Neighbourhood Community Matching Fund

Projects will be designed to:

• Build neighbourhood or community capacity
• Inspire community connections
• Enhance playability, walkability or connectivity within neighbourhoods
• Improve parks, playgrounds or green areas
• Advance arts and culture in the community
• Promote and encourage beautification, cleanliness and naturalization
• Create places for community to gather (bumping places)
• Improve safety

Here are a few project ideas to get you started:

• Enhance a park to create a neighbourhood bumping space
• Converting a space for alternate use to meet a community need
• Plant a communal garden on lands that are accessible to public
• Protect or restore a natural resource

Funding will not support:

• Festivals, events or block parties. Note: Community Support Fund is open for these types of activities.
• Staffing Costs.  Note: Funds can be used to support funding professional services or professional consultation services when the volunteer group does not have expertise necessary to support the project
• Purchase of equipment unless the community group can demonstrate that equipment is required for the projects continued success     
• Existing programs and services are not eligible for funding
• Replicate an existing public or private project or fund projects that are already in the planning stages or will be implemented by another public or private group
• Reimburse organizations' operating expenses not directly linked to the awarded project
• Pay for expenses or financial commitments made prior to grant approval
• Cover alcohol, tobacco or gambling expenses
• Support fundraising for the project. Funds must go to project directly
• Purchase land or buildings
• Pay for travel or accommodation expenses
• Replace lost funding or cover gaps from other funding sources
• Pay for marketing or advertising
• Educational projects (school teach curriculum or train the trainers type activities)
• Health care projects
• Website development or apps
• Fund projects on private property that does not allow for reasonable public access

Up to $10,000 available

A maximum of $10,000 may be granted to match the equivalent contribution the neighbourhood community group makes up through a combination of any of the following:

• Volunteer time
• Donated services
• Donated materials and supplies
• Other funds raised

Approved projects receive up to 50 per cent of the funding for the project from the City. The neighbourhood or community group would match this funding with an equal contribution made up through any combination of volunteer hours, donated service, donated materials and supplies or other funds raised, such as cash donations.

Note: The City of Burlington will support funding to pay for any out-of-pocket expenses up to a maximum of $10,000.

The project must meet these criteria:

• Open and inclusive to the community
• Within the City of Burlington
• On lands owned or managed by the City of Burlington or on lands that are accessible to public.
• One-time funding request
• Be able to satisfy insurance requirements
• Adhere to municipal, provincial and federal regulatory compliance standards (i.e. standards for playgrounds, building codes)
• Clearly demonstrate:
  • Neighbourhood community support
  • Neighbourhood community benefit
  • Community matching effort
  • How the project will be completed within one year

Other Criteria:

Letters of Support

Applicants must also submit a minimum of three letters of support from outside the applicant group with signatures and contact information for the proposed project. Letters can be from local community or neighbourhood groups, businesses or residents living in the neighbourhood impacted by the project.

Insurance

Applicants must be able to maintain third party liability insurance throughout the project in the amount of not less than $2 million. Note: if you do not have insurance, you can apply for insurance protection through the city.

Download the 2022 Criteria and Guidelines [PDF]

Eligible Applicants:

The Neighbourhood Community Matching Fund is available to:

• Any informal, unofficial or formal community-based organizations, not-for-profit, and grassroots groups.
• School Boards or Business groups may apply in partnership with a neighbourhood and community group or student group as a sponsor and the city will liaise with the project lead who must be from the community.

Priority for applications will be provided to new groups or groups that have not received funding within the last five years.

Ineligible Applicants:

The Neighbourhood Community Matching Fund is not available to:

• Individual persons
• Projects that received funds through the city's budget process or any other city grant programs
• Social service agencies
• For profit companies
  Note: Businesses can sponsor a project or apply in partnership with a not-for-profit organization.
• Organizations outside of City of Burlington
• Government agencies
• Schools and School Boards
  Note: may apply in partnership - see above.
• Political groups including Ward Councillors

When preparing your submission here are a few items to consider that may impact the timeline, budget and approval of your project:

• Is your project involves work in the vicinity of trees? Is there any tree protection required or are you aware of Private Tree Bylaw?
• Is irrigation required? Is there an existing water source on site?
• Consider requirements for set back from other property.
• Who owns the property? Who needs to approve the work?
• If your project involves construction or renovation of a structure, a building permit may be required.
• All relevant safety measures must be in place during construction.
• Please include an ongoing maintenance plan and/or an operating plan as required.

• Wellbeing in the garden at St. Christopher’s Church - Open Doors project includes the purchase and installation of approximately 150 square feet of mobile mats that will be installed to improve access to their community garden. Funding will also be used for soil amendments as well as purchasing accessible tools that will lower the barrier to access this activity. All the harvest goes towards St. Christopher’s Community Market (food bank) and into their hot community meals.

• Grow for Change Urban Farm Community Therapeutic Programs provides the community with access to a new temporary green space near Brant Street and Ghent Street, as well as therapeutic horticulture programming for adults and youth, to promote positive social and mental health.
• The Orchard Community Garden Project is a brand-new community learning garden at the Trail Head Parkette (5401 Redstone St.), will include eight large garden boxes with fruits and vegetables and native pollinating flowers and plants. Food and plants harvested from the garden will be shared with the community and donated to the local food banks.
• A Community Garden in Roseland will be an accessible space for relaxation, reflection or a neighbourhood meeting. The space will feature numerous seating areas; herbs; perennials that support and encourage the pollinator population; and a 'Peace Pole,' an internationally recognized symbol of hopes and dreams that stands for peace on earth.

• Aldershot BIA Holiday Lights

• Burlington Lawn Bowling: Establish a Junior Lawn Bowling Program within the organization
• LIFT Kids by Glad Tidings Church: Offer the community an afternoon drop-in program for eight weeks in July and August. The free program are offered every Wednesday and Thursday at Bolus Park and Hidden Valley Park, Geared towards children ages 5-11 years old.
• Park on the Path: Construct a new parkette that is inclusive and includes accessible playground equipment.
• The Butt Stops Here: Install recycling units for discarded cigarette buts in key hotspots locations throughout the city. When these units are emptied, the contents are sent to the recycling company where they are turned to compost and hard plastic.
• Voices of Burlington's Older Adults: The Voices of Burlington's Older Adults will produce a book of short stories, poems and other creative works. The book will be distributed to hospitals, libraries, community centres and retirement homes.

• Mindfulness in the Park: Organizing Free mindfulness sessions in park settings in Aldershot and Elizabeth Gardens communities. Sessions open to all Burlington residents.

• Neurodiverse Universe - Art Mural Project: A neighbourhood art project to bring awareness, acceptance and appreciation to the greater community of the skills and talents of people with autism.

• Open Doors - Live Out Loud – Outdoor Play Spaces: Providing fencing to create safe outdoor play spaces (basketball court and play area) for all Burlington residents in the Guelph Line, Woodward and Prospect communities.

• Burlington Food Bank Community Garden Expansion: Community garden expansion in Maple Park Community Gardens will provide fresh produce to clients of the Burlington Food Bank.

• Walk with a Doc – Hamilton Burlington Trails Association: Walk with a Doc will host 12 community walks on Burlington community trails and in community parks. Learn more about Just Walk: Hamilton-Burlington and join the Just Walk email list for upcoming walk dates and locations at justwalk-hb.weebly.com.

• Nelson Baseball Park: Beautification and fencing improvement to the park

• Recycling Revisited: Online database and video documentary to share the story of Canada's first city-wide multi-material recycling program

• Burloak Community Garden: Community garden for all of Burlington

• Open Doors Community Garden: Expansion of current garden

• Harris Crescent Butterfly Garden: Butterfly garden to attract butterflies and other pollinators

• Orchard Street Festival: Cultural street festival on Orchard Street

Eight community groups receive more than $35,000 in funding from the City of Burlington

The eight community projects selected are:

• Lakeshore Public School: Baseball diamond improvement

• Mountainside Community: Art workshops

• Pinemeadow Park: A playground made from natural materials

• Alton Village: A weekly community picnic

• Bruce T. Lindley Public School: Landscape improvement project

• Norton Community Park: Mural

• General Brock Park: Greening improvement project

• Literacy project for individuals with developmental disabilities