Stepping Stones offers small grants, ranging from $100 to $600, to encourage active citizenship by helping residents undertake small creative projects—neighbourly first steps—that benefit their local community.
Applications are accepted from individual organizers, neighbourhood groups and charitable organizations.
Stepping Stones is a unique and innovative partnership between The Calgary Foundation and First Calgary Financial.
What does Stepping Stones support?
Stepping Stones supports projects that:
- Encourage Calgarians to become more involved in their local neighbourhoods and communities
- Build on participants’ interests, concerns and talents
- Welcome and involve a diversity of people and groups
- Take people’s ideas into action
- Demonstrate and develop local leadership
- Create new opportunities
View our Map to discover how Stepping Stones makes a difference across Calgary
How can you apply?
- Download Stepping Stones Application Form (See "Helpful Resources" Section)
- Send application form by either:
What is the Application Process and Guidelines?
- Applications are due the FIRST day of each month
- Applicants can expect to be contacted within three weeks with follow-up questions and then the results
- Please allow at least six weeks between the application due date and your project event/activity to allow for the grant decision and subsequent paperwork
- Stepping Stones cannot provide support for projects that have occurred before the granting decision is made.
- Stepping Stones helps with expenses that support community involvement. Items such as room rental, refreshments, arts supplies, sound equipment rental, for example, could qualify. It is unlikely that Stepping Stones would cover salary, equipment that could be borrowed or items that could be donated by other sources
- It is unlikely that Stepping Stones would help with block parties or other purely social events or fundraisers unless they have a clear plan to create further opportunities for the neighbourhood or community
- In order to respond fairly to the neighbourhoods and communities in our city, Stepping Stones cannot support projects that have received grants from The Calgary Foundation’s partner grassroots granting programs (Calgary Dollars’ Take Action Grants and Northern Lights Small Grants Initiative) or from Ripples: Bowness Small Grants Initiative
Why not share your project as one of your Three Things for Calgary?
3thingsforcalgary.ca An initiative of the Mayor’s Civic Engagement Committee
If every Calgarian did at least 3 Things for Calgary, we’d have more than 3 million actions making Calgary an even better city. Amazing! The 3 Things you choose are up to you. Large or small, every action we take makes a difference.
Helpful Resources:
The Calgary Foundation is a proud member of:
For more information:
Julie Black, Citizen Engagement Associate
P: 403-802-7720
ngp@thecalgaryfoundation.org
