Alberta Community Partnership (ACP)

• The applicant must be an eligible local government entity (for example, an Alberta municipality; a Metis Settlement; or the Townsite of Redwood Meadows Administration Society), depending on the funding component.
• The project must align with an Alberta Community Partnership (ACP) component objective (for example, intermunicipal collaboration; municipal restructuring; mediation/cooperative processes; municipal internship; asset management support by invitation; or strategic initiatives).
• For Intermunicipal Collaboration projects, the application must be submitted by a managing partner on behalf of a partnership of two or more eligible local governments, and the project must support new or enhanced regional municipal service delivery plans, frameworks, or efficiencies.
• For Municipal Internship projects, the applicant must be an eligible municipality (or an intermunicipal planning service agency for the Land-Use Planner stream) and meet the stream-specific population thresholds (Administrator: 700–75,000; Finance Officer: 2,500–125,000; Land-Use Planner: 5,000–125,000, based on the 2024 Municipal Affairs Population List).
• Where required by the component, the project must be supported by council resolutions or motions confirming participation and, when applicable, designating the managing partner.

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).

Eligible geographic areas

• Alberta (local governments/municipal entities in Alberta).

• Improved level of integrated municipal service delivery for the region (max. 25 points).
• Broader benefits to the partnership (max. 20 points).
• Project established as a priority for the region (max. 15 points).
• Project funding helps resolve capacity-related barriers to undertake the project (max. 10 points).
• Project budget estimates are supported (max. 10 points).

• 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).