Complete Communities
Program Category:
Sustainable Transportation, Built Environment, Community Infrastructure
Program Sub-Category:
Energy Efficiency (Housing / Buildings), Mapping, Active Transportation, Economic Development
Status: Closed
Funder
BC Ministry of Housing and Municipal Affairs
Deadline Details
Applications are not currently being accepted for this program.
Funder Organization Type
- BC Provincial Government
The Complete Communities program supports local governments and modern Treaty First Nations in advancing identified community goals through the creation of more complete communities. The program supports communities in undertaking assessments to inform land use decision-making, considering housing need, supply, and location; providing transportation options including increased walkability; and making connections to infrastructure investment and servicing decisions.
The intent of the Complete Communities program is to support local governments and modern Treaty First Nations to enhance their ability to make evidence-based land use planning decisions through assessments of their current community completeness; analysis and identification of strengths, opportunities, challenges and potential actions that align with identified community goals and support creating more complete communities; and an implementation plan.
The Complete Communities program aligns with commitments in the CleanBC Roadmap to 2030, the Province’s plan to achieve its emissions reduction targets while building a cleaner economy that benefits everyone.
All local governments in BC are signatories to the Climate Action Charter and the program supports signatories in fulfilling their commitment to create more complete, compact, and energy efficient communities.
What is a Complete Community?
Complete communities is a broad concept and can be defined in several different ways. For the purposes of the program, complete communities are communities – or areas within a community – which provide a diversity of housing to meet identified community needs and accommodate people at all stages of life, and provide a wider range of employment opportunities, amenities, and services within a 15-20 minute walk.
The program is administered by the Union of BC Municipalities (UBCM).
Eligible Community
All local governments (municipalities, regional districts, and the Islands Trust) and modern Treaty First Nations (as defined by the Interpretation Act) in BC are eligible to apply.
Required Community Contribution
No community contribution required
Funding Stacking Restrictions
No
Although additional funding or support is not required, any other grant funding or in-kind contributions must be identified.
Application Limit per Community
1
Professional Input Required
Yes
Local government Council or Board resolution, Local Trust Committee, or modern Treaty First Nation resolution, indicating support for the current proposed activities and willingness to provide overall grant management;
Specific Eligibility Requirements
To be eligible for funding, applicants must select a minimum of three of the four lenses identified in the Ministry of Housing’s Complete Communities Guide to assess their community completeness:
- Housing
- Transportation
- Daily Needs
- Infrastructure
In addition, to qualify for funding, projects must:
- Produce a report that sets out: key assessment findings; identified strengths, opportunities, and challenges to increase community completeness; and an implementation plan that includes potential future actions.
- Include new activities or represent a new phase of an existing project (retroactive funding is not available).
- Be capable of completion by the applicant within one year of the date of grant approval.
- Applicants must choose to apply as a single applicant or as part of a regional project.
Type of Funding
- Grant
Range of Funding Available per Project
- Under $100 000
- From $100 000 to $1 000 000
Description of Funding
The Complete Communities program can contribute a maximum of 100% of the cost of eligible activities to a maximum of $150,000.00.
Regional Projects
Funding requests from two or more eligible applicants for regional projects may be submitted as a single application for eligible collaborative projects. In this case, the maximum funding available would be up to $150,000 in base funding plus up to an additional $50,000 for additional eligible applicants. It is expected that regional projects will demonstrate cost-efficiencies in the total grant request. The total funding request for regional projects cannot exceed $500,000.
Percentage of Project Funded
100%Eligible Costs
DesignPlanning
Community Engagement
Staff Costs
Administration Fees
Research and Development
Activities Eligible for Funding
1. Prepare (Ministry of Housing Complete Communities Guide - Phase 1)
- Review of community context and identified community goals that support complete communities.
- Prepare scope of work (identification of team, resources, project goals, and engagement strategy, if applicable).
- Data collection, compilation, and updates (e.g., spatial data/mapping/digitalization). Data may include, but is not limited to, that which supports measurement of the suggested indicators outlined in the Ministry of Housing Complete Communities Guide.
2. Assess (Ministry of Housing Complete Communities Guide – Phase 2)
- Spatial analysis of selected lenses (Housing, Transportation, Dailly Needs, and Infrastructure) individually and in relation to each other.
- Assessment of strengths, opportunities, and challenges to becoming more complete.
- Determine potential actions (e.g., extending cycling infrastructure, changes to zoning bylaw, complete street development).
- Creation of scenarios to test potential actions.
- Analysis of potential trade-offs for different potential actions and of how these actions may help achieve community goals.
3. Act (Ministry of Housing Complete Communities Guide – Phase 3)
- Development of implementation plan, based on identified actions.
See program guide for further eligible expenses.
Ineligible Costs
The following expenditures are not eligible for funding:
- Updated October 2023: Development or update of OCPs, RGSs, Land Use Plans, local area plans, master plans, development plans, zoning bylaws, etc.
- Data that is already available at no cost, including open source data, data provided by the Province (Spatial Access Measures for BC, Housing Needs Report demographic data, etc.), and Canada (Census, Linkable Open Data Environment, etc.)
- Duplication of recently developed information, maps, or imagery provided the information remains reasonably current.
- Implementation of recommended actions.
- Monitoring and associated reporting on implemented actions.
- Development or update of feasibility studies.
- Routine or ongoing operating costs or activities (e.g., heating, cooling, and lighting costs; security; software or service subscriptions; or membership fees).
- Routine or ongoing planning costs or planning activities (e.g., costs related to bylaw adoption).
- Legal, audit, or interest fees, or fees to incorporate a society.
- Fundraising, lobbying, or sponsorship campaigns.
- Purchase of promotional items, door/raffle prizes, give-away items, and/or gifts for community members.
Reporting Requirements
Final report only
Expected Timeframe for Funding Decision
3 monthsApplicants will be advised of the status of their applications within 90 days of the application deadline.