Community Grants aim to support our local community. To be eligible for a community grant your organization must be both:

• A registered charity with Canada Revenue Agency or other qualified donee.
• Serve the Greater Edmonton Area (includes the four surrounding counties) and Indigenous qualified donees located within Treaty 6 Territory. 
  • National Organizations may only apply if they demonstrate strong local connection.
• Are in good standing with ECF, with no outstanding or overdue final reports, including those from partnership initiatives. 

Application limit: 

Organizations may submit ONE Community Grant application per calendar year if they have completed their previously funded initiative and have submitted a final report.

ECF uses a two-stage application process for all Community Grant applications. Applicants are asked to submit a Stage 1 application during the month it is open. Staff will review all submitted applications after the deadline. If successful in stage 1, we will request a stage 2 application, which will include additional, clarifying questions that will be reviewed by volunteer sub-committees.

If the organization has not received a Community Grant in the last five years, the organization is eligible to apply for up to $50,000. If you have received a community grant in the last five years you are eligible for up to $80,000.

Our next intake opens August 15 — in the meantime, watch our Community Grants Overview so you’re ready when applications open:

Fall 2026 timeline for funding after January 1, 2027

• Stage 1 application opens Friday August 14, 2026.  
• Stage 1 application closes Friday September 11 at noon (12pm).  
• Mid-October: Applicants shortlisted for Stage 2 will be notified. 
  • Unsuccessful applications will receive notifications mid-April.
• If requested, Stage 2 submissions due Friday October 30 at noon (12pm).  
• Stage 2 applications are assessed by volunteer committees consisting of community leaders and sector experts in November.
• Final decisions and announcements will be made in December.  
  •  Applicants awarded a grant will receive guidance on next steps, including reporting requirements. 
  • Grants will be issued toward the end of December.

Our 2026 Community Grant Guideline will be available when the application opens.

Community Grant Reporting Instructions

Grant reports ensure there is accountability between your organization, Edmonton Community Foundation (ECF), and our donors. ECF staff review these reports to assess the progress and outcomes of your initiative. Additionally, these reports help us refine our granting process and identify community needs that we might address. We understand that grants take place in changing community contexts which are sometimes outside the control of the grantee.   

When to Contact ECF 

Contact ECF as soon as possible if any of the following arise: 

• You need a grant reporting extension. 

• Your organization can’t carry out the funded initiative. 

• You have completed your initiative but have some funds left over.  

• You need to make changes to the budget approved in your application which amount to 10% or more of the total grant. Please note ECF needs to approve proposed reallocations of this size before the funds are expended.   

 In all situations ECF wants to meet your organization where you’re at, and to find the best path forward.  

 For reporting questions, please contact grants@ecf.ca.   

Grant Report Format 

The report is an online forms which has a number of short answer, dropdown menu, and multiple select questions. The report questions ask about the goals of your initiative, challenges you may have experienced carrying out this initiative, how people benefitted from the initiative, and how the financial contribution of ECF was recognized. There is also a space for you to upload a pdf copy of your grant budget and actuals. 

Accessing Your Grant Report 

Reports are accessed through the online Grants Portal. By default, reports are added to the account of the user who applied for the grant approximately three month after the grant is awarded.  Once your report has been added to your account, you can find it by logging into the Grants Portal, scrolling down to the Grant Reports section, and clicking on “Unsubmitted Grant Reports”. If you need the report moved to a different user account, you can email grants@ecf.ca. 

Report Deadlines 

The default report deadline is thirteen months after the grant was approved, on the last day of that month, unless the grant application indicates a later date. If you need an extension on your deadline, please contact grants@ecf.ca. We are happy to grant extensions but prefer to know if one is needed sooner rather than later.