Applications are now closed for the 2023 Healthy Community Grants. These grants are designed to support champions to promote and improve healthy eating and active living opportunities in their communities with funding of up to $5,000.
Background Information
The application period for the Healthy Community Grants normally runs from January to February of each calendar year. These grants are for up to $5,000, and are designed to support healthy eating and active living initiatives in Alberta.
Communities ChooseWell provides the Healthy Community Grant to transform and promote local places, programs, policies, and partnership focused on improving healthy eating and active living at the community level.
The Healthy Community Grant is designed to support:
Action: Enable action to improve healthy eating and/or active living within the scope of recreation at the community level
Collaboration: Support collaboration among community members and different sectors to create communities that foster wellness
Equity: Develop environments where the healthy choice is easy, accessible, and sustainable for everyone
Sign up for the monthly ChooseLetter to stay informed about funding opportunities and other healthy community resources and events offered by Communities ChooseWell.
The Communities ChooseWell Healthy Community Grant is administered by the Alberta Recreation and Parks Association. Communities ChooseWell is funded by Alberta Health.
In 2019, a total of $40,000 was dispersed across 22 communities to support projects during the period of January to December 2020. Communities ChooseWell would like to congratulate the 2020 Healthy Community Grant recipients for successfully supporting the health of their communities despite the challenges presented this year.
Please note: due to the COVID-19 pandemic, some of these projects were changed to ensure the safety of participants.
Eligibility
Who can apply
Employees or board/council members may apply for funding on behalf of one of the following groups based within Alberta
- A registered not-for-profit organization
- A registered charity
- A First Nation or Métis Settlement
- A municipal government
- A public school
Who can NOT apply?
- Organizations who received a RECreate Grant from Communities ChooseWell in 2020
- Organizations funded by Alberta Health, including Alberta Health Services and Primary Care Networks. These groups are not eligible but are encouraged to partner with eligible organizations to support a project proposal. For more information, please see Using an intermediary to carry out a charity’s activities within Canada.
- For-profit organizations
- Religious or sectarian organizations
- Political organizations or campaigns
- Private clubs
- Private schools and post secondary institutions
- Contract fundraisers or lobbyists
- Organizations that discriminate on the basis of ethnicity, gender identity, religion, sexual orientation, ability, age, citizenship status, or socio-economic status
What will Communities ChooseWell fund?
- Community-level activities that promote healthy eating and/or active living within the scope of recreation and abide by the current COVID-19 regulations (see COVID-19 Info for Albertans)
- Activities that have not yet taken place
- New programs, projects, or activities
- Enhancements to existing programs or activities
- Staff, speakers, facilitators, or professional presenters
- Project materials such as equipment, supplies, food, etc. (Note: Food requests must follow the Alberta Nutrition Guidelines for Children and Youth and Alberta Nutrition Guidelines for Adults.)
- Insurance for project activities
- Activities that support the development of multisectoral and community based partnerships
- Capital expenses that will directly support active living and/or healthy eating within the scope of recreation at the community level
What will Communities ChooseWell NOT fund?
- Activities unrelated to active living and/or healthy eating within the scope of recreation
- Curriculum based school activities that do not involve the broader community
- Projects focused on the individual-level
- Emergency food/hunger alleviation
- High-performance sport and fitness activities
- Activities that have already taken place
- Activities that take place outside of Alberta or support participants outside Alberta
- Existing programs or activities with no enhancements
- Administrative costs indirectly related to or removed from the project (e.g. legal fees)
- Capital expenses that will not exclusively support active living and/or healthy eating within the scope of recreation at the community level