Deadline: 27-Sep-23
The Columbia Basin Trust is seeking applications for the Trail Enhancement Grant Program to provide flexible and proactive support to help communities achieve their unique aspirations when it comes to trails.
Trail Enhancement Grants aim to enhance trail related recreation opportunities in the Basin.
Funding Information
- Up to 80 per cent of total project costs can be requested from the Trust. There is no maximum amount for grant requests. However, the Trust anticipates that many successful grants will be in the range of $10,000 to $50,000.
Eligible Projects
- The following projects, costs, and associated contractor fees are eligible:
- Development of trails to:
- expand and accommodate accessible standards for people with disabilities, mobility issues or adaptive equipment;
- are short sections that link other trails together (connector trails); and
- mitigate identified environmental issues or incorporate climate resilience considerations.
- Rehabilitation of trails that:
- are damaged due to large or catastrophic weather events; and
- have identified environmental issues that need to be mitigated.
- Construction of complementary trail infrastructure that will enhance the user experience, such as:
- trailside and trailhead amenities (e.g. signs/kiosks, washrooms, picnic tables, benches, garbage cans);
- trail infrastructure (e.g. culverts, boardwalks and bridges) added to existing trails or built to replace aging or unsafe infrastructure;
- associated design and engineering costs; and
- elements that contribute to the awareness of Indigenous heritage or that of other cultures.
- Capital expenses for equipment that directly supports your project or mandate may be considered if requests are under $5,000 and for items such as:
- trail counters; and
- equipment (e.g. shovels, rakes, brush hogs, chainsaws, packers/compactors, wheelbarrows and storage units).
- Development of trails to:
Ineligible Projects
- Ineligible projects or costs include:
- retroactive costs (costs incurred before the grant’s Contribution Agreement is signed);
- wages associated with regular, routine and ongoing maintenance;
- costs associated with developing new, large trails;
- costs associated with land use planning or project development that are outside the scope of the specific project (e.g. larger-scale land use planning);
- projects that take place outside the Basin;
- costs associated with communications about the project;
- projects that relieve any level of government of its obligations; and
- projects done for political parties, advocacy or lobby groups or organizations that are exclusive or discriminative in nature.
Eligibility Criteria
- Eligible applicants include registered non-profits, local governments and First Nations communities in the Columbia Basin Trust region.
- Applicants operating outside the Basin must partner with community-based organizations operating within the region and must show that the project benefits the Basin.
- The Trust will only consider projects with broad community impact. The primary beneficiary cannot be the applicant or solely the members of a membership-based organization.
For more information, visit Columbia Basin Trust.