Municipal governments have a significant role to play in protecting Canada’s environment. Across the country, municipalities should be leading environmental initiatives that improve air water, and soil quality, while also reducing greenhouse gas emissions. These are the types of projects which will bring long-term sustainability to communities from coast to coast.
Fortunately, municipal governments can access Canadian government grants to offset a portion of environmental project expenses. The Green Municipal Fund (GMF) provides support for all stages of ‘green’ projects, including planning, feasibility studies, pilot projects and capital projects.
The Green Municipal Fund offsets up to 50-80% of eligible project costs incurred by municipalities completing environmental projects.
Applying for the Green Municipal Fund requires municipal governments to submit an application form that explains the project in detail. For most streams, applications can be submitted year-round; however, applications for capital projects must be submitted by recurring deadlines.
Green Municipal Fund: Grants for Environmental Projects
The Green Municipal Fund (GMF) is a Canadian government funding program that provides funding for municipal environmental initiatives that improve the quality of air, water, and soil, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
There are four streams of funding support provided through the Green Municipal Fund. This includes environment-focused:
- Plans: Up to 50% of eligible expenses to a maximum $175k.
- Feasibility Studies: Up to 50% of eligible expenses to a maximum $175k.
- Pilot Projects: Up to 50% of eligible expenses to a maximum $350k.
- Capital Projects: Up to 80% of eligible expenses to a maximum loan of $5M, with grant amount as 15% of loan (applicants with high-ranking projects may be eligible for a loan of up to $10M).
Applicants Eligible for FCM Funding
As administered by the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM), Green Municipal Fund grants are available to all Canadian municipal governments and their partners for eligible projects.
Projects Eligible for FCM Grants
The Green Municipal Fund currently accepts six types of environmental projects. These include:
- Sustainable Neighbourhood and Brownfields Action Plans: Developing municipal plans that support sustainable community development.
- Energy Efficiency and Recovery: Conducting projects that reduce energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. This includes making energy-efficient municipal buildings and deploying energy recovering projects.
- Transportation and Fuel Efficiency: Investing in capital projects that have a direct impact on greenhouse gas emissions produced through local transportation.
- Water Quality and Conservation: Managing the sustainability of municipal water sources, with projects including water conservation, storm water quality, storm water management, wastewater systems and septic systems.
- Waste Management and Diversion: Projects related to diversion of waste from municipal landfills and tackling other waste stream challenges.
- Brownfields: Redeveloping abandoned, vacant, derelict or underutilized property where past actions have resulted in contamination or a threat to public health and safety.
How to Apply for the Green Municipal Fund
The Green Municipal Fund’s application process varies depending on the type of project being applied for:
- Plans, Feasibility Studies and Pilot Projects: A single-stage application process with continuous intake of applications.
- Capital Projects: A two-stage application process with recurring intake deadlines.
The next intake deadline for Green Municipal Fund Capital Projects is March 1, 2018.
To discuss your eligibility for the Green Municipal Fund and discover how to optimize the funding application process, please contact the Government Funding Planners.
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