Guidelines to help you apply:

The eligibility criteria of the NSG program are designed to ensure that communities are able to support a diverse range of projects that uphold the Principles of Grassroots Grantmaking.

• Grants of up to $500 will be available to residents of communities in the North Okanagan region to carry out small community-building projects.

• Applicants must live in the participating community they apply to and projects must take place within the neighbourhood or community where the application is processed.

• Any product, service, or event created with the support of a Neighbourhood Small Grant must be offered for free or by a small donation. The small donation should be optional and not a requirement for someone to participate in your project.

• Except for community gardens, projects involving infrastructure building or upgrading or purchasing of large equipment such as computers are not eligible.

• Projects involving therapy and counselling support are not eligible.

• Applicants may not profit financially from the project.

• Registered organizations and businesses are not eligible to apply. These grants are specifically for individuals and small volunteer-based neighbourhood/community groups.

• Preference will be given to new projects or those that have been funded for fewer than three years in a row.

• When creating a project budget, applicants should determine the actual cost of items to be used and think resourcefully in how to obtain materials through borrowing or donations.

• Applicants are responsible for keeping expense receipts to account for project costs.

• Festival-style events are expected to focus on a specific neighbourhood or community with a range of 100 to 300 attendees. Projects that are part of festivals must demonstrate an activity within the event that helps neighbours to develop or strengthen relationships.

• If a project is going to take place on neighbourhood streets, public spaces or parks, applicants will need to follow municipal by-laws and obtain appropriate permits and liability insurance prior to their project start date.

• You may apply for one Neighbourhood Small Grant program at a time. You may help another Project Leader plan their project, or participate in other Neighbourhood Small Grant projects.

Guiding Principles

Everyone has gifts: Anyone can offer their ideas, talents, skills, experiences and contacts to build a strong community.

Small is powerful: Small amounts of money have the potential to bring powerful changes in community in forms of new relationships, increased self-confidence, leadership development, stronger sense of place and creation of local traditions.

Local decisions are best: Community members from diverse backgrounds and experiences get an opportunity to make decisions on who should get the grants in their community.

Where we live matters: The grants enable anyone to team up with their neighbour and come up with a project that they can carry out within an area of where they live and based on what they think works best in their community.

We learn together: There is no single right way to build community so anyone involved in the program will have many opportunities to learn, share, reflect, exchange and capture knowledge, skills and information that they can use within and beyond the program.

Everyone is invited: The program is accessible and inclusive to anyone living in an NSG area no matter their age, ethnicity, income, cultural background, gender, ability and sexual orientation.