The Community Foundation of Central Alberta has introduced our Community Grants Microgrant. Organizations are eligible to apply for up to $5,000 in unrestricted funding to meet the ever-evolving demands within their organization and the community.

An unrestricted microgrant program for the dynamic needs within Central Alberta organizations. 

Through grants of up to $5,000, the Community Grants Microgrant program caters to the diverse and evolving needs of community organizations. This funding is designed for initiatives that help organizations adapt to emerging needs — whether it involves developing responsive programming, maintaining vital programming, investing in technology, or addressing unforeseen expenses to meet the demands of the community.

Who is Eligible:

  • Applicants must be operating in and/or serving within a region centered around Red Deer, Alberta. The catchment area extends to the following boundaries:
    North: To Maskwacis
    South: To Didsbury
    West: To Rocky Mountain House
    East: To Coronation
    * Excluding the Special Areas
  • Applicants must be registered charities and have a valid charitable number from Canada Revenue Agency or be a First Nations Band or municipality designated as a qualified donee by Canada Revenue Agency. To check if your organization is a registered charitable qualified donee search here on the CRA website. If your organization does not have charitable status or is not a qualified donee, we can consider an application in partnership with another organization that is a registered charity or qualified donee with a mandate relevant to your proposal.
Grant funds may only be used for expenses incurred after CFCAB’s final grant decision dates.

What is Eligible:

  • Innovative new projects
  • Short-term projects
  • Seed funding for long-term projects
  • Equipment based projects
  • Some administrative costs

What isn’t Eligible:

  • Partisan political or singular direct religious activities
  • Building an endowment
  • Fundraising expenses
  • Large capital campaigns

How it Works:

  • Organizations are welcome to apply for a grant of up to $5,000
  • Organizations have the option to either re-submit a previous application or submit a new one each quarter
  • Simply log into your account, or create one, with our online grant management system and apply by the deadline.
  • Late/incomplete applications will not be accepted.
  • If requested, we are happy to provide feedback on submissions that were not approved for funding.
  • Each successful applicant will then be required to sign a formal Grant Agreement before disbursement.
  • Once the project is completed, or 90 days after the funding was received, Foundation staff will check in  and discussion about how the funding was used within your organization.

What We Prioritize:

    • Organizations that attentively listen to the perspectives of stakeholders and the community, making well-informed decisions for strategic goals to fulfill their mission
    • Organizations that incorporate and practice DEI values
    • Contributes to a vibrant, healthy, caring community
    • Helps to fulfill the mission and mandate of your organization
    • Improves the services offered by your organization
    • Demonstrates a real need for funding that is not otherwise available
    • Demonstrates a search for funding from sources other than CFCAB
    • Demonstrates an investment in the project through contributions from your organization, the community, and/or support from other funding sources
    • Is achievable within the next year
    • Proposes an innovative and practical solution with specific strategies and outcomes
    • Strengthens your organizational capacity
    • Promotes collaboration and sharing among agencies

Application Process Update
We’ve updated our application process to include an intermediary or fiscal sponsor. If your organization is working with an intermediary, please select “Yes” and provide the necessary details. If you’re not using an intermediary, select “No”, and submit.

Application Deadlines:

March 1
June 1
September 1
December 1

Applications will open 2 weeks prior to the deadline noted above.
If the application deadline falls on a weekend the deadline will move to the following Monday.

For questions, please contact Jael at jaelmacauley@cfcab.ca or (403) 341-6911
Apply Now

Our Guiding Principles

CFCAB has six guiding principles to consider when developing your grant application.

We work with community and for community by supporting organizations that demonstrate a collaborative approach.  We support innovative projects that align with our guiding principles.  Not every new idea will work, but we will learn from every project.