Open
Alberta Community Partnership (ACP)
Supports municipalities’ collaboration and capacity building for sustainable regional services
Last Update: March 4, 2026
Funding available
$ 1,500,000
Timeline
- Open continuously
Location
Alberta, Canada
Overview
Alberta Community Partnership (ACP) provides up to $200,000 per project to improve the viability and long-term sustainability of local governments by supporting regional collaboration and capacity building. Eligible activities include developing regional plans and service delivery frameworks (Intermunicipal Collaboration), funding municipal restructuring studies and post-restructuring transition or infrastructure work (Municipal Restructuring), supporting mediation and cooperative processes, and hosting municipal interns (Municipal Internship).
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Opportunity Score
Moderate potential, but conditions must align.
At a glance
Funding available
Financing goals
- Improve governance or administrative structure
- Attract or retain talent
- Develop strategic partnerships
Eligible Funding
- Maximum amount : 1,500,000 $
- Up to 75% of project cost
Timeline
- Open continuously
Eligible candidates
Eligible Industries
- Public administration
Location
- Alberta
Legal structures
- Public or Parapublic institution
Annual revenue
- All revenue ranges
Organisation size
- All organization sizes
Audience
- All groups
Next Steps
1
Determine your project
2
Validate your eligibility
Activities funded
- Develop or update regional municipal service delivery plans, agreements, or frameworks with two or more local governments (for example, regional emergency management, disaster preparedness/mitigation, or growth planning).
- Undertake municipal restructuring and regional governance work (such as amalgamation or dissolution studies, and viability review-related studies).
- Carry out post-restructuring transition projects to integrate administration, governance, legislation, and systems after a dissolution or amalgamation.
- Use mediation, facilitation, or cooperative processes to resolve intermunicipal disputes or to support negotiations of intermunicipal agreements (including ICFs/IDPs and related planning or service agreements).
- Deliver a municipal internship placement (18-month term) to build workforce capacity in municipal administration, finance, or land-use planning (including partnership hosting arrangements).
Documents Needed
- Council resolution(s) or motion(s) confirming project participation and (where applicable) designating the managing partner
- Letter of support (signed by the Chief Elected Official) when council resolutions/motions are not yet available (used in some components)
Eligibility
Who is eligible?
- Municipalities (local governments: cities, towns, villages, municipal districts, etc.).
- Metis Settlements.
- Townsite of Redwood Meadows Administration Society.
- Municipally controlled planning service agencies (to host a Land Use Planner intern under the “Municipal Internship” component).
- Municipal professional administrative organizations (under the “Strategic Initiatives” component).
Who is not eligible
- Individuals.
- For-profit corporations.
- Not-for-profit organizations.
- Regional service commissions (excluding planning commissions).
- Intermunicipal entities and municipal subsidiary corporations (for-profit and not-for-profit).
Eligible expenses
- Contracted services and project management costs directly attributable to the project outcomes (including consultant fees and related consultant travel expenses).
- Vendor costs for project delivery (including advertising, public consultation venue rental, and offsite printing).
- Mediator or third-party facilitator fees and travel costs (for mediation, facilitation, dispute resolution, and negotiation support).
- Eligible in-kind contributions for cost-shared or matching projects (including meeting or consultation space rentals; municipal staff overtime dedicated to the project; specialized equipment rentals for meetings/consultations; meeting/consultation materials; report preparation/photocopying/distribution; travel/participation costs for specific groups; and municipal staff travel costs to support meetings).
- Eligible post-restructuring transition costs (including financial audits; community engagement/communications costs such as advertising, public notices and signage; integration/migration of administrative systems such as accounting/finance, assessment, communications, GIS, IT, records management and taxation; legal and legislative costs such as contracts review, land title fees, electoral boundaries review, by-elections, bylaw/policy reviews; library board establishment costs; organizational reviews; personnel transition costs including additional staff time, staff training and severance; and relocation of municipal operations).
- Repairs and upgrades to existing municipally owned capital infrastructure assets (where eligible under the post-restructuring Infrastructure Stream).
- Internship-related costs for approved municipal internships (including eligible intern compensation support and expenses such as recruitment, relocation, professional development, safety equipment, association membership fees, and electronic equipment; plus eligible costs for supervisors to attend in-person internship workshops).
Ineligible Costs and Activities
- Existing and ongoing operational costs
- Goods and Services Tax (GST)
- Floodway mapping costs
- Government advocacy activities
- Costs already funded under other grant programs
Eligible geographic areas
- Alberta (local governments/municipal entities in Alberta).
Processing and Agreement
- Municipal Affairs reviews each submission to confirm it meets ACP program requirements.
- After assessment, Municipal Affairs forwards a funding recommendation to the Minister of Municipal Affairs.
- The Minister makes the final funding decision; applicants are advised in writing of the status of their submission.
- If approved, the applicant must enter into a Conditional Grant Agreement (CGA) with Municipal Affairs that sets the terms and conditions (including scope, dates, payments, and reporting).
- Successful projects are posted annually as an approved projects list.
Additional information
- The total 2025-26 Alberta Community Partnership (ACP) program budget is $13.4 million.
- The ACP program underwent an evaluation review in 2024, and related recommendations informed 2025-26 program changes.
- Funding decisions are anticipated by March 31 of the program year, and applicants are expected to be advised of their application status in writing.
- Final reporting is generally due within 60 days after the project completion date (unless otherwise stated).
Contacts
Frequently Asked Questions about the Alberta Community Partnership (ACP) Program
Here are answers to the most common questions about the Alberta Community Partnership (ACP). This section explains what the program is, how much funding is available, eligibility requirements, application deadlines, and other important details to help you determine if this grant is right for your business.
What is the Alberta Community Partnership (ACP)?
Alberta Community Partnership (ACP) provides up to $200,000 per project to improve the viability and long-term sustainability of local governments by supporting regional collaboration and capacity building. Eligible activities include developing regional plans and service delivery frameworks (Intermunicipal Collaboration), funding municipal restructuring studies and post-restructuring transition or infrastructure work (Municipal Restructuring), supporting mediation and cooperative processes, and hosting municipal interns (Municipal Internship).
How much funding can be received?
Alberta Community Partnership (ACP) Funds up to 75% of admissible expenses, capped at $1,500,000 per project.
Who is eligible for the Alberta Community Partnership (ACP) program?
To be eligible for the Alberta Community Partnership (ACP) program, you must:
Alberta municipalities (including cities, towns, villages, summer villages, municipal districts, specialized municipalities, improvement districts, Special Areas)
Metis Settlements or Townsite of Redwood Meadows Administration Society
Municipally controlled planning service agencies (Municipal Internship – Land-Use Planner stream only)
What expenses are eligible under Alberta Community Partnership (ACP)?
Develop or update regional municipal service delivery plans, agreements, or frameworks with two or more local governments (for example, regional emergency management, disaster preparedness/mitigation, or growth planning).
Undertake municipal restructuring and regional governance work (such as amalgamation or dissolution studies, and viability review-related studies).
Carry out post-restructuring transition projects to integrate administration, governance, legislation, and systems after a dissolution or amalgamation.
Use mediation, facilitation, or cooperative processes to resolve intermunicipal disputes or to support negotiations of intermunicipal agreements (including ICFs/IDPs and related planning or service agreements).
Deliver a municipal internship placement (18-month term) to build workforce capacity in municipal administration, finance, or land-use planning (including partnership hosting arrangements).
Who can I contact for more information about the Alberta Community Partnership (ACP)?
You can contact Government of Alberta by email at acp.grants@gov.ab.ca or by phone at 780-422-7125.
Where is the Alberta Community Partnership (ACP) available?
The Alberta Community Partnership (ACP) program is available the province of Alberta.
Is the Alberta Community Partnership (ACP) a grant, loan, or tax credit?
Alberta Community Partnership (ACP) is a Partnering and Collaboration