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Region of Queens Municipality
Operational Policy No. 11 - Community Investment Fund
__________________________________________________________
BE IT ENACTED by the Council of Region of Queens Municipality, under the
authority of the Municipal Government Act, S.N.S. 1998, Chapter 18, as follows:
This policy shall be known as Operational Policy No. 11 and may be cited
as the "Community Investment Fund Policy".
POLICY PURPOSE
11.1 It shall be the policy of Region of Queens Municipality to have a standard
process for investing in community endeavours including infrastructure,
programs and people. This policy enables Region of Queens Municipality
to effectively address funding requests from registered Community
organization in Region of Queens Municipality seeking assistance for new
or improvements to existing infrastructure, new program and service
delivery or enhancements to current offerings, travel for individuals and
teams positioned to represent Region of Queens Municipality, and
investment in leadership training opportunities for new or existing
community leaders. Built on the belief that impactful ideas often start at
the grassroots level, Region of Queens Municipality's goal is to provide a
strategic and meaningful investment in projects that are inclusive of all
people, improve shared spaces, and foster long-term community
resilience, and build capacity - in accordance with established policies
and procedures.
AUTHORITY
11.2 Section 47 of the Municipal Government Act provides that:
(1)
Council shall make decisions in the exercise of its powers and duties
by resolution, by policy or by by-law.
(3)
In addition to matters specified in this Act or another Act of the
Legislature, the council may adopt policies on any matter that the
council considers conducive to the effective management of the
municipality.
POLICY APPLICATION
11.3 This policy applies to individuals residing in Region of Queens Municipality,
and community organizations and societies currently registered with the
Nova Scotia Registry of Joint Stock Companies or incorporated under an
Act of the Nova Scotia Legislative Assembly, whose purposes relate to
one or more of the following areas: athletics, education, environment,
culture, community development, recreation, sport, heritage, or social
activities within.
INTERPRETATION
11.4 In this policy:
"Applicant" means the person or organization submitting the
application for funding; including an authorized agent for an
organization or parent / guardian of a minor;
"CAO" means Chief Administrative Officer of Region of Queens
Municipality;
"Council" means Council of Region of Queens Municipality;
"Officer" means Community Economic Development Officer;
"Fund" means Community Investment Fund; and
"Investment" means a financial contribution approved under this
policy used for the sole purpose of community benefit or leadership
training, where no part of the investment is for salary or wages.
ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA
11.5 Organizations and individuals that wish to access funding from the Fund
shall be required to submit a hard or electronic copy of the completed
application in the prescribed application form, including the required
documentation, as noted on the application form.
11.6 Applicants who fail to submit all required documentation will experience
delays in application processing and may be deemed ineligible for
funding under this policy.
11.7 Applications for Operating Investment Funds are required to be submitted
by February 28 annually, after which, applications are open for Capital,
Event, Tournament, Training, and Travel Assistance Investment and will be
accepted throughout the year, until available Funds are exhausted. No
funding decisions are made until Council has completed fiscal budget
approval for that year.
11.8 Registered application organizations must be based within Region of
Queens Municipality or conduct significant activities to benefit residents of
Region of Queens Municipality to be eligible for funding under this Fund,
provided all other terms and conditions of this policy are met. Individual
Applicants must currently be permanent residents of Region of Queens
Municipality or be away at school with a plan to return to Region of
Queens Municipality at the end of the current school year.
11.9 Provincial and Federal government departments and agencies, political
groups, and organizations who receive more than 90% of their funding
annually from these agencies are not eligible for funding under this Fund.
11.10 Organizations or individuals are welcome to reapply to the Fund within the
same fiscal year, provided the prior application file is closed, with eligibility
to receive up to a maximum of $1,000 within that same fiscal year.
11.11 Organizations are ineligible for funding if they have made financial
contributions to other groups or individuals in the past two fiscal years,
apart from small donations or payments for services received. This includes
scholarships, bursaries, donations, or any form of third-party financial
support.
11.12 Expenses that are ineligible for funding include salaries, wages,
mandatory employment-related costs, honorariums, and in-kind
contributions (with the exception of capital investments outlined in section
11.19 of this policy), legal fees, surveying, land purchase, design fees,
landscaping, prizes/giveaways, food and beverages, and Harmonized
Sale Tax (HST).
11.13 Any projects, events, training or travel that were started or completed
before receiving approval from this Fund are ineligible for funding, with
the exception of the Training Investment Fund, at the discretion of the
Officer. Training investments are made upon successful completion of the
training program.
11.14 Applications will be accepted on an on-going basis until all funding
available has been committed, excluding Operating Investments which
have an established deadline. All approved applications must complete
their infrastructure work, events/tournament, training, or travel and submit
their final report and claim for payment prior to March 31st of the
approved fiscal year. Claims submitted after this time frame will not be
accepted nor will they be eligible for funding. Approved Operating
Investments must submit their Final Report on the prescribed form, along
with receipts for all approved eligible expenses (net of HST) prior to
January 31st of the approved fiscal year.
DECISIONS
11.15 Eligible funding requests of $5,000 or less are subject to approval by the
Officer overseeing the Fund. All funding approvals made within this
threshold will be reported to Council every month by the Officer.
11.16 Eligible funding requests over $5,000 up to $10,000 are subject to approval
by the CAO, based upon a Staff Report with a recommendation from the
Officer. All funding approvals made within this threshold will be reported
to Council every month by the Officer.
11.17 Eligible funding requests over $10,000 are subject to approval of the
Council, based upon a Staff Report with a recommendation from the
Officer.
FUNDING DISPOSITION
11.18 Funding for all approvals shall be dispensed according to the following
criterion:
a) Applicants must demonstrate proof that their required portion
of funds are secured for the completion of their project within
the current fiscal year before Community Investment Funds
will be released.
b) A Final Report shall be provided to the Municipality no later
than March 31 outlining how the funds were used and sharing
the community impact made, to be eligible future funding.
Any funds not used according to how the application was
submitted and approved, and how the percentage
allocation was determined, must be reimbursed to the
Municipality by March 31 of the current fiscal year. No Final
Report is required for investments of $500 or less.
c) For funding approvals of $500 or less, one hundred percent
(100%) of the funded amount will be issued to the Applicant
upon approval. For investments over $500, eighty percent
(80%) of the funding will be provided upon approval. Upon
receipt of the Final Report, the remaining twenty percent
(20%) will be disbursed. Applicants that do not provide this
report will not receive the final twenty percent (20%) of
funding and will not be eligible for future funding.
d) Where an investment has been made and the final reporting
documentation show eligible expenses are less than what
was supplied in the proposed budget of the application, the
final twenty percent (20%) of funding will be recalculated
and reduced or not released based on the actual eligible
expenses. Funding is not revised with over expenditures.
e) If an Applicant changes the scope of operations during the
funding fiscal year or chooses not to complete the items
included in their original approved request, the Municipality
must be made aware of those changes immediately, and in
advance of the Final Report deadline to avoid potential
repayment of any portion of advanced funds.
COMMUNITY INVESTMENT FUND PILLARS
11.19 Capital Investment Funds
Organizations are eligible for Capital Investment Funds under three
categories:
a) Up to twenty-five percent (25%) funding of eligible expenses
for new capital community infrastructure, to a maximum of
$100,000;
b) Up to fifty percent (50%) funding of eligible expenses for
alterations or improvements to existing community
infrastructure that will prolong the life of the facility at least 10
years or significantly increase usage, to a maximum of
$50,000; or
c) Up to twenty-five percent (25%) funding of eligible expenses
for new capital community infrastructure planning or
feasibility studies, to a maximum of $10,000.
The Capital Investment Fund is the only pillar of the Fund where in-kind
contributions are eligible for consideration. In-kind contributions related to
these projects are eligible up to a maximum funding of $1,000, using the
funding percentages as set out in the categories above. In-kind
contributions include the donation or discounting of goods and services,
or volunteer time, specific to an expense outlined in the capital project
budget. All labour rates for in-kind contributions are calculated at $20.00
per hour. The amount of projected in-kind support must be included in the
original request.
11.20 Operating Investment Funds
Organizations are eligible for Operating Investment Funds under three
categories:
a) Up to $10,000 annually for organizations that own their own
facility or have a long-term lease of five years or more, where
the programs or services are well established and open to all
members of the public;
b) Up to $5,000 annually to assist community organizations with
financial support to offer year-round programs, or services to
residents of Region of Queens Municipality and visitors that
highlight and advance the local culture, heritage, sport,
recreation, community, or social development in a
sustainable and inclusive manner; or
c) Up to $1,000 annually to assist community organizations with
financial support to offer new or expanded programs, or
services seasonally for residents of Region of Queens
Municipality, or to support long-standing programs or services
that have been operating for more than five years.
11.21 Event & Tournament Investment Funds
Organizations are eligible for Event Investment Funds under three
categories:
a) Up to ten percent (10%) funding of eligible expenses for
events where the budget exceeds $150,000;
b) Up to twelve and one-half percent (12.5%) funding of eligible
expenses for events where the budget is between $20,000
and $149,999; or
c) Up to twenty percent (20%) funding of eligible expenses for
events where the budget is up to $19,999.
Organizations are eligible for Tournament Investment Funds under the
following category:
Up to $500 annually for teams or organizations to host tournaments,
championships, or competitions, where the event is being hosted
within Region of Queens Municipality and is open to the public.
11.22 Training Investment Funds
Individuals and organizations are eligible for Training Investment Funds
under two categories for registration fees only.
Up to fifty percent (50%) funding for new leadership or training programs
or services, to a maximum of $1,000, where the training is deemed to be
unavailable in Region of Queens Municipality at the time of the
application, or the Applicant plans to service an underserviced area, and
the Applicant agrees to offer the training up to two times or two sessions
free of charge to the Municipality at the discretion of the Officer; or
Up to twenty-five percent (25%) funding for new leadership or training
programs or services, to a maximum of $500, where the training would
benefit current programs and services in Region of Queens Municipality at
the time of the application and the Applicant agrees to offer the training
up to two times or two sessions free of charge to the Municipality at the
discretion of the Officer.
11.23 Travel Assistance Investment Funds
Individuals and organizations are eligible for Travel Investment Funds for
events that do not require a registration or entry fee. The applicant may
be either the sanctioned governing body, or a team or individual who
provides a letter from the sanctioning governing body confirming their
earned invitation to compete at the event.
a) Up to $550.00 for individuals that have earned the right to represent
Region of Queens Municipality, Nova Scotia, or Canada at
provincial, national, or international tournaments, championships or
competitions, as set out in the table below; or
b) Up to $1000 for teams that have earned the right to represent
Region of Queens Municipality, Nova Scotia or Canada at
provincial, national or international tournaments, championships or
competitions, as set out in the table below; or
c) Up to $550.00 to a resident of Region of Queens Municipality, Nova
Scotia that has earned the right with a team that is based outside of
Region of Queens Municipality and where that level of competition
is not available in Region of Queens Municipality, to compete at
provincial, national or international tournaments, championships or
competitions, as set out in the table below.
Mainland Nova Scotia
(minimum 150 km round trip)
$200.00 per individual; or
$350.00 per team
Cape Breton, Prince Edward Island,
New Brunswick, Newfoundland,
Quebec, or Ontario
$300.00 per individual; or
$550.00 per team
Manitoba, Alberta, Saskatchewan, or
British Columbia
$400.00 per individual; or
$750.00 per team
Yukon, Northwest Territories, Nunavut,
or International
$550.00 per individual; or
$1000.00 per team
REPEAL
11.24 This Policy repeals and replaces Operational Policy No. 11 - Community
Investment Fund as previously adopted by Council on January 14, 2020.
VERSION LOG
Version
Number
Amendment
Description
Amendment/Policy
Owner
Approved
By
Approval
Date
1.0
Creation of Policy
N/A
Council
2020-01-14
2.0
Housekeeping edits
and formatting
Municipal Clerk
N/A
N/A
3.0
Amendments to
Policy
Community
Economic
Development
Officer
Council
2026-01-27
OFFICIAL CERTIFICATION
THIS IS TO CERTIFY THAT this policy was passed by the Council of Region of
Queens Municipality at a duly constituted meeting of said Council held on the
27th day of January 2026. SIGNED by the Mayor and Municipal Clerk this 29th
day of January 2026.
_______________________________
Scott Christian
Mayor
_______________________________
Angela Green
Municipal Clerk