The Community, Youth & Cultural Funding Program provides municipal funding every year to non-profit organizations in the social service, youth, and cultural sectors, as well as to individual artists undertaking projects in the community. These grants benefit the community and help to leverage other provincial and national funding sources.
New online application portal - now live!
Our intake has moved to a new, user-friendly online application portal. Visit the portal for available programs and information on how to apply.
Application Portal
As we transition to the new online portal, please email program staff at grants@thunderbay.ca or call (807) 632-2485 if you require any assistance with your application.
Grant categories
The Funding Program has three categories:
- Project Grants
- Operating Grants
- Sustaining Grants*
Select a category below for more information. Organizations can only receive funding in one category per funding term.
*Sustaining grants are only available for those that have been approved by City Council.
Project grants
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Project grants are one-time, short-term funding for special activities, training and development, or seed funding for new organizations.
There are two intakes for project grants with the following deadlines:
- March 28, 2025
- October 17, 2025
Maximum request: up to 80% of a project budget, to a maximum of $10,000.
A limited amount of funding is available for project grants, and applications will be evaluated based on how well the application meets the evaluation criteria.
*Applicants must connect with a program contact below prior to applying to discuss eligibility or the application may be deemed incomplete.
Program Contacts
Please direct your inquiry to the appropriate representative based on the focus of your grant.
General inquiries/Culture: Callie Hemsworth (807) 632-2485 or grants@thunderbay.ca
Anti-Racism, Truth & Reconciliation: Louisa Costanzo (807) 627-4216 or louisa.costanzo@thunderbay.ca
Community Safety & Well-Being: Louisa Costanzo (807) 627-4216 or louisa.costanzo@thunderbay.ca
Youth: Nina Arcon (807) 629-7051 or nina.arcon@thunderbay.ca
Sport: Paul Burke (807) 625-2305 or paul.burke@thunderbay.ca
| Guidelines & Criteria |
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View Project Grant Guidelines
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| Applications |
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Applications are available on through the new online Application Portal:
Application Portal
The portal provides information on available programs, deadlines and applications.
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| Recent Grant Recipients |
| 2024 Project Grants |
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Project funding was awarded to the following recipients in 2024:
- Autism Northwest - Autism Club Skateboard Program
- Nokiiwin - Reconciliation training for community groups
- Thunder Pride - Queer Coffee Nights
- The Coalition for Waverley Park - 150th Anniversary of Waverley Park Celebration
- Youth Climate Action Council - youth engagement
- CréAction Collective - Upcycled Voices: Crafting Stories of Healing
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| 2023 |
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In 2023, project grants were awarded to the following 8 groups and individuals:
- DEK Addiction Recovery Foundation (basic living backpacks)
- Elizabeth Fry Society of Northwestern Ontario (nightly drop-in program)
- Our Kids Count (collaboration with Thunder Bay Police and Skate Coalition for youth skate camps)
- Kamryn Asmunt (collaboration with RMYC to youth photography/mentorship program)
- Damian Rivers-Moore/Tamarack Wind Quartet (Science and Athleticism of Music Making, in collaboration with Science North)
- Mindful Makers Collective (collaboration with CréAction Collective for community artist workshops)
- Northwestern Ontario Writers' Workshop (TBay Reads workshop and pilot project)
- Thunder Bay Cricket Council (cricket camp for children and youth)
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Feature grant: Dayna Elizabeth Karle (DEK) Foundation
With the help of a Community, Youth & Cultural Funding Program project grant, the DEK Foundation program delivered 62 backpacks filled with hygiene products, sleep clothes, hoodies, journals, hats, mitts, and more to people that are homeless, have addiction and mental health issues and heading into treatment residences.
"DEK believes strongly in acts of kindness that show vulnerable people Thunder Bay cares about them and this City of Thunder Bay grant allowed DEK to continue to share kindness!" - Jan Thompson, DEK Foundation
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Operating grants
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The Operating grant category supports a variety of non-profit community, youth and cultural organizations that have an ongoing presence in Thunder Bay and a track record of providing quality programming and/or services.
Deadline: Friday, June 20, 2025 for 2026 funding requests.
Maximum budget available: The maximum total funding available for allocation amongst all community, youth and cultural organizations in the Operating Category is $220,000. The City reserves the right to allocate less than the maximum available based on the number and quality of applications received.
| General Criteria |
Applicants must:
- Have a community, youth or culture sector focus/mandate.
- Be an incorporated not-for-profit organization or non-incorporated collective which operates on a non-profit basis.
- Have a clearly stated purpose and function, as well as be fully responsible for the planning and provision of its services.
- Operate from a location within the City of Thunder Bay and carry out programs in this community for the benefit of its people.
- Extend its services to the general public in Thunder Bay and accommodate for needs related to: race, ancestry, place of origin, colour, ethnic origin, citizenship, creed, sex (including pregnancy and gender identity and expression), sexual orientation, age, marital status, family status and disability, unless to do so would cause undue hardship.
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| Eligible Expenses |
Eligible expenses include the costs incurred to deliver the organization’s programs and services, such as:
- Employee compensation and development.
- The space in which the organization operates (rent, insurance, utilities, maintenance, etc.).
- Non-capital program and office equipment and supplies necessary for the on-going operation and development of the organization.
- Fees (legal, accounting, etc.).
- Marketing.
This program does not provide capital funding.
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| Apply |
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Visit the Application Portal to apply for an Operating & Sustaining Grant:
Application Portal
The following will be requested through the portal as uploads:
- Budget Statement - please fill out and included in the uploads section of the application. Note that budget statements must match financial statements where relevant (e.g. prior year actuals). Culture organizations may provide CADAC financial forms instead if preferred.
- Most Recent Available Financial Statements
- Strategic/Business Plan
- Organization's Statistics
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Sustaining grants
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Sustaining grants are provided to organizations that the City has deemed as being integral to its identity, provided the organization has received at least 5 years of consecutive funding in the Operating category. These grants are operational and are often renewed from year to year, provided that the organization meets the criteria. These organizations fill a void for services or programming in the city and positively affect quality of life. Organizations must show diverse funding sources. City Council has final approval on any recommendations to move an organization to the Sustaining category.
Deadline for funding applications: 2025 funding has been allocated. Applications for 2026 funding are due no later than 11:59 p.m. on Friday, June 20, 2025.
Funding term: Up to 5 years
| General Criteria |
To be eligible for a Sustaining Grant, the applicant must demonstrate:
- Many years of demonstrated administrative competence.
- Budget practices and financial statements in accordance with generally accepted Canadian accounting principles.
- A track record of providing quality programming and/or services.
- Employment practices that comply with applicable legislative requirements, as the case may be, such as the Employment Standards Act of Ontario, the Pay Equity Act of Ontario, and the Ontario Human Rights Code.
- A Board of Directors which will assume full responsibility for the administration of the funds or an agent acceptable to City Council.
- Evidence that funds are confirmed/projected from a variety of other sources clearly stated in the application.
- At least five (5) years of successfully completed operating funding from the City.
Please note that there are also specific criteria depending on the focus area of the grant (Community Safety & Well-Being, Youth, or Culture).
Full Guidelines & Criteria
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| Eligible Expenses |
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Eligible expenses include the costs incurred to deliver the organization’s programs and services, such as:
- Employee compensation and development.
- The space in which the organization operates (rent, insurance, utilities, maintenance, etc.).
- Non-capital program and office equipment and supplies necessary for the on-going operation and development of the organization.
- Fees (legal, accounting, etc.).
- Marketing.
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Apply
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Visit the Application Portal to apply for an Operating & Sustaining Grant:
Application Portal
The following will be requested through the portal as uploads:
- Budget Statement - please fill out and included in the uploads section of the application. Note that budget statements must match financial statements where relevant (e.g. prior year actuals). Culture organizations may provide CADAC financial forms instead if preferred.
- Most Recent Available Financial Statements
- Strategic/Business Plan
- Organization's Statistics
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Evaluation
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Applications are evaluated on based on the following:
- Ability to meet grant criteria
- Completeness of application (application is complete and properly filled out)
- Community impact and support
- Program/service enhances the quality of life for residents
- Quality of activities and services
- Organizational competence and level of self-sustainability
- Financial stability
- Evidence of a variety of funding sources*
- Evidence of partnerships
- Consistency with priorities in the City's Strategic Plan or other relevant plans (e.g. Inspire Thunder Bay Culture Plan, Youth Services Plan, Community safety and Well Being Plan)
* Evidence of other funding sources is often missing in applications that are not successful. When applying for funding, organizations should outline their own fundraising activities, as well as confirmed or potential grants from other funders.
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Program Contacts
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All Project applicants and first-time Operating/Sustaining applicants must contact a program supervisor to discuss eligibility. Please direct your inquiry to the appropriate representative based on the focus of your grant.
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Funding Acknowledgment
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Please use the City of Thunder Bay corporate logo when acknowledging the City of Thunder Bay's funding support on websites and communications. Funding recipients may be asked for proof of this acknowledgment.
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Connect
