Letter of Intent” and the “Application Form”; and
  • have the ability to carry out the project and report back on how grant funds were spent.

When you have read the Guidelines, Eligibility, Restrictions requirements, and are ready to submit your letter of intent, visit the Foundation’s grants portal.

Restrictions on Responsive Community Grants

Responsive Community Grants will not be made for:

  • academic research (i.e., research intended for publication only without application to current activities),
  • tours or travel outside the community,
  • scholarships or bursaries,
  • activities of partisan political organizations or religious organizations that serve primarily their membership and/or their direct religious purposes (community programs delivered by religious institutions are eligible),
  • general endowments,
  • major capital or building fundraising campaigns,
  • operating or capital deficits, or
  • individuals.

The Foundation will award only one grant per year to each applicant organization except if an applicant is delivering one project through their own organization as well as one or more projects through intermediary organizations without charitable status. When you have read the guidelines, eligibility restrictions, and requirements and are ready to submit your letter of intent, visit the Foundation’s grants portal.

Grants Management System Tutorials

Foundant Technologies has created some video and written tutorials to help you navigate the grants management software used by Sunshine Coast Foundation:

Information for Charities/Qualified Donees working through Non-Charity Intermediaries

Please note this is information only and not legal advice. If in doubt, please consult the CRA web site (link below) or contact a lawyer familiar with charity law in Canada.

Organizations applying for a grant from the Foundation must be registered charities or other qualified donees. Charities or other qualified donees may undertake project or programming activities through intermediaries that are not registered charities. This must be a meaningful partnership where the charity/qualified donee receiving the grant is involved in the administration and management of the project for which funding is granted. The actual project work may be completed by the non-charity.

The collaboration arrangement between the non-charity/non-qualified donee and the charity/qualified donee should be written in the form of a contract to clarify the responsibilities of each party. From the CRA web site (link below):

“The Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) requires that a charity take all necessary measures to direct and control the use of its resources when carrying out activities through an intermediary [i.e., non-charity/non-qualified donee]. When carrying out activities through an intermediary, the following steps are strongly recommended:

  • create a written agreement with the intermediary, and implement its terms,
  • communicate a clear, complete, and detailed description of the activity to the intermediary,
  • monitor and supervise the activity,
  • provide clear, complete, and detailed instructions to the intermediary on an ongoing basis,
  • arrange for the intermediary to keep the charity’s funds separate from its own, and to keep separate books and records, and
  • make periodic transfers of resources, based on demonstrated performance.

A charity must maintain a record of steps taken to direct and control the use of its resources, as part of its books and records, to allow the CRA to verify that all of the charity’s resources have been used for its own activities.”

The CRA has updated its guidance on Using an Intermediary to Carry Out a Charity’s Activities.

If you  have any questions about the Foundation’s requirements for non-charities or need help identifying a potential charity collaborator, please contact us.