Community-led Engagement Grants

On this page

• Grant funding for non-profit organizations
• General criteria for grant eligibility
• Grant funding streams
• Grant timeline
• Applications
• Reporting requirements
• How to use the grant

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Grant funding for non-profit organizations

Grants will be provided to community organizations to conduct engagement with their own networks and communities with a focus on seeking participation from over-policed and under-policed populations, such as Indigenous, Black, and People of Colour, members of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community, and individuals facing challenges related to mental health, poverty, or other barriers.

The granting process will strongly favor applications with a demonstrated ability to conduct engagements in a culturally safe and trauma-informed manner. Geographic distribution will also be considered to ensure participation across the province.

Engagement sessions could include story telling events to hear from people who have been impacted by police, a forum or community café for meaningful dialogue on a specific policing topic, or facilitated sessions where policy considerations are discussed. Community organizations are encouraged to host sessions that seek both lived experience and policy-related feedback. Successful grant recipients, should they choose, may have the opportunity to work with a consultant who can help with developing questions and reporting tools.

Discussion papers have been developed to help support meaningful participation and dialogue on key themes that must be considered to develop new policing legislation. The discussion papers provide background information about the current state of policing in B.C., highlight issues or problems that may be addressed through new policy or legislation, and identify possible reform ideas that have been presented by partners through the Special Committee’s process or subsequent engagements conducted by the Public Safety Transformation Team. Successful grant recipients will be provided discussion papers on all themes.

The discussion paper topics include:

• Governance
• Oversight of police conduct
• Funding models
• The law enforcement continuum
• Training and assessment
• Indigenous policing
• Provincial and regional policing models
• Powers and authorities

General criteria for grant eligibility

To be eligible, organizations must offer programs, supports, and/or services to British Columbians. Organizations that serve over-policed and under-policed populations, such as Indigenous, Black and People of Colour, members of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community, and individuals facing challenges related to mental health, poverty, or other barriers, will be prioritized.

The following organizations are eligible to apply:

• Federally registered charities offering programs and services in B.C.
• First Nations organizations incorporated as a not-for-profit society or registered charitable organizations
• Métis organizations
• Not-for-profit organizations
• Urban/Off reserve First Nations organizations, such as Friendship Centres

The following organizations are not eligible to apply for this grant:

• Academic institutions
• Health Authorities
• Hospital Foundations
• Individuals
• Local Governments
• Municipalities
• Police departments
• Regional Districts
• Schools and School Districts
• First Nations Governments (Capacity funding is available to First Nations and Modern Treaty Nations through Declaration Act Engagement Fund and limited additional capacity funds are available through the Policing and Security Branch)

Grant funding streams

Four funding streams are available to eligible community organizations of varying sizes and scopes. Organizations can only apply once to one grant stream. Please review the information on each grant stream below to understand which is most appropriate for your organization.

To maximize accessibility of the grant funds for eligible organizations, the Ministry reserves the right to re-allocate funds between funding streams based on the volume of received applications.

Grant timeline

• Applications open: Friday, September 27, 2023, at 12PM PST
• Application deadline: Friday, November 10, 2023, at 9AM PST
• Grant recipients notified: Thursday, November 30, 2023
• Community-led engagements deadline: Tuesday, February 13, 2024
• Final reports submission deadline: Friday, February 16, 2024

Applications

We are no longer accepting applications for this funding opportunity.

The deadline to submit was Friday, November 10, 2023, at 9 AM PST.

All organizations will be notified of the final funding decisions.

If you have any questions, please contact the Policing and Public Safety Modernization Team by email at Engagement.PublicSafetyTransformation@gov.bc.ca.

Reporting requirements

You are required to submit a final report on how the funds were used and the results of the engagement process. A report template will be available, and a final report with the required content must be submitted no later than February 16, 2024, at 4PM PST.

Required information will include:

• Details on the engagement activities. For example, number of sessions, number of participants, their general geographic location, as well as other pertinent demographic data. Demographic data is required to understand the audience to ensure policies and programs are tailored to the needs of specific groups. All data collected will be done in accordance with the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FOIPPA).
• A high-level summary of the overall engagement process.
• Anonymous participant responses to questions provided during the engagement session (or sessions if hosting multiple).
• A final budget that includes any changes made from the proposed budget submitted and brief rationale to explain why changes were made.

How to use the grant

Eligible grant expenses

Eligible expenses must be for the direct costs needed to conduct engagement sessions. Grant recipients ​may spend funding in one or more of the following ways:

• Event or workshop materials, such as:
  • Pens, paper, name tags, and other tools
  • Virtual meeting software subscription such as Microsoft Teams or Zoom
• Fees, such as:
  • Project coordinator fees
  • Facilitator fees
  • Workshop fees
• Food and beverage, such as:
  • Food and non-alcoholic beverages for participants and volunteers
• Honorariums, fees, and contract agreements for presenters and experts, such as:
  • Indigenous or other cultural elders
  • Facilitators, speakers, and cultural workers
  • Technicians
  • Note: Conflicts of interest need to be identified in advance
• ​​Marketing and communications, such as:
  • Newspaper ads
  • Social media ads
  • Graphic design fees or software subscription
• Equipment rental, such as:
  • Lighting, sound and audio-visual
• Transportation costs for participants where transportation is a barrier to participation
• One-time day care service for parents/guardians to participate if this would otherwise be a barrier
• Venue rental
• Volunteer expenses

Ineligible grant expenses

• Salaries and fees not directly related to delivering the engagement sessions
• Capital projects
• Major equipment purchases, such as:
  • Air conditioner
  • Laptop
  • Furniture and decor
• Alcohol or cannabis
• Recurring business expenses, such as:
  • Rental of office space
  • Utility, telephone, and other recurring expenses