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Home My Public Portal AboutMajor Capital Grant GuidelinesMUNICIPALITY OF THE DISTRICT OF CHESTER ~ MAJOR CAPITAL GRANT ~ GUIDELINES The purpose of the Major Capital Grant is to provide financial assistance to community organizations that are undertaking a major community capital project. These projects may include the construction of a new facility, expansion of an existing facility or purchase of large capital items. Eligible Applicants You must be a non-profit organization, or otherwise comply with the requirements of the Municipal Government Act for eligibility for a grant or contribution by a Municipality (Section 65(AU). Your primary purpose must be to operate, sponsor or encourage programs, activities, or facilities within the Municipality of the District of Chester. Community Trail Groups are eligible for funding providing they own the land or have an easement or license for the land where the trail is located. Council may make eligibility exceptions on occasion when deemed appropriate. Ineligible Applicants Churches / faith-based organizations. Private member-based organizations, whose primary focus is to serve its members. Eligible Projects Projects must be capital in nature such as new building construction, expansion of existing buildings or renovations. Facility renovations or upgrades must enhance your service. Regular operating costs, maintenance costs or general repair work is not eligible. Only expenses incurred after an application is submitted are eligible to be included in the project. It is always advisable to consult with the Recreation & Parks Services prior to submitting an application to ensure your project is eligible for this particular grant. Funding The minimum funding request is $20,000. The maximum funding request is $100,000 per application. Council will fund up to a maximum of 70% of the total project budget. Groups must secure the remaining 30% from other sources, a minimum of 10% must be cash. Organizations are only eligible to receive one major capital grant every two years (24 months). Council will consider multi-year funding requests. No additional funds will be allocated to multi-year requests, the maximum funding of $100,000 applies. Once a total grant amount is approved, funding can be dispersed over multiple years to meet the unique financial needs of a project. For example, an approved multi-year grant for $50,000 could be paid out with $25,000 in year 1 and $25,000 in year 2. If your organization has received multi-year funding, you are only eligible to reapply after two years from the time the last payment is issued. Council will review all applications and determine the funding level for each project. Application Procedure Applications must be submitted by January 31st. Organizations must complete the Major Capital Grant Application form. You may attach a separate document if there is insufficient space on the form for your response to each question. Proposed work must comply with all applicable Municipal, Provincial and Federal regulations and you must own or have a long-term lease with the facility. The application form must be completed in full and have appropriate signatures. If organizations have questions about the application form or would like to receive assistance to complete the form, please contact Recreation & Parks Services at 902-275-3490 or by email at recreation@chester.ca. After a project is complete, organizations are required to complete and submit a Final Report Form to indicate how the funds were spent. Payment Schedule 75% of the total approved grant will be distributed at the beginning of the project. The remaining 25% will be distributed at the end of the project, once the Final Report has been submitted. Evaluation Applications will be reviewed and evaluated based on the following: Grant criteria have been met. Demonstrated positive community impact. The organization has shown a financial need for grant funding. Alignment with the Municipality’s strategic priorities. Grant Recognition The Municipality of Chester encourages appropriate recognition as a funding partner of approved projects. Note: The amount of grant funding available is limited. Council reserves the right to approve funding amounts lower than requested. Council also reserves the right to reject any grant application, regardless of whether the criteria have been met.