Policy P.05.01 — Municipal Grant Program

Five Rivers, New Brunswick · adopted 2025-03-11

This is the exact embedded text of the captured official document. Snapshot 89d00f86f8ed · verified 2026-06-07 · original document · archived snapshot · unofficial consolidation, the official version is held by the municipal clerk.

Policy P.0501 Municipal Grant Program Municipality of Five Rivers 1 of 8 Municipality of Five Rivers Policy P.05.01 Municipal Grant Program 1. AUTHORITY. The Council of the municipality of Five Rivers, under the authority vested in it by Section 104 of the Local Governance Act, 2017, and amendments thereto, enacts Policy P.05.01 to address the administration and payment of municipal grants. 2. PURPOSE. The Municipal Grant Program shall provide direct financial support to persons and groups for events, programs, and projects that promise to strengthen and enrich the civic life of Five Rivers. 3. SCOPE. All persons and groups that seek direct financial support from the municipality must request that support by applying to this program. 4. FAIR & EQUAL OPPORTUNITY. The application, review, and award process in the Municipal Grant Program has been designed to give all applicants a fair and equal opportunity to receive funding from the municipality. 5. COMMUNICATION. The municipality will advertise the Municipal Grant Program through various channels, including the municipality's website, social media, print materials, and others, as appropriate. 6. EXCLUSIONS. To request support for the exclusions listed below, which are not addressed through this program, please contact the CAO. 6.1. Requests for municipal sponsorship or endorsement, such as a letter of support to apply for a grant from the provincial or federal government. 6.2. Requests for in-kind support, which would provide permission to use municipal staff, supplies, equipment, assets, facilities, properties, or buildings. 6.3. Requests for educational support such as scholarships. 6.4. Requests for residential or commercial development grants, including housing development. 7. GRANT TYPES. The municipality of Five Rivers allocates funds to the following types of grants in its General Operating Budget: Sports, Culture, Environment, Community, Tourism, and Other. The amounts allocated to each type vary from year-to-year. Policy P.0501 Municipal Grant Program Municipality of Five Rivers 2 of 8 8. ELIGIBILITY. The municipality provides grant funding for persons, groups, or organizations that seek to do one or more of the following: 8.1. To support the health and well-being of vulnerable or disadvantaged populations. 8.2. To support sports, recreation, or fitness activities, events, or facilities. 8.3. To contribute to the social and cultural life of Five Rivers. 8.4. To repurpose a school or a church for a non-religious use of benefit to the community. 8.5. To improve, beautify, or rehabilitate the environment (trails, gardens, parks, rivers, etc.) of Five Rivers. 8.6. To contribute to tree removal and planting in Five Rivers. 8.7. To upgrade or operate community centers and halls in Five Rivers. 8.8. To preserve, protect, or promote special or historic places and properties in Five Rivers. 8.9. To preserve, repair, or maintain cemeteries in Five Rivers. 8.10. To support or promote tourism in Five Rivers. 9. AWARD LEVELS. Five Rivers shall award grants from $100 to $10,0001. 9.1. LEVEL 1: Grants from $100 to $250 shall be awarded at the discretion of the CAO up to a total annual allowance of $2500. All awards approved by the CAO shall be reported to Council. 9.2. LEVEL 2: Grants greater than $250 shall be awarded by Council. 10. TERMS & CONDITIONS. Applicants shall be subject to the following terms and conditions: 10.1. Applicants may only be awarded one grant per calendar year. 10.2. Applicants shall not profit financially from the related event, initiative, or project. 10.3. Council may approve less than the amount requested by the applicant. 10.4. Applicants shall spend grant funding on the purposes and uses for which it was approved. 10.5. Funding awarded in any one year is not to be interpreted as a commitment for future funding. 10.6. Grant funds are not transferable without the prior approval of Council. 10.7. Unspent grant funds shall be returned to the municipality within ninety (90) days of the grant period. 1 Council reserves the right to approve a grant of more than $10,000 under exceptional circumstances. Policy P.0501 Municipal Grant Program Municipality of Five Rivers 3 of 8 10.8. In their application, applicants shall disclose all funding received and applied for from other municipal governments, the provincial government, and the federal government. 10.9. The municipality shall not provide grants to support the activities of religious organizations, political parties, or other special interest groups that primarily serve their own members. 10.10. During the application process, applicants may be required to provide further information. If the applicant fails to do so, their application may be deemed ineligible for award. 10.11. If the municipality determines that an applicant has submitted false or misleading information in their application, the municipality shall reject the application. In addition, the applicant will be disqualified from applying for or receiving any grant from Five Rivers in the future. 10.12. If the municipality determines that an applicant has submitted false or misleading information after a grant has been awarded, the applicant shall repay the grant in full within ninety (90) days from the date of notice from the CAO. In addition, the applicant will be disqualified from applying for or receiving any grant from Five Rivers in the future. 10.13. Applicants that receive a Level 2 award ($250 or more) shall submit a final report to the municipality. If the applicant fails to submit a final report, or if the final report does not show that the grant was used for the agreed to purpose(s), the applicant may be: (a) required to repay part of all of the award to the municipality, (b) ineligible to apply for or receive grants in the future, or (c) both (a) and (b). 10.14. Approved applicants are expected to acknowledge the contributions of the municipality of Five Rivers on any related promotional material. 10.15. The Municipal Grant Program is administered on an annual basis. Applicants cannot apply for multi-year grants. 11. GRANT APPLICATION PROCESS. 11.1. Five Rivers accepts applications at any time during the year. 11.2. Applicants must complete the Municipal Grant Application Form P4A (see Appendix 1). 11.3. Applicants must submit their application, along with any additional documents, by: 11.3.1. emailing their electronic file(s) to the municipality ([email protected]), or 11.3.2. placing a print copy of the form in a sealed envelope and mailing or dropping off the envelope to the municipality of Five Rivers at: 82 Main Street, Rexton, NB, E4W 5N4. ATTN: CAO. 11.4. Applicants may submit one or more attachments of their choosing with their application, for example, letters of reference, financial statements, etc. The municipality encourages applicants to submit any information that explains how funds will be used and how Five Rivers and its residents will be impacted. Appendix 2 shows an example of a basic revenue and expense report that could be included with an application. 12. GRANT REVIEW & AWARD PROCESS. The following process will be used to award all grants. Policy P.0501 Municipal Grant Program Municipality of Five Rivers 4 of 8 12.1. RECEIPT & QUALIFICATION. Municipal staff shall receive and qualify applications for eligibility. Staff may contact applicants to resolve errors or omissions in applications. 12.2. REVIEW & AWARD. For requests up to $250, the CAO shall review & award grant requests. The CAO may reduce the award amount and add additional terms and conditions. For requests over $250, Council shall review and decide to award grant requests. Council reviews shall be conducted in a closed session of Council and Council decisions to award shall be made through motion in an open session of Council. At their discretion, Council may specify additional terms and conditions. Each motion shall identify (a) the name of the person, group, or organization to receive the award, (b) the amount of the award, and (c) the type of grant to be awarded. 12.3. NOTICE OF DECISION. After an application has been approved or rejected, municipal staff shall send a letter of confirmation to the applicant. Where an application is approved, the letter shall include the award amount and any applicable terms and conditions. The applicant must acknowledge receipt of the letter and agree to any terms and conditions. Where an application is not approved, the municipality may explain the decision in the letter. 12.4. APPEALS. The municipality does not have or offer an appeal process. While Council and staff are under no obligation to explain a decision, staff may advise an applicant of ways to improve a future application. Applicants that are not approved may re-apply for grants at their discretion. 12.5. PAYMENT. For approved applications, municipal staff shall arrange payment of the award with the grant recipient. Staff will also provide the recipient with a unique grant ID for future reference. At the municipality's discretion, the recipient may be required to provide further information or additional records prior to payment. 12.6. VERIFICATION. For Level 2 awards, grant recipients shall provide a final report (see section below) that verifies the recipient's use of funding. Where practical or requested by municipal staff, the applicant shall include copies of receipts or invoices that correspond to related expense items. 12.7. PUBLIC RECOGNITION. The municipality shall post a record of grants awarded in its annual report and on its website. The information posted will include: (a) grant type (community, culture, etc.), (b) grant recipient, (c) award date, (d) award amount, and (e) purpose (a description of how the grant funds will be used as provided by the recipient). 13. FUNDING LIMITS & APPLICATION TIMING. 13.1. LIMITED FUNDING. Each year, the budget for municipal grants is limited and funds are dispersed on a first-come, first-served basis. For that reason, funding may be unavailable at the time of application, so applicants are encouraged to apply at their first opportunity. 13.2. TIME-SENSITIVE APPLICATIONS. Applicants that seek funding by a specific date are advised to include that detail in their applications. The municipality cannot guarantee that it will reach its decision by the requested date. 14. FINAL REPORT. Where applicable, the award recipient shall provide a final report in print or PDF format that contains the following: Policy P.0501 Municipal Grant Program Municipality of Five Rivers 5 of 8 14.1. A cover sheet that shows: (a) the grant ID, (b) the organization's name and address, (c) the contact person's name, title or role, phone, and email, (d) the total dollar amount of the grant, and (e) the name and signature of the contact person with date. 14.2. A description that explains how the grant enabled the success of your event, program, or project. 14.3. A statement confirming that the event, program, or project occurred as described in your application. If there were major changes, they must be described in clear and meaningful detail. 14.4. A complete and itemized list of actual expenses incurred. Recipients may group like items under categories such as food & drink, advertising, rent, and insurance. 14.5. A complete and itemized list of actual revenues raised. Recipients may group like items under categories such as ticket sales or donations. 15. EFFECTIVE DATE. DATE OF READING March 11, 2025 16. SIGNATURES. MAYOR Tina Beers CLERK Rob Webber Policy P.0501 Municipal Grant Program Municipality of Five Rivers 6 of 8 APPENDIX 1: GRANT APPLICATION FORM P4A Primary Contact Name: Role/Title: Email: Phone: Organization Name Organization Address Organization Type  Individual  Registered Charity  Non-Profit  Other (describe below) Organization Description Briefly describe your group or organization. Tax ID # or Registered Charity # Your organization's tax ID or registered charity number (If applicable). Description of Event, Initiative, or Project Tell us about your event, initiative, or project. Total Funds Requested (from all sources) What is the total amount of funds that you seek to raise from all sources? Total Funds Requested (from municipality) What is the total amount of funds that you seek to obtain from the municipality? Other Sources of Funds Excluding the municipality, who have you approached for financial support? Policy P.0501 Municipal Grant Program Municipality of Five Rivers 7 of 8 Intended Use of Funds How will you use the funds that you receive from the municipality and all other sources? Benefit to Five Rivers How will Five Rivers benefit from your event, program, or project? For example, which residents, and how many residents, will benefit? Will Five Rivers see an increase in retail activity or tourism? Will residents receive a new service or a better service? Requested Date to Receive Funding What is the date by which you require the funds? Expected Period for Funding Use Date range within which you will use the grant funds. Start Date: End Date: Date Submitted Enter the date when this form was completed. Signature The information in my application is complete and accurate. __________________________________________________________ Policy P.0501 Municipal Grant Program Municipality of Five Rivers 8 of 8 APPENDIX 2: SAMPLE REVENUE & EXPENSE REPORT The tables below show how revenues and expenses could be presented in a final report. (Note: the figures below happen to be equal; the municipality understands that revenues and expenses may not be equal.) Revenue Estimated Actual Balance Municipal Grant $1000 $1000 $0 Ticket Sales $1000 $1250 $250 Donations $500 $0 ($500) Supplies $250 $250 $0 Subtotal $2750 $2500 ($250) Expenses Estimated Actual Balance Adversting & Promo $500 $500 $0 Food & Beverages $1000 $750 ($250) Facility Rental $500 $500 $0 Cleaning $250 $250 $0 Security $500 $500 $0 Subtotal $2750 $2500 ($250)