Small Grants Grants
Grants can take many different forms.
Small grants support small, one-time, time-sensitive requests.
Applications are reviewed monthly. For example, applications submitted in February will be reviewed mid-March and should be for funding after April 1 (ECF cannot support retroactive costs).
Grant sizes vary, the maximum is $20,000. Requests typically range from $10,000 to $15,000. Total funds available are $500,000. With that in mind, please ask for what your organization needs. The application will be available until the budget is allocated.
If your request exceeds the maximum amount of a Small Grant, look to our Community Grants Program instead.
Our small grants budget has been fully expended for 2024.
Eligibility
To be eligible to apply for a small grant your organization must:
- Be a registered charity or other qualified donee with Canada Revenue Agency.
- Serve the Greater Edmonton Area (includes the four surrounding counties).
Organizations are eligible to receive one small grant per 12-month period. Exceptions may be made when a charity is working in partnership with a non-profit representing a marginalized community. This is in recognition that there are systemic barriers to funding for some communities.
Things considered when small grant applications are reviewed:
- Is the request emergent, time-sensitive, or unexpected?
- Is there a clear need on how this grant will help the organization and/or community?
- Number of small grants received over the last number of years
Reporting
Small 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 months 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.