PrairiesCan — Build Communities Strong Fund (BCSF) – Local Impact Stream in the Prairie provinces

• Confirmed funding.
• Copy of the property agreement or lease.
• Financial statements for the last two years.
• Project plan or Gantt chart.
• Supporting documents, such as incorporation documents, proof of signing authority, proof that the project is shovel-ready, required permits, regulatory approvals, resolutions, proof of permission to undertake renovations if applicable, and a detailed budget.

Who is eligible?

• Local or regional governments, such as municipalities, regional districts, incorporated rural communities, and local service districts.
• Organizations created by local or regional governments.
• Incorporated not-for-profit organizations, including co-operatives and business improvement areas.
• Indigenous organizations, such as Indigenous-led not-for-profits, First Nations represented by their Chief and Council, Tribal Councils, Indigenous Representative Organizations, Inuit organizations, and Métis Settlements.
• Applicants must be legal entities capable of entering into legally binding agreements.

Who is not eligible

• Individuals.
• Businesses.
• Provincial governments.
• Territorial governments.

Eligible expenses

• Construction or improvement of community infrastructure, including expansion, renovation, retrofit, climate adaptation, or replacement.
• Direct materials and supplies related to the project.
• Purchase of equipment or machinery directly related to or necessary for the project.
• Incremental fees paid to professional, technical personnel, consultants, and contractors for activities directly related to the project.
• Incremental wages and benefits for individuals employed for the project, as well as costs related to legal, regulatory, or government requirements, design and planning, and signage promoting the visibility of federal contributions.

Ineligible Costs and Activities

• Acquisition or lease of land, buildings or other facilities.
• Recurring operations and maintenance.
• Motor vehicles, amortization or depreciation of assets, and refinancing existing debt.
• Goodwill, indirect costs, and any asset purchased above fair market value.
• Commercial projects; and water, wastewater and stormwater management assets, roads and sidewalks, public transit including active transportation, post-secondary education infrastructure, and major health infrastructure such as hospitals, emergency rooms, urgent care centres, community health centres, and medical schools.

• Shovel-ready projects with all required permits secured, environmental assessments completed, detailed design and project execution plan, confirmed cost estimates, and funding in place.
• Projects leveraging greater funding from other sources of support, with more than 50% of total project costs confirmed in writing.
• Projects identified as a priority by local, provincial, or Indigenous governments, or by federal government strategies.
• Relative strength in the ability to achieve the BCSF objectives and priorities, project viability, economic benefits, community impact, and compliance with applicable legislation and regulatory or permit requirements.
• Applications involving Indigenous, rural and/or remote communities, or Official Language Minority Communities may be given preference.

• Prepare to fill out your application by following the steps in the Before you Apply section.
• Log in to the PrairiesCan portal.
• Complete the application form using the BCSF Applicant Guide.
• Attach the required documents.
• Submit the application through the PrairiesCan portal; before submitting, ensure your organization can enter legally binding agreements and the submitter is authorized to bind the organization.

• Applications are subject to detailed evaluation.
• Decisions are normally made within 90 business days after receiving a complete application with satisfactory supporting documentation.
• If approved, PrairiesCan invites the applicant to sign a contribution agreement that sets payment terms; it must be signed within 30 days and cannot be signed until all funding sources are confirmed.
• Successful applicants must provide progress reports at least twice a year, annual financial statements from project start to project end, and ongoing tracking of key activities, milestones, results, and final deliverables.
• Progress reports must accompany reimbursement claims.

• Applicants are encouraged to consider Canadian materials and content.