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The Community Spirit Program was announced in the 2007 Provincial Budget. It’s a two-part approach to encourage increased individual donations - including a proposed program to match donations and an already-released program to increase tax credits for charitable donations.
The government sought feedback on the Community Spirit Program through an online workbook and questionnaire. Although the consultation occurred over the summer, when many people are on vacation, more than 1,500 completed surveys were submitted to the government. Thank you to everyone who got involved!
April 2008 Update: Alberta Goverment releases further Grant Program details and Application Process
On April 30, further details regarding the Community Spirit Donation Grant Program were revealed. For more information, view the CCVO News Release or Government of Alberta News Release.
Vist the Community Spirit Program website for further details, guidelines and application forms.
February 2008 Update: Details Released for Community Spirit Donation Grant Program
The Alberta Government released details on the Community Spirit Donation Grant Program on February 1. The Program will see the Provincial Government match cash donations made to non-profits and registered charities operating in Alberta.
December 2007 Update: Proposed Matching Program
The matching program is expected to be launched in early 2008. The plans have not yet been released. Recently, the Edmonton Journal quoted Minister Hector Goudreau saying:
"We want to encourage people to provide cash to organizations that they believe in, and we want to stimulate that by providing potential proportional funding to the groups that actually get cash donations…It's our attempt to try to match as much as possible. But it could be a match of anywhere from 10 cents on the dollar all the way to 30, 40, 50 cents on the dollar, and that will all depend on budgets. It will all depend on how many groups are included and will qualify."
Local media also reported that the program may place a limit of about $50,000 on the grants any one agency can receive. This would enable the government to spread the funding among more organizations, including smaller groups.
Enhanced Tax Credits
The Enhanced Charitable Tax Credit has increased the provincial tax credit by more than 60% for total annual charitable donations over $200. When combined with the federal credit, Albertans will now receive a 50-cent tax credit for every dollar donated over the $200 threshold – one of the highest rates in Canada. The enhanced tax credit applies to future donations, as well as those made since January 1, 2007. This is useful information to share with donors to encourage increased private donations.
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