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Grants

The City provides grant funding under a number of programs. Please note this is not an exhaustive list of grants available in the community and we encourage you to explore other available options.

Community Environmental Sustainability Project Grant

Audience

Organizations and individuals applying for funding must be proposing a project that primarily serves Nanaimo residents and is located within the City of Nanaimo boundaries

Status

Active

Cut Off Date

2025-04-03 16:00

The purpose of the Community Environmental Sustainability Project Grant is to support small and creative environmental projects not already covered by existing City of Nanaimo grants - including the Community Watershed Restoration Grant. Program funding will be used to support community based projects intended to support the Green Nanaimo policies and outcomes outlined in City Plan: Nanaimo ReImagined. Funding will be available annually to community organizations, environmental non-profits, participants in the Acting Together for Climate Change program, and groups that have established or plan to establish a program or project to tackle critical environmental and climate issues locally and help raise awareness of those issues in the community. 

A total of $20,000 in funding is available for 2025. Eligible organizations may submit one application per project annually for a maximum of $5,000 in funding. If an organization wishes to submit multiple projects, they will be asked to identify which project they wish to consider as their primary project. If the grant funding is oversubscribed, priority consideration will be given to primary projects and awarded to only one project per eligible organization. 

The 2025 grant intake opens February 14.  Applications will be accepted from February 14 to April 3, 2025.  Successful applications will be announced, and grants awarded in April/May.

Guidelines and Criteria

The grant guidelines and criteria can be found here.  Grant guidelines and criteria provide valuable information for grant applicants regarding the intent of the grant, who is eligible to apply, how much funding is available, and how the applications will be evaluated.

Application Form and Supporting Documents

Please carefully review the following documents to apply for the Community Environmental Sustainability Project Grant:
 

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I apply for the grant?

Please fill out the Community Environmental Sustainability Project Grant form here. All applications are due Thursday, April 3, 2025, by 4:00 pm. Late submissions will not be reviewed.

Please submit your application to sustainability@nanaimo.ca

My organization/project is located outside the City of Nanaimo boundaries. Are we eligible?

Organizations and individuals applying for funding must be proposing a project that primarily serves Nanaimo residents and is located within the City of Nanaimo boundaries.

Do I need to own the property my proposed project will be on?

Where the proposed project is on land not owned by the applicant, landowner permission is required. This includes property owned by the City of Nanaimo and other levels of government.  Individual applicants (not part of a non-profit society or neighbourhood group) must own the property on which the project is proposed. 

Does the project need to be completed by the end of the year?

Applicants will be required to submit a report within one year of being awarded the grant funding.  While the project itself doesn’t have to be completed in this timeframe all grant funding must be spent within the year.

Past Projects

Project Name: Community Engagement Project

By: Nanaimo Community Gardens Society

Description: The Nanaimo Community Gardens Society (NCGS) utilized the Community Environmental Sustainability Grant to implement the Community Engagement Project. This initiative focused on providing diverse opportunities for public engagement, fostering environmental education, and encouraging community involvement in activities that promote environmental health.  Activities included hosting urban garden work parties and skill sessions, designing a native plant garden, expanding their gleaming program to include food preservation equipment, hosting a 'share, car, and repair event', adding education signage, hosting field trips for school groups and community organizations, and more.

Final Report

Project Name: Greening Rocky Point Initiative

By: Rocky Point Neighbourhood Association

Description: The City of Nanaimo's 2023 Community Environmental Sustainability Project Grant supported the Greening Rocky Point Initiative, aimed at engaging the Rocky Point community in tree planting and climate action. The project included a climate action workshop featuring expert speakers, a neighbourhood planting weekend and tree planting in public parks. 

Final Report

Project Name:  Love Tooth Nest

By: Art Action Earwig

Description: Between February and April 2024, Art Action Earwig produced Love Tooth Nest, an eco-art project that facilitated active and creative ecological restoration with Nanaimo community members.  Community members visiting Colliery Dam Park were invited to harvest English Ivy, a dominant invasive species at the park. During these “pulling parties” the pulled ivy was gathered and shaped into a prepared “nest.”  Love Tooth Nest was shared with the public at the Earth Day celebration Pulling To Gather, taking place in Colliery Dam Park on April 27. A tooth shaped wire sculpture (Love Tooth) was suspended in the middle of the nest, with prepared tooth shaped “seed bombs” made with indigenous plant seeds clipped to the wire sculpture.  Instructions were prepared on sandwich boards, prompting visitors to gather English Ivy  from the surrounding environment, add it to the nest, and take a native seed bomb as a  gift of gratitude, to plant in place of the ivy or to plant in a place of their choosing.

 

Final Report 

Project Name: The Thermal Imaging and Home Energy Reduction (TICHER)

 

Project By: The Nanaimo Old City Association (NOCA) and the Rock City Neighbourhood Association (RCNA)

 

 

Description: The Community Environmental Sustainability Project grant brought together residents from the Old City (NOCA) and Rock City (RCNA) neighbourhoods respectively to learn about residential energy efficiency and visual heat loss through the use of a thermal camera.

 

Final Report

 

Further Questions?

We're happy to help! Having trouble accessing the forms linked above? Questions or concerns? Contact us directly at 250-755-4491 or sustainability@nanaimo.ca
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