Alberta Ethnocultural Grant

Eligibility

Eligible organizations
The following organizations that are legal entities and incorporated or registered for a period of at least one year, have an Alberta-based address, and are operating in Alberta are eligible to apply for funding:
• Non-profit organizations (under an Act of the Alberta legislature or the Parliament of Canada), including ethnocultural, multicultural and faith-based organizations.
• Indigenous (e.g., First Nations or Metis) governments, tribal councils, band councils, settlements, and/or not-for-profit Indigenous organizations.
• Community development organizations

Partnering organizations
The following organizations may apply as the primary applicant in partnership with an Indigenous and/or ethnocultural organization(s):
- A University, college, or institute, as defined under Alberta’s Post-Secondary Learning Act; and
- Arms-length municipal or municipal district affiliated organizations (e.g., libraries).

Applicants who are currently receiving other grants or funding from the Government of Alberta must be up to date on all required reporting to be considered.

Eligible projects
Projects must meet all the following criteria in order to be considered eligible for funding:
• Must meet one or more of the program outcomes (see Objectives and Outcomes)
• Must be able to measure what the project will achieve, aligned to the program outcome.
• All projects must include an educational component for participants, including at events and festivals.
• Must take place in Alberta and benefit Albertans, and
• Must start after April 1, 2025 and be completed:
- Stream 1: by March 31, 2026 (for one-year projects) or by March 31, 2027 (for multi-year projects). Projects over 12-months in duration must demonstrate a need for a multi-year commitment and the capacity to complete the project.
- Stream 2: by March 31, 2026.

Summary

Please view and download the complete guidelines and resources here: Alberta ethnocultural grant program guideline 2024-2025 resources

Alberta’s Ethnocultural Grant will focus on multiculturalism activities and initiatives and will support community organizations to implement initiatives that build diverse, inclusive, and welcoming multicultural communities to help ensure that people from diverse ethnocultural backgrounds want to live and work in Alberta. The grant will also support Indigenous communities to celebrate and build on their rich historical heritage.

The grant will support community organizations to advance intercultural understanding by providing funding for projects that encourage people to share, learn, appreciate, and respect cultural diversity. The program funds are not designed to address access to affordable housing, job opportunities or healthcare. Rather, the funds are intended to educate about cultural diversity and inclusion in Alberta.

The program will also support smaller grassroots Indigenous and/or ethnocultural groups to deliver programs and services through partnerships with larger organizations.

Objectives and outcomes
The program supports Indigenous and ethnocultural initiatives. Projects for grant funding must align with the identified outcomes for each funding stream. There are two (2) funding streams, with its corresponding objectives:

STREAM 1: Intercultural Connections - Create opportunities for intercultural connections with ethnocultural and Indigenous groups.
• Entails sustained cross-cultural engagement through activities such as cultural exchanges, cooperative work between communities, creating safe spaces, community dialogues, creative projects, roundtables, conferences, and integration work for welcoming and inclusive communities.

Stream 1 applicants may apply for a grant of up to the maximum of $50,000. The program outcomes for Stream 1 are:
- Albertans have increased cross-cultural and/or intercultural connections.
- Albertans have a better understanding and value people from other cultures, and their cultural differences.

STREAM 2: Celebrating Diversity - Create opportunities to celebrate diversity.
• Supports the performances, displays, and expressions of ethnocultural and Indigenous groups for the purposes of education and engagement with the broader community. This includes events such as festivals, cultural showcases, and performances that introduce cultural worldviews, expressions, creativity, and innovation. 

Stream 2 applicants may apply for a grant of up to the maximum of $15,000 for a multi-day project, OR up to a maximum of $8,000 for a single-day project. The program outcomes for Stream 2 are:
- Diverse backgrounds are celebrated, making Alberta communities more welcoming and inclusive.
- Albertans from diverse ethnocultural and Indigenous backgrounds feel increasingly understood and appreciated.

Pre-application deadlines

RSO internal deadline

Application deadlines

RSO final internal review deadline

Program application deadline

NOTE: Consult your Faculty Associate Dean (Research) (ADR) regarding Faculty-specific deadlines and submission processes.

Principal Investigators: Complete a Research Management System (RMS) record, including a copy of your complete application, and submit this for approvals in RMS.

Postdocs, students, and trainees: For fellowships and externally-sponsored research training awards or opportunities, you must complete the Research Funding Application Approval (RFAA) Trainee PDF form, and submit it, along with a complete copy of the application, to Research Services at rsotrainee@ucalgary.ca. Trainees should not use RMS at this time.

Approvals: The University of Calgary requires that all funding applications be approved prior to submission. Approval requires signatures via either RMS or the RFAA Trainee form, in the following order:

• Principal Investigator
• Department Head
• Faculty ADR/Dean
• Research Services (on behalf of the Vice-President Research)

Read the Meaning of Grant Signatures policy to understand what your approval means. Please see the agency guidelines for details about which signatures are required on your application, as it may differ from internal requirements.

Late submissions: Late submissions will only be accepted in cases of medical or family emergencies, or other exceptional circumstances. If you submit your RMS record to Research Services after the internal deadline has passed, you must secure additional approvals. Please read: Late Applications Process.

Internal Notice of Intent Stage

Universities may only submit up to two applications but will only be awarded funding for one project (across all streams) per intake. Each application should be submitted individually, and applicants can only select one stream per application.

An internal Notice of Intent (iNOI) is mandatory and due to Research Services by Noon on January 13, 2025. Send the following details to maryam.tahir@ucalgary.ca by this date:

1. Principal Investigator’s name
2. Faculty and Department
3. Co-applicants and partner organizations
4. Project Title
5. Chosen Stream (1 or 2)
6. Total funding requested

This submission to Research Services is required as there is a limit of 2 proposals per organization, and an internal selection stage may be required if multiple applications are seeking to go forward. 

Please note: Submission of an iNOI is mandatory. Any applications submitted to the funding agency without having undergone this stage will be rejected.

Full Application Stage

Full applications, plus approval in the Research Management System (RMS), will be required by RSO by noon on January 21, 2025.  Please be sure to select "Submitted for approvals" (Under Save & Progress) in RMS in good time to allow for approvals from your Department Head and/or ADR prior to the Research Services deadline. Consult your department and faculty for more information on their approval processes and timelines. 

Once your RMS record has been approved by Research Services, submit to the agency by their deadline on January 24, 2025.