Grants & Funding

Bassano and Division 6’s Recreation Grant Fund opens on March 31 and closes on April 30 annually. This program is funded under a 50/50 cost share between the Town of Bassano and the County of Newell and is intended to help cover costs to operate facilities, improve/build on existing programs, or start up new projects/programs.

For more information, please contact Bassano’s Town Office at 403-641-3788 or email assistant@bassano.ca.

Grant guidelines and applications can be found at https://bassano.ca/recreation-grants/

PUBLIC RESERVE TRUST FUNDED PROJECTS

A public reserve trust account is established by municipalities in accordance with Division 8 & 9 of the Municipal Government Act (Sections 661- 672).  Funds placed in a public reserve trust account are generated through the subdivision process where developers are required to provide cash in lieu of land.  The funds thus generated must be used for: 

1. a public park; 
2. a public recreation area; 
3. school board purposes;
4. to separate areas of land that are used for different purposes. (MGA Section 671 (2) and Section 671(4). 

This pool of funds is dependent on the level of land development activity within the County.  Because the balance in that accounts builds slowly over many years, the amount that could be accessed for projects is limited.  While there is no matching contribution required from organizations who want to access these funds, Council may consider the level of funding contributed by the applicant during the review process.

The application form for this fund can be accessed through the following link:

Funding Application Form (General)

 

There are two potential County funding sources which recreation/community organizations can access for improvements to recreation facilities. 

1. Recreation Facility Improvement Funding Program.
2. Public Reserve Trust funded projects.

There are significant differences between these two potential funding streams.   

RECREATION FACILITY IMPROVEMENT FUNDING PROGRAM:  

Details on this funding program are outlined in the Recreation Facility Improvement Funding Policy. The program is funded by an annual allocation that is generated from the property tax base in the County.  The intent is to ensure funds are available to cover a significant portion of future facility upgrades or the future replacement of existing recreation facilities throughout the County.  Potential projects would need to fall into one of three categories outlined in the Policy.   

Category One – New Builds
This category applies to new facilities that have not previously existed, or will be a complete replacement of a facility that has reached the end of it’s economic life and the most viable alternative is demolition and replacement.

Category Two
Projects that will extend the life of an existing facility.

Category Three
Minor projects under $50,000 pursued in an effort to reduce the net operating cost of a facility.

The contribution from the County varies for each category. Potential applicants are encouraged to review the details of the policy and the application form before proceeding with any plans for proposed projects.

A copy of the application form and the policy can be accessed through the following links:

Recreation Facility Improvement Funding Policy

Funding Application Form (Recreation Facility Project)

In Alberta, CAP will deliver programs developed in consultation with stakeholders, and is organized under five themes: Environmental Sustainability and Climate Change; Products, Market Growth and Diversification; Science and Research; Risk Management; and Public Trust. To learn more click here.

If you are applying for a grant- you may require a current Environmental Farm Plan. The Environmental Farm Plan (EFP) is a voluntary, whole farm, self-assessment tool that helps producers identify their environmental risks and develop plans to mitigate identified risks. We are working together with farmers committed to environmental stewardship. To learn more, click here.

For more information, please contact Ag Services at the County of Newell.
Todd Green 403-794-2336 or email greent@newellmail.ca