On Tuesday, March 14, leaders from Alberta nonprofits gathered at the Kahanoff Centre on Tuesday to unveil the sector’s five top priorities for whichever party forms government after the looming election. The Platform Priorities come as the nonprofit sector, which contributes $5.5 billion to Alberta’s economy annually and employs nearly 300,000 Albertans, has struggled in recent years through the pandemic, inflation and surging demand amid a workforce crisis.
Read MoreCCVO’s 2023 Provincial Pre-Budget Submission has been released. The two budget requests CCVO is making are a commitment to indexing all granting programs to inflation and growth and an investment budget in a strategic Community Prosperity Fund, eligible only to nonprofits totalling $300 million over 3 years.
Read MoreBill 1, The Alberta Sovereignty Within a United Canada Act, has been tabled, passed third reading and will be law once it reaches Royal Assent, which Premier Smith has indicated will be in this fall session. There is currently potential for this Act to impact any nonprofits and charities in Alberta that fall under the Act’s definition of “provincial entity”.
Read MoreMembers of Alberta’s nonprofit community stood alongside business leaders at carya Village Commons on Tuesday to call for an urgent one-time cash injection of $30 million from the provincial government to keep the nonprofit sector afloat.
The ask for an urgent, one-time top-up of $30 million comes as nonprofits across Alberta juggle heightened demand for services with increasingly complex client needs while revenues decrease.
Read MoreThe Government of Alberta is currently looking for feedback to help decide the direction of the 2023 budget. A short online survey is open until January 15, 2023. The survey covers spending priorities and options for what to do with the projected 2022/2023 surplus.
Read MoreThe Government of Alberta has announced that $50 million is now available to eligible Alberta nonprofits in order to increase the number of available childcare spaces. This funding is open to “non-profit groups interested in creating new child-care spaces and providing child care in a licensed child-care program in Alberta”. The funding is part of the $3.8 billion of federal funding under the Alberta Canada Early Learning and Child Care agreement. The Government of Alberta aims to create 10,000 spaces this year with a target of “42,500 additional spaces in non-profit child-care programs by the end of March 2026”. Interested organizations can apply here.
Read MoreThe Government of Alberta has opened the latest round of funding for the Civil Society Fund. According to the announcement, this “[f]unding is intended to help civil society transform how community organizations function, innovate and work together to address pressing social challenges”. Nonprofits can apply for up to $500,000 in grants “with an innovative project supporting social recovery or increasing economic participation for Albertans”. Applications for funding are due by September 2, 2022. Click here to learn more about how to apply.
Read MoreThe Standing Committee on Alberta’s Economic Future has released the final report regarding their review of the Lobbyists Act. Last year, CCVO, in partnership with ECVO, provided a joint submission as well as a made a presentation directly to the committee recommending that the exemption for public benefit nonprofits be upheld as it had been in previous reviews. CCVO is pleased that the committee has heard the voice of nonprofits and recommended that the exemption be upheld. This decision will ensure that the Lobbyists Act does not create both unnecessary red tape for the Government of Alberta and unnecessary work for the Alberta nonprofits working in the public interest and for public benefit.
Read MoreIn their recent announcement, the Government of Alberta provided an update on spending during the second phase of the Stabilize Program, which supports the live-experience sector in Alberta. According to the announcement, “About $5.6 million in community support went to 60 organizations, including matched funds from 68 pledges”. More specifically, “about $1.7 million went to 56 non-profits that host live experiences or that own and/or operate live-experience venues through the Adapt and Innovate stream of the Stabilize Program”. The announcement does not mention any future funding for the Stabilize Program.
Read MoreThe Government of Alberta has announced an increase in funding for Family Resource Networks aimed at “increasing access to mental health and well-being supports for vulnerable children and youth”. The $1 million increase has been allocated to three agencies that provide in-person and virtual counselling sessions. At the same time, “an additional $800,000 is being provided directly to a number of northern FRNs and the eight Métis Settlements in Alberta so they can make their supports more accessible to more remote rural communities”. This is a welcome increase in funding that will support the nonprofit sector, individuals, and communities across Alberta.
Read MoreThe Government of Alberta has announced a partnership with the United Way of Calgary and Area to foster social innovation across the province through an expansion of the Social Impact Lab. According to the announcement, “With $1.75 million to be distributed over the next four years, the United Way Calgary and Area will expand its Social Impact Lab model with permanent locations in Edmonton and Lethbridge and pop-up labs across Alberta”. More information on ways your organization can get involved with the Social Impact Lab can be found here.
Read MoreAccording to the latest results of the Community Initiatives Program funding, $4.4 million will be released to nonprofits working in the community. Under the project-based funding stream, “a total of $2.3 million is supporting 69 projects, including new or enhanced programs and community events”. Under the operating based funding, “a total of $2.1 million is supporting 34 non-profits working to deliver services to vulnerable and disadvantaged Albertans. This funding can go to core operations and organizational development activities”. A list of successful past recipients can be found here. The next application deadline for this funding is May 15th. More information on how to apply for the project-based stream can be found here while information on the operating stream can be found here.
Read MoreThe Government of Alberta has opened the latest round of the Community Facility Enhancement Program Funding. According to this announcement, this program “provides matching funding to help non-profits leverage other sources of funding to upgrade, redevelop, acquire or build public-use facilities”. The small funding stream application deadline is May 15th while the large funding stream application deadline is June 15th. Nonprofits can learn more about how to apply for this funding here. Based on the Government of Alberta Budget 2022, a total of $38.5 million will be made available through this program in the 2022-23 fiscal year.
Read MoreThe Government of Alberta has opened applications for community nonprofits to apply for an Alberta Culture Days grant. According to the announcement, “Grants of up to $10,000 are available to help community non-profit organizations offset the cost of planning and hosting events, showcasing local talent and highlighting existing cultural programs in their communities”. Applications for this program will be accepted until May 12, 2022. More information on how to apply can be found here.
Read MoreThe Premier’s Council on Charities and Civil Society has released a new report titled Supporting Women’s Economic Recovery. The report provides “advice on how civil society and government can work together to address challenges faced by women, particularly in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic”. CCVO participated in the open call for input into this report and published our recommendations which can be found here. The report incorporates several of the recommendations made. We commend the Council for taking on this work and encourage them to continue to explore the creative ways that nonprofits can address systemic issues faced by women.
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