Community Facility Enhancement Program Large

Community non-profit organizations who have been registered for a minimum of two years and are in good standing under one of the following Acts:

Provincial Legislation 

• Agriculture Societies Act 
• Part 21 of the Business Corporations Act - Extra-Provincial Corporations* 
• Companies Act, Part 9 (Non-profit Companies) 
• Libraries Act 
• Societies Act of Alberta 
• Special Act of the Alberta Legislature 
• Métis Settlements 

Federal Legislation 

• Special Act of the Parliament of Canada (and operating in the Province of Alberta) 
• Income Tax Act (of Canada and operating in the Province of Alberta (Charities)) 
• First Nations 

*Must have an Alberta based address, which must be regularly monitored by an active member of the organization.

• Municipalities
• For-profit organizations
• Organizations that primarily support a private sector, rather than the public interest 
• Universities, colleges, and institutes as defined under Alberta’s Post-Secondary Learning Act
• Private Schools (including grades K-12, universities, colleges and institutes)
• Fundraising bodies for for-profit organizations, or business associations
• Organizations with overdue/incomplete grant reporting relating to any previously awarded ministry grant.
• Individuals

• CFEP Large funding provides financial assistance to acquire, build, purchase, repair, renovate, upgrade, or expand sports, recreational, cultural, or other related spaces.
• For a project to be eligible, the facility must be primarily intended for general public-use and the benefit of the community. 
• Examples of eligible public-use community facilities:
  • Community halls, parks, playgrounds, natural areas, outdoor spaces (e.g., sports fields, campsites).
• Eligible project activities:
  • New construction, facility purchase, retrofitting, renovations, equipment purchases, and planning/design fees.
• Only one project per application will be considered, and each facility can only receive one capital grant per fiscal year (April–March).

Please reference section 3.3 of the CFEP Large Guidelines for details.

• Private and/or restricted use facilities:
  • Private or commercial facilities, gated community facilities, places with restricted or extremely limited public access, private residential or group housing, long-term care facilities, places of worship, and church sanctuaries.
• Gaming-related facilities:
  • Projects involving gaming activities, the purchase or installation of gaming equipment, or upgrades to facilities providing gaming (e.g., bingo halls, casinos, horse racing tracks).
• Core/essential facilities and utilities which are the responsibility of the municipality, First Nation or Métis Settlement
  • Core infrastructure (e.g., administration buildings, roads, sidewalks, light standards), emergency services (e.g., police, fire, ambulance), facilities that receive regular provincial or federal capital support (e.g., hospitals, provincial or national parks).
• Provincially regulated educational facilities:
  • School or post-secondary institution infrastructure for academic purposes, facilities offering provincially regulated programs or services, or training for accredited programs.
• Land, equipment, and technology purchases:
  • Stand-alone purchases of land, equipment, or technology.
• Out-of-province projects:
  • Projects constructed on land outside of Alberta.

Please see section 3.3 of the CFEP Large Guidelines for details.

Matching funding may be in the form of cash or donated labour, equipment, or materials, all of which must be specifically related to the project. 

Valuation of Donated Resources:

• Unskilled labour: $20/hour
• Skilled labour: $40/hour (e.g., ticketed electrician or plumber)
• Heavy equipment (with operator): $120/hour
• Donated materials/professional services: Fair market value

Actual hours must be reported, and supporting documentation for donated resources must be kept for accounting purposes.

• Other Government of Alberta funding may not be used as a match for the CFEP Large requested funding, and maximum funding from the Government of Alberta cannot exceed 50 per cent of the total project cost.
• Ineligible project expenses as stated in the CFEP Large Guidelines section 3.5.
• Donation in kind of small power tools or hand tools (hammers, screwdrivers, sanders, saws, etc.). 
• Wages and salaries associated with the regular, ongoing operations of the organization. 
• Volunteer travel time or mileage for picking up materials.
• Volunteer time related to fundraising, preparing grant applications, meetings, or project planning.

Read the CFEP Large guidelines.

• Questions to consider:
  • Is your organization eligible? (Sections 3.1 & 3.2)
  • Is your project eligible? (Sections 3.3 & 3.4)
  • Are your project expenses eligible? (Sections 3.5)
  • Are your matching funds in place and eligible? (Section 5)

Important: Ensure you register for a Front Office account no later than 10 business days before an application intake deadline.

• Download and complete the Registrant Form. Select Community Grants as the program area.
• Email completed form to registration.cg@gov.ab.ca to register as an Applicant.

For help, read the Front Office User Guide, and watch our Front Office tutorial videos at: Preparing an applying for grants.

In Front Office, select the “Community Facility Enhancement Program (CFEP) Large Expression of Interest” funding tile to complete and submit your EOI.

Only projects that align with program criteria, demonstrate shovel readiness, project viability will be invited to the application step.

Log in to Front Office

• Successful EOI applicants will be invited to submit a full application package through the Front Office application portal. 
• The complete application package will include the application, mandatory documentation and supporting documentation referenced in the EOI.
• All applications must be submitted through the Front Office Application Portal. 
• Organizations have 45-days to submit the full application, including any supporting documentation for review and evaluation.

Log in to Front Office

• To meet the application submission timelines organizations should prepare the following:
  • Project Business Case – Project Business Case Information Resource
  • 5-year Operational Budget – 5-year Operational Budget Information Resource
  • Lease or User Agreement (if applicable)
  • Third Party Agreement – mandatory if the organization is engaging a third party to carry out the project on their behalf – Third Party Information Resource
• Additional Mandatory Documents to include with the application:
  • board listing with contact information
  • organization’s most recent financial statements
  • quotes or bids for the project
  • confirmation of project revenues and donated-in-kind
  • Application for Electronic Payment – Watch the tutorial video here.
  • any other additional documentation identified in the EOI submission

• During the review process, organizations may be contacted for information by our program staff.
• The Front Office portal allows the applicant to see the status of their application.
• Notification is sent by email to the contacts listed on your organization’s application approximately six months after the intake deadline. Please contact the Community Grants office if this information changes.
• Applicants may begin incurring project-related costs from the date of their application submission. Please note that funding approval is not guaranteed. Expenses incurred before the application submission will not be eligible for reimbursement.
• Organizations declined for funding may submit a new application for the same project if expenses have not been incurred prior to the submission of the new application.

Organizations may access a copy of their signed grant agreement through the Front Office portal.

Organizations may request a copy of their signed grant agreement by emailing the program at communitygrants@gov.ab.ca.

See the Reporting Requirements Guide for more information and examples.