Closed
Source verified July 31, 2026
CEF Community Services Program
Strengthens Hamilton human services capacity
Funding available
$ 15,000
Deadline
Closed
Location
Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
Overview
CEF Community Services Program offers up to $15,000 to incorporated not-for-profit organizations with a charitable number in Hamilton to strengthen human services and advance community priorities. Eligible activities include strategy development, organizational plans, and collaboration-driven systems change.
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At a glance
Funding available
Financing goals
- Develop a new program or service
- Enhance an existing program
- Strengthen organizational capacity
Eligible Funding
- Maximum amount : 15,000 $
- Minimum amount : 15,000 $
Funds Providers
Eligible candidates
Eligible Industries
- All industries
Location
- Hamilton
- Ontario
Legal structures
- Non-profit
Annual revenue
- All revenue ranges
Organisation size
- All organization sizes
Audience
- All groups
Non-profit candidates
Sector of operation
- All industries
Target groups
- All the groups
Revenue structures
- All structures
Scope
- Municipal
Next Steps
1
Determine your project
2
Validate your eligibility
Activities funded
- One-time internal-facing projects that strengthen organizational capacity and resiliency
- Strategy development and organizational planning
- Organizational-level professional development initiatives
- Governance, policy, IDEA, and accessibility improvements
Documents Needed
- Board of Directors list, including role titles and length on the Board
- Audited financial statements or unaudited financial statements; audited statements must be signed
- Most recent annual report for incorporated not-for-profit organizations
Official resources
Program guide
Eligibility
Who is eligible?
- Legally incorporated not-for-profit organizations
- Organizations with a charitable number
- Returning Community Services CEF grantees
- First-time applicants
- Individual organizations or collaborating organizations, with one lead applicant for collaborative requests
Who is not eligible
- For-profit organizations and ventures
- Religious organizations, political parties, hospitals, and foundations
- Funding bodies or organizations acting as funding agencies that allocate contributions to other groups
- Organizations whose activities fall under the jurisdiction of other levels, divisions, departments, or agencies of the City or other governments, including school boards, post-secondary institutions, charitable foundations, hospitals, business improvement associations, building non-profit housing, emergency shelters, residential care facilities, childcare centres, and EarlyON programs
- Applicants with outstanding City Enrichment Fund Final Reports or other requested follow-up material
- Organizations that received CEF funding from this stream in the immediately preceding year
Eligible expenses
- Costs associated with obtaining legal not-for-profit incorporation or registered charitable status
- Organizational plans, including strategic, IDEA, risk management, privacy, and cybersecurity plans
- First-time audited financial statements
- Governance and policy review and creation
- Costs related to creating systems-level change through partnership or collaboration at the organizational level
Ineligible Costs and Activities
- Attendance at annual professional service organization general meetings or conferences
- Ongoing operating costs, publications, marketing, and program advertising
- Academic and professional training, mandated training, and capital project planning studies or minor capital/equipment
- Fundraising or revenue-generation plans, marketing plans, and volunteer management plans or strategies
- Projects previously funded through this stream
Eligible geographic areas
- City of Hamilton
Selection criteria
- Returning applications are scored out of 100.
- Scores are weighted as Organizational Capacity 60%, Program Merit 30%, and Community Impact 10%.
- The detailed program description is scored on capacity issue, project scope, timeline, evaluation, and learnings.
- Other scored areas include how the funding will be used, outcomes, partnerships or collaborations, team members and implementation, community vision, organizational capacity, future challenges, and IDEA.
How to apply
- Read the City Enrichment Fund General Guidelines.
- Read the Community Services Handbook for the stream for which you are requesting funding.
- Use the Application Questions section of the handbook as a reference when completing the application and complete all questions.
- Provide the answer you want adjudicators to score in the space provided directly on the application form.
- Upload all mandatory documents and any others you would like to include as background or context material.
Processing and Agreement
- Each application is reviewed by an adjudication team of up to 3 reviewers, combining community and staff reviewers
- All funded applicants must submit a final report as a condition of funding
- Having an overdue final report will impact funding consideration for the next grant cycle
Additional information
- All programs funded through the Community Services Program support Hamilton’s community vision, Our Future Hamilton.
Contacts
Other components of this program
Explore related funding streams and grants that belong to the same program.
- CEF Agriculture ProgramFunding for agriculture community initiatives
- CEF Appeals ProcessAppeals review for City Enrichment Fund applicants
- CEF Arts ProgramSupports Hamilton arts organizations and artists
- CEF Communities, Culture & Heritage ProgramSupports community identity in Hamilton
- CEF Digital Program – Digital Equity Initiatives StreamSupports digital equity and inclusion initiatives
- CEF Environment ProgramFunds environmental initiatives in Hamilton
- CEF Sport & Active Lifestyles ProgramSupports Hamilton sport and active living projects
Frequently Asked Questions about the CEF Community Services Program Program
What is the CEF Community Services Program?
CEF Community Services Program offers up to $15,000 to incorporated not-for-profit organizations with a charitable number in Hamilton to strengthen human services and advance community priorities. Eligible activities include strategy development, organizational plans, and collaboration-driven systems change.
How much funding can be received?
CEF Community Services Program Funds up to $15,000 of admissible expenses.
Who is eligible for the CEF Community Services Program program?
To be eligible for the CEF Community Services Program program, you must:
The organization must be legally incorporated as a not-for-profit or hold a charitable number.
The organization must be fully operational for one fiscal year and serve the city of Hamilton.
Applicants may be returning Community Services CEF grantees or first-time applicants.
What expenses are eligible under CEF Community Services Program?
One-time internal-facing projects that strengthen organizational capacity and resiliency
Strategy development and organizational planning
Organizational-level professional development initiatives
Governance, policy, IDEA, and accessibility improvements
Who can I contact for more information about the CEF Community Services Program?
You can contact City of Hamilton by email at grant.coordinator@hamilton.ca or by phone at 289-260-8119.
Where is the CEF Community Services Program available?
The CEF Community Services Program program is available the province of Ontario.
Is the CEF Community Services Program a grant, loan, or tax credit?
CEF Community Services Program is a Grant and Funding