Small Grants Grants
Support to build capacity or address an unforeseen challenge
Small Grants aim to benefit organizations and the community by providing support for capacity development or to address unforeseen needs. Grants of up to $10,000 are available for initiatives lasting no more than six months.
Applications are open from March 1 to October 1 at noon, or until the budget is fully allocated.
If your request exceeds the maximum amount of a Small Grant or doesn’t fit within the guidelines, the Community Grant Program may be a better fit.
Eligibility
Small Grants aim to support our local community. To be eligible for a Small Grant, your organization must:
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Be a registered charity with the Canada Revenue Agency or other qualified donee.
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Serve the Greater Edmonton Area (including the four surrounding counties) and Indigenous qualified donees located within Treaty 6 Territory.
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National organizations may only apply if they demonstrate a strong local connection.
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Be in good standing with ECF, with no outstanding or overdue final reports, including those from partnership initiatives.
Application limit:
Organizations may submit ONE Small Grant application per calendar year if they have completed their previously funded initiative and submitted a final report.
Please see our Small Grant Guidelines 2026 for additional information about this program.
Applying for a Small Grant
Small Grants are available for up to $10,000. We encourage applicants to request only what they need rather than automatically applying for the maximum amount.
The application period runs from March 1, 2026, to October 1, 2026, or until the allocated budget is fully distributed. Applications are reviewed by ECF staff and volunteers every two months.
Please see the table below for the intake period, funding decision date, and the earliest eligible expense date for each intake.
| Application Intake | Funding Decision | Earliest Date Eligible Expenses Can Be Incurred |
|---|---|---|
| March 1 – March 31, 2026 | April 2026 | May 1, 2026 |
| April 1 – May 31, 2026 | June 2026 | July 1, 2026 |
| June 1 – July 31, 2026 | August 2026 | September 1, 2026 |
| August 1 – October 1, 2026 | October 2026 | November 1, 2026 |
Applications can be submitted through our online portal.
Please see our Small Grant Guidelines 2026 for additional information about this program.
Small Grant Reporting Instructions
Grant reports ensure there is accountability between your organization, Edmonton Community Foundation (ECF), and our donors. ECF staff review these reports to assess the progress and outcomes of your initiative. Additionally, these reports help us refine our granting process and identify community needs that we might address. We understand that grants take place in changing community contexts which are sometimes outside the control of the grantee.
When to Contact ECF
Contact ECF as soon as possible if any of the following arise:
- You need a grant reporting extension.
- Your organization can’t carry out the funded initiative.
- You have completed your initiative but have some funds left over.
- You need to make changes to the budget approved in your application which amount to 10% or more of the total grant. Please note ECF needs to approve proposed reallocations of this size before the funds are expended.
In all situations ECF wants to meet your organization where you’re at, and to find the best path forward.
For reporting questions, please contact grants@ecf.ca.
Grant Report Format
The report is an online forms which has a number of short answer, dropdown menu, and multiple select questions. The report questions ask about the goals of your initiative, challenges you may have experienced carrying out this initiative, how people benefitted from the initiative, and how the financial contribution of ECF was recognized. There is also a space for you to upload a pdf copy of your grant budget and actuals.
Accessing Your Grant Report
Reports are accessed through the online Grants Portal. By default, reports are added to the account of the user who applied for the grant approximately three months after the grant is awarded. Once your report has been added to your account, you can find it by logging into the Grants Portal, scrolling down to the Grant Reports section, and clicking on “Unsubmitted Grant Reports”. If you need the report moved to a different user account, you can email grants@ecf.ca.
Report Deadlines
The default report deadline is thirteen months after the grant was approved, on the last day of that month, unless the grant application indicates a later date. If you need an extension on your deadline, please contact grants@ecf.ca. We are happy to grant extensions but prefer to know if one is needed sooner rather than later.