Green and Inclusive Community Buildings Program in Canada

Deadline: 28-Feb-23
Infrastructure Canada invites municipal or regional governments, public sector bodies, not-for-profit organizations, provincial or territorial governments and Indigenous organizations or entities to apply for the Green and Inclusive Community Buildings Program.

The Program focuses on publicly accessible community buildings with a recognition that these structures and spaces are at the heart of community vitality: they are the places where Canadians gather, access essential services, and learn and play. The quality, availability and location of these spaces – along with the services that they sustain – plays a meaningful role in fostering inclusion in society and combating systemic inequities.

Funding Streams

• The GICB Program has two main funding streams: a continuous, non-competitive intake for small and medium retrofits, and a scheduled, competitive intake process for large retrofits and new builds.
• Continuous intake stream for small and medium retrofit projects across Canada.
  • Small retrofit projects are those that range in size from $100,000 to $249,999 in total eligible costs.
  • Medium retrofit projects are those that range in size from $250,000 to $2,999,999 in total eligible costs.
• Scheduled competitive intake for large retrofits and new buildings across Canada.
  • Large retrofit projects are those that range in size from $3,000,000 to $25,000,000 in total eligible costs.
  • New build projects are those that range in size from $3,000,000 to $25,000,000 in total eligible costs.
• Projects in excess of $25,000,000 may be considered on a case-by case basis.
• A minimum of $150 million will be allocated on a distinctions-basis to Indigenous projects being led by and for Indigenous populations and communities. Indigenous applicants are encouraged to apply through the process described above for projects of all types and sizes.

Eligible Projects

• The GICB Program funds two types of projects:
  • Retrofits, repairs and upgrades to existing community buildings. Retrofits are changes to an existing building/asset that seek to renovate, upgrade, or repair aspects of the building/asset in a manner that improves environmental outcomes. Retrofits must be to a facility that is fully accessible to the public and that will provide non-commercial services to the community. For a detailed description of retrofit projects and their conditions for eligibility, see the section below “Retrofits – Applying for funding for retrofits, repairs and upgrades to existing buildings”.
  • The construction of new community buildings. New builds must be of a building/asset that is open and fully accessible to the public and that will provide non-commercial services to the community. For a detailed description of new build projects and their conditions for eligibility, please see the section entitled “New builds – Applying for funding for the construction of new community buildings”.
  • To be eligible for funding, retrofitted and new buildings must be in areas with underserved populations experiencing higher needs and be the site of Programming and/or activities that demonstrably serve these populations.

Eligibility Criteria

• Eligible applicants include:
  • A municipal or regional government established by or under provincial or territorial statute
  • A provincial or territorial government
  • A public sector body that is established by or under provincial or territorial statute or by regulation or is wholly-owned by a province, territory, municipal or regional government, including, but not limited to:
    • Municipally-owned corporations (e.g. autonomous organizations owned by municipalities, used to produce or deliver local public services outside the local bureaucracy, such as water management, economic development or tourism agencies)
    • A provincial or territorial organization that delivers municipal services (e.g. community health services)
    • Any other form of local governance that exists outside of the municipality description (e.g. local service districts)
  • Federally or provincially incorporated not-for-profit organizations and registered charities
  • Indigenous recipients:
    • Indigenous Governing Body, including the following:
      • A band council within the meaning of section 2 of the Indian Act
      • A First Nation, Inuit or Métis government or authority established pursuant to a Self-Government Agreement or a Comprehensive Land Claim Agreement between His Majesty the King in right of Canada and an Indigenous people of Canada, that has been approved, given effect and declared valid by federal legislation
      • A First Nation, Inuit or Métis government that is established by or under legislation whether federal or provincial that incorporates a governance structure
    • A federally or provincially incorporated not-for-profit organization whose primary mandate is to serve Indigenous peoples (e.g. Friendship centres, aboriginal women's associations)
    • Not-for-profit Indigenous development corporations

Ineligible

• Ineligible applicants include but are not limited to:
  • Commercial and for-profit organizations
  • Individuals and private citizens
  • Federal entities, including federal Crown corporations
  • To be considered eligible for funding, applicants must demonstrate that they have the required authority to undertake the project on the building/asset or land.

For more information, visit Infrastructure Canada.