Neighbourhood Fund

Deadline: Wednesday May 27, 2026 at noon

Our Neighbourhood Fund provides small, one-time grants to support informal groups of individuals that are working together to improve their community within the City and County of Peterborough. The aim of this fund is to enhance citizen engagement and leadership while offering valuable opportunities for residents to get to know their neighbours and participate in their community. We are continually impressed by how much residents achieve with Neighbourhood Fund dollars!

ELIGIBLE ACTIVITIES

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.

Examples include:

• Community gatherings that promote engagement and interaction of diverse residents. Example:
  • Multi-cultural, social, or educational activities
• Projects that engage residents in building strong neighbourhoods. Examples:
  • Community assessment and local planning
  • Local initiatives that improve neighbourhoods such as community clean-up days, community gardening, mural, art and beautification projects
• Projects developed and led by equity-deserving groups to address needs in their communities
• Enhancing an existing neighbourhood event

INELIGIBLE ACTIVITIES

The below list outlines the main projects and expenses that are not eligible for this grant. Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have a question about the eligibility of your project activities and expenses before applying.

Examples 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

PLEASE NOTE

• 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. Small grassroots groups will be prioritized over larger organizations.
• Priority will be given to new projects that have not been funded in the past three years.
• 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.
• Grants will provide from $500 to a maximum of $5,000 for a project. When preparing your proposed budget, please note that very few $5,000 grants are approved in full. 

 

2026 Neighbourhood Fund Application Process

Read in full: Request for Proposals 2026
Prepare your application: Application Template
Submit your application: Application Form

Coaching is available: Interested groups are encouraged to schedule a meeting with Elisha Rubacha, Community Impact Officer (erubacha@uwpeterborough.ca) 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 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.

 

2023-2024 Neighbourhood Fund Recipients

The Ennismore Garden Club invited community members to help plant pollinator-attracting plants in the Secret Garden at Ennismore Waterfront Park. 34 people participated, including 12 youth, 17 adults, and 5 seniors.

The All Saints’ Pilot Mobile Community Nurse Project empowered a parish nurse to engage in health promotion activities for the neighbourhood surrounding the church. 50 participants attended the “Thrive” education day.

The Ashburnham Memorial Stewardship Group (AMSG) worked with Kaawaate East City Public School to offer outdoor art education for 25 students. The project, called “Open Your Eyes”, encouraged students to learn more about the natural habitat, history and cultural importance of Ashburnham Memorial Park. They also organized a park clean-up with 30 volunteers.

In collaboration with Nourish and the City of Peterborough, GreenUP supported several emerging community leaders in developing the skills needed to maintain community orchards and care for 65 fruit trees on 13 different sites. The Peterborough Community Orchard Stewards  hosted 17 events, attracting 73 community members.

St. Joseph’s at Fleming offered a Virtual Reality program for residents to explore a variety of destinations and fun activities.  For residents who enjoyed traveling in the past, but are now unable to, it provides an opportunity for them to travel to familiar or unfamiliar places from the comfort of their chair.

“Medicine In Our Backyards” consisted of a series of 5 medicine walks in parks and 6 workshops at Hutchinson House. 170 participants were able to learn how to identify, process, and preserve locally grown medicines and teas, with the support of 10 volunteers.

The Children’s Village is a central part of the Peterborough Folk Festival with its own stage. This year, 40 volunteers and 4 performers organized activities ran drop-in programs.

The Peterborough Short Film Festival highlighted local and regional filmmakers. About 100 people attended the showcase and were delighted to share in an afternoon of movies that they would never have seen otherwise.

The 2023 growing season at Peterborough/Nogojiwanong Urban Farm was truly exhilarating, marked by their relocation to Highland Public School. They expanded their operations by adding three new raised beds. 26 people and 41 volunteers participated in events. Produce was donated to Food Not Bombs every week between May to September.

The Afrocentric Awareness Network of Peterborough’s programming involved heritage-affirming, empowering get-togethers where people learned about Black history and culture. They offered African dance and drumming workshops, and a talk from a professor on Black history and culture.

The Spoon Carving Guild creates opportunities to spread the love of woodlore and invite people to try this craft. They ran 15 carving gatherings and 3 workshops attended by 236 participants.