Community Grants Program to Support Local Programs and Services in Canada

Deadline: 02-Mar-2026

The City of Woodstock Community Grants Program provides financial support to local non-profit, charitable, and volunteer organizations to implement programs and projects that benefit residents and strengthen community well-being. Funding prioritizes projects with meaningful impact, financial sustainability, and alignment with community needs, across sectors such as arts, culture, recreation, environment, and public services.

Objective

The program aims to:

• Support charitable, recreational, cultural, arts, and environmental initiatives

• Enhance overall community well-being and public benefit

• Ensure fairness, transparency, accountability, and due diligence in grant allocation

• Provide supplementary funding to organizations whose primary funding comes from other sources

Eligibility

• Local non-profit, charitable, or volunteer organizations operating within the City of Woodstock

• Must deliver services or programs open to the public and aligned with community needs

• Operational for at least one year

• Demonstrates fiscal responsibility and maintains a diversified revenue base

• Municipal funding must be necessary for program delivery

• Special consideration may be given to youth recreational initiatives and community-focused service club projects

Excluded Applicants

• Individuals

• For-profit or commercial entities

• Political organizations

• Publicly funded institutions

• Capital expenses or projects under legislated responsibility of other government levels (except in special cases)

Funding Details

• Grants are annual and determined based on 15% of the City’s hosting fee received from the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation the previous year

• Supplementary funding only; grants do not replace primary funding sources

• No commitment to future funding

• Funding is allocated based on:

  • Community impact

  • Financial sustainability

  • Demonstrated need

  • Public benefit

Evaluation Criteria

Applications are reviewed to ensure:

• Alignment with City priorities and community needs

• Consistency, fairness, and accountability

• Transparency and merit-based assessment

• Capacity of the organization to deliver the proposed initiative effectively

Conclusion

The City of Woodstock Community Grants Program empowers local organizations to deliver impactful, community-focused initiatives across a range of sectors. By prioritizing sustainable projects that meet demonstrated needs, the program strengthens the social, cultural, and environmental well-being of Woodstock residents while maintaining accountability, transparency, and equity in funding allocation.

For more information, visit City of Woodstock.