The City of Edmonton is partnering with several community leagues to support residents across the city. Through the Community Assisted Snow Removal Grant, Edmontonians can get additional support and opportunities for safer and more accessible neighbourhoods during winter months.
The support includes 3 initiatives: the Winter Helping Hands Incentive program, winter kickoff activities and end-of-season appreciation event. The funds distributed can be used to provide incentives for volunteers, such as gift cards and prizes, and any other material related to promoting community snow removal.
Note: Community leagues can partner with other organizations to reach larger audiences and support a larger community.
Grant Initiatives
Community leagues must identify 1 or more community snow removal initiatives.
Regardless of the project scope and criteria, the funding amount should not exceed $1,000 and will be provided on a reimbursement basis. Any changes to the funding stream must be approved by the grant coordinator.
1. Winter Helping Hands Incentive
Do you want to create a Community Snow Removal Initiative but have no time and limited resources? We offer you a kit with all the necessary materials to develop a program for your community.
Note: The Community League is not responsible for coordinating, assigning or managing any volunteers.
Limited quantities are available for all incentive kits.
The “Need a Shovel? Have a Shovel! Campaign” operates on a first-come, first-served basis and is free of cost for any community league.
Community leagues will receive:
- Up to 25 shovels to distribute among residents, as well as an informational pamphlet outlining the importance of snow removal for Edmontonians
- A set of 20 signs to distribute to residents who want to express their need for snow removal by placing them in their windows or front yards
Community Leagues will then send in an application and once it is approved, the shovels can be picked up at no cost at the Edmonton Federation of Community Leagues.
This volunteer incentive encourages people to become a Snow Angel to someone in their neighbourhood who could use help removing snow and ice from their sidewalk.
The program package includes:
- Instructions on how to participate in the Snow Angels program
- A Snow Angel’s Certificate
- Front yard/window signs for residents in need of snow removal support
For the Snow Heroes Challenge, children and youth will become Snow Heroes and learn the importance of snow-shovelling, supporting neighbours and clearing snow.
To encourage participants to shovel the sidewalk, pathway or driveway for their household or a neighbour in need, we will provide a kit which includes:
- Instructions for challenge participants
- A Snow Heroes Shovelling Challenge Certificate
- A snow removal chart and stickers
- Snow Heroes Team’s characters buttons
2. Winter Kickoff Party with Educational Campaign
Host a winter kick-off party featuring activities like hot chocolate stations, snowman-building contests, snow shovelling challenges, honouring traditional Indigenous winter practices and experiences, and information booths with safe snow removal practices where residents can pick up posters to indicate they need assistance shovelling.
If your community league chooses to participate in the Snow Heroes Shovelling Challenge, the Winter Kick-Off event can be used to distribute program kits to participants. You can also organize family-friendly events related to snow shovelling, such as snow-clearing races, or emphasize the importance of helping your neighbours.
3. Year-End Thank You Event
Community leagues can use this community initiative to recognize the outstanding efforts of their Snow Angels and Heroes by presenting them with certificates or small awards for their contribution. The event can include fun activities like a scavenger hunt, snowball fight, or sledding!
Timeline
Application Intake
November 1, 2024 - February 28, 2025
Review Period
Ongoing
Funding Letters (Email) Signed and Distributed
Ongoing
Eligibility Criteria
- Projects, initiatives, and events open to the public and free or low-cost (cost recovery only).
- Expenses directly tied to the planning, implementation, or evaluation of outcomes.
- Honorariums for persons or groups where fees are not legally or traditionally required (for example: indigenous elders, presenters, non-vendor licensed service providers). Honorariums are limited to $200 per person.
- Gifts for Indigenous protocol, knowledge keepers and Elders.
- Consumable expenses such as craft/program/event supplies.
- Gift cards, gratuities and prizes.
- Fees for performers or other service providers.
- Non-consumable expenses maintained by the community league but available for community use at free or low-cost recovery fees.
- Food and non-alcoholic beverages for volunteers or event attendees.
- Types of eligible projects or events may include but are not limited to neighbourhood events, neighbourhood art, and social, cultural or recreational activities.
- Projects, events or initiatives which serve the specific geographic neighbourhood or community associated with the community league.
- Private projects, initiatives and events or that charge entrance fees to generate revenue (unless it is a cost-recovery model).
- Projects that conflict with the City Plan Intentions, ConnectEdmonton Strategy, or do not meet at least 1 of the City Plan Outcomes.
- Capital/infrastructure project expenditures to improve City-owned assets or facilities on City land, privately-owned assets on City land or privately-owned assets or facilities on private property (for example: design, contractor costs, construction materials and supplies, furniture, computer equipment).
- Ongoing operating expenses (for example: staff salaries, insurance, legal/accounting fees, facility operating expenses, facility maintenance).
- Payment for preparation of funding application.
- Payment or costs associated with contracted snow removal services.
- Completed projects or retroactive expenses incurred prior to the application submission date (reimbursement for expenses incurred prior to receiving notice of grant approval cannot be guaranteed).
- Projects, events or initiatives deemed to be a high risk for illegal activity or are illegal in nature by virtue of the planned activities or programming.
- Alcohol, cannabis or associated items.
- Food and non-alcoholic beverages for City staff or paid employees of the lead community league supporting the initiative.
- Non-consumable expenses for commercial use, rented out or private property.
- Facility rental expenses.
- Projects, events or initiatives that do not serve the specific geographic neighbourhood or community associated with the community league.
- Projects, events or initiatives with a start date outside of the winter season (November -March).
Application Intake
Applications open on November 1, 2024 and are open until February 28, 2025 or until the program is fully subscribed.
Funding is limited, and the City reserves the right to accept applications on a first-come, first-served basis. Applications can be refused on any basis that is considered reasonable by the Assisted Snow Removal Grant Coordinator. Incomplete applications will not hold their place in the queue.
Applications submitted without all of the requirements will receive one email notification requesting the missing information. If you require assistance with your application, please contact assistedsnowremovalprogram@edmonton.ca.
Review and Approval Process
Applicant community leagues accepted to move forward must sign and return the Funding Award Letter to the City of Edmonton. Once the funding award letter is completed, the applicant will be eligible to receive funds on a reimbursable basis.
The funding is contingent on the applicant community league meeting all the program requirements and providing the final report and documentation after the initiative receiving funding is over.
The City's funding approval does not constitute approval of any event details or site maps. Community leagues must get additional approvals related to the event. Any changes requested to an application must be approved by the grant coordinator.