Grant and Funding Programs Offered by Val-Saint-François RCM

The Val-Saint-François Regional County Municipality (RCM), established in 1982, is a local government entity encompassing 18 municipalities in the northern part of Quebec’s Estrie (Eastern Townships) region. Its territory covers roughly 1,400 km² with a population of nearly 33,000 residents, and Richmond serves as its administrative center. The identity of the Val-Saint-François region is strongly shaped by history: in the late 18th century, Loyalist farmers from the United States settled in the area, followed in the 19th century by waves of English and Irish immigration, leaving the region with a unique cultural and architectural heritage.

The general mission of the Val-Saint-François RCM is to improve the quality of life of its residents through coordinated and sustainable territorial development. As a territorial and socio-economic development organization, it undertakes a variety of responsibilities such as land use planning (drafting and implementing a regional land use and development plan and ensuring municipal urban plans align with it), environmental management (oversight of watercourses, waste management, and other environmental initiatives), socio-economic, socio-cultural and tourism development, as well as coordinating public safety at the regional level. The RCM also provides specialized services to its member municipalities — for example in urban planning, property assessment, forestry, geomatics (mapping), water management, and the promotion of a circular economy — and participates in numerous regional committees, all with the aim of supporting local communities.

Through its development department (Développement Val-Saint-François), the RCM serves as a driving force to stimulate local growth. It guides entrepreneurs, organizations, and municipalities in carrying out high-impact projects that contribute to the region’s vitality. Moreover, the RCM is responsible for administering various financial support programs on behalf of the provincial government or through local partnerships. Without naming each program, these funds target priorities such as environmental sustainability, entrepreneurship, and community well-being. Among them is an eco-responsible program that encourages environmental initiatives by small businesses and non-profit organizations in the area, as well as other funding mechanisms supporting innovation, the economic vitality of communities, and local development. All of these programs share common strategic orientations: supporting the transition to sustainability, fostering innovation, strengthening the economic vitality of communities, and promoting local development.