Alberta’s government is providing $6 million to 41 successful Civil Society Fund applicants to support the social recovery and economic participation of vulnerable Albertans.
The Civil Society Fund (CSF) provides $20 million over 3 years to expand civil society’s capacity to address social problems facing Albertans.
Civil society includes non-profit and voluntary organizations, registered charities, informal groups or movements pursuing shared interests or values, and private-sector organizations and individuals pursuing social good.
Civil society plays a critical role in the well-being of Albertans and contributes significantly to Alberta’s economy. The CSF intends to support transformational change and improve how civil society organizations function and work together to address pressing social challenges.
CSF funding is one-time only. Funding will not be provided to support the ongoing delivery of social programs and services or routine operational requirements of organizations.
CSF funding is also time limited. Successful applicants will have 24 months from the grant agreement date to complete their grant activities.
Eligible applicants can request up to $500,000 for their project. Proposals may be approved at a lesser amount than what was requested.
To make sure all Albertans can participate in Alberta’s Recovery Plan, these projects will help Albertans get back on their feet by addressing a range of social issues such as food security, mental health, homelessness, unemployment and domestic violence. In total, 34 projects will focus on social recovery and seven will focus on economic recovery.
This round of civil society funding completes the government’s platform commitment to provide $20 million over three years to build the capacity of civil society to address social challenges. In total, the fund supported 99 projects in more than 25 communities across the province.
Funding through the Civil Society Fund is intended to help civil society organizations transform how they function, innovate and work together to address pressing social challenges. Civil society organizations eligible to apply included not-for-profit and voluntary organizations, including post-secondary institutions, as well as First Nations and Metis Settlements.
The government received 268 applications for the third round of funding. Alberta has more than 26,200 non-profit organizations. The sector employs more than 280,000 Albertans. Each year, 1.6 million Albertans provide 262 million volunteer hours.
