Neighbourhood Fund

Building a stronger, healthier community for everyone.

UWP NEIGHBOURHOOD FUND

Thanks to over 80 years of donor support, United Way Peterborough & District has a proud history of working with local human and social service agencies to transform our community. Working with our donors and our community, UWP seeks to change social conditions to create opportunities for a better life for individuals, families, and communities by making our community a better place to live for everyone. Since 2014 UWP has committed to investing over 1 million dollars annually in the community through three (3) investment streams: Long-Term Priority Fund, the Innovation Fund and the Neighbourhood Fund.

COMMUNITY PROJECT GRANT OPPORTUNITY

The UWP Neighbourhood Fund provides small, one-time grants to support informal groups of individuals that are working together to improve their neighbourhood or demographic community within the City and County of Peterborough. This funding will support residents to identify solutions to local community issues and act on them. A neighbourhood may be defined as a physical place or a connection of people. UWP Neighbourhood Funding aims to enhance resident engagement and leadership while offering valuable opportunities for residents to get to know their neighbours and engage in their community.

This community project grant will distribute will distribute $25,000 in funding from April 2022 to April 2023. Funded projects will receive grant amounts beginning at $500 with a maximum grant amount available of $5000.

This funding is targeted to informal groups of individuals (minimum 3 people) that are working together to improve their neighbourhood or empower a demographic community.  Project teams may be composed of any groups of individuals within the City or County of Peterborough that want to work together to achieve a common goal. In other words, project teams do not have to work for or be affiliated with any non-profit/charitable organizations, and project teams do not have to have worked together previously or formally exist outside of this project. Each group needs to delegate a Project Representative who is at least 18 years old and will act as the point of contact between United Way Peterborough and District and your team – if none of your team members are 18+ please contact Betsy Farrar about selecting a Project Representative.

WHAT YOUR GROUP CAN APPLY FOR

Eligible projects include (but are not restricted to) resident-led initiatives that increase social interaction, inclusion and diversity, increase community safety, build local skills and engage residents in projects that will benefit their community. A wide range of projects have been previously funded through the Neighbourhood Fund, as community members are experts in identifying issues in their own community and creating innovative solutions. The focus of this community project grant opportunity is intentionally broad as we value the variety of perspectives and ideas that community members bring to their projects.

ELIGIBLE ACTIVITIES/EXPENSES INCLUDE:

  • Community gatherings that promote engagement and interaction of diverse residents. (Multi-cultural, social or educational activities)
  • Projects that engage residents in building strong neighbourhoods such as community assessment and local planning or local initiatives that improve neighbourhoods such as community clean-up days, community gardening, mural, art and beautification projects
  • Activities or projects developed and led by youth to address common needs in their neighbourhoods.
  • Enhancement of an existing neighbourhood event

INELIGIBLE ACTIVITIES/EXPENSES INCLUDE:

  • Costs associated with capital or other fundraising campaigns
  • Activities that are not directly related to resident engagement
  • Travel expenses (exceptions will be made when travel expenses are essential to participation in activity)
  • Election campaign events
  • Bingo nights or fundraising activities
  • Office administration costs (staffing; rental; utilities etc.)
  • For-profit organizations or ventures
  • Existing or ongoing programs/services

HOW TO APPLY

Interested groups are encouraged to schedule a meeting with Betsy Farrar, Manager of Community Impact  prior to submitting their application to discuss the scope of their project, the application process, and reporting requirements. This is an opportunity to ask questions about your project’s eligibility and receive feedback on your application. Together, we will make sure all of the necessary details are present so that the evaluators are able to understand the intentions of your project.

This meeting is not mandatory and project teams may choose to proceed with this application without this meeting. Attending this meeting is not considered during the scoring of your application.

Complete the online application form HERE

DEADLINE

All applications for funding must be complete and received no later than Friday, March 18 at 5:00 PM. Submissions received after this time will not be considered.

HELPFUL TIP

To prevent you from losing your progress while completing the online application, we encourage you to download  THIS TEMPLATE to complete your answers, then copy your answers into the online form. Incomplete forms cannot be saved and returned to at another time, so please be prepared to answer all of the questions once you start the application and ensure that you click ‘Submit’ at the end.

Writing your answers in the template first will also allow you to: A) have a copy of your answers for your reference, B) ensure your specific answers are within the character/word limits, and C) be able to use bulleted lists in your answers.

Please ensure that you transfer all of your information from the template into the form before submitting it – applications sent by email will not be counted as a submission unless prior arrangements with UWP have been made.

ACCOMMODATIONS

Please contact Betsy Farrar, Manager of Community Impact if your project team needs an alternate version of the online application form or accommodations during the application process.

PROCESS AND TIMELINES

All proposals, that are complete and submitted on time, will be evaluated by the Community Impact Committee (CIC).

Grant Opportunity Details Released to Community – February 22, 2022
Proposal Deadline – March 18, 2022
CIC Review of Proposal – Monday, March 21 to April 1
Notification of Funding Decision – Week of April 4, 2022

NEXT STEPS

We will evaluate all of the applications and notify all project representatives about the funding decision beginning April 4, 2022.

If your group is approved for funding through the United Way Peterborough & District Neighbourhood Fund the following will be required:

  • Project representative is required to sign a letter of commitment and agree to be responsible for the project
  • Project team will complete activities within 1 (one) year of approval
  • Submit a final report about your project – report details will be provided to project representatives upon notification of funding approval
  • Submit copies of receipts for materials or services purchased

Thank you for your interest in United Way Peterborough and District’s Neighbourhood Fund. We look forward to reading your application!

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