Community Development Funds

The Town of Whitby has two community development funds designed to help support our local initiatives:

How to apply

Complete our online application forms if you wish to apply for either the MCDF or the PACDF:

If you have any questions about how to apply or what you need to be eligible, send us an email or call 905.430.4338.

Application deadlines

We accept applications for community grants on an ongoing basis. If you wish to be considered for the MCDF lead cause, you must submit your applications before:

End of October for the Mayor's Fundraiser
End of March for the Mayor's Golf Tournament

You will be contacted if you have been selected or not within two months of sending the application.

Final report

If you are selected, you will be asked to submit a final report within 30 days after you complete your event. In this report, you must state the outcome of the initiative or event and how the grant was used. This helps us evaluate your initiative and if the grant made an impact for your event and strengthened the quality of life for our community.

Submit a Final Report

Evaluation criteria

Your applications are evaluated based on their relative merit and funding in one year. It does not guarantee that you will receive funding for a similar initiative or event in the following year.

This is a competitive process as overall funding is limited and funding requested by organizations may be decreased or declined.

When you apply for one of our community development funds, we evaluate your application on:

How the project will benefit the community (scale, inclusivity, direct and indirect benefits)
Soundness of business plan (including resources, own funds and fundraising)
The importance of the Town's contribution
How the success of the project will be determined

We give higher priority to:

Community focused projects, activities and events with a strong local presence;
Projects that promote social inclusion and civic engagement within the Whitby community
One-time events that promote the Whitby community are supported
Capital expenditures that have a direct benefit to the Whitby community
Proposals that demonstrate a partnership between two or more community organizations, activities do not unnecessarily duplicate successful efforts that already exist in the community as well as where applicants contribute in the form of financial or in-kind contributions to the grant request
New initiatives, but a promising program may receive more than one grant provided there is evidence that the program is developing successfully

We give lower priority to:

The purchasing of tables at award ceremonies, galas or fundraising events
Providing funding for ongoing operating costs of an organization or charity
Submissions seeking support for a charitable event for another charity
Initiatives being supported through other sources and programs
Initiatives that set a precedent and equitable funding is not sustainable

Recommendations for organization size

If you're a part of a larger organization that reaches beyond the Whitby community, we recommend that you seek similar proportionate grants from other benefitting sources. Periodically, special consideration for an individual or group within Whitby may be required and the Committee has the ability to consider this based on the above criteria.

Grant receipts

Copies of receipts for grant-related expenses are not required to be submitted, but per CRA requirements they should be kept for your own records. You may be requested to re-pay funds if the actual expenses are less than the approved grant.

Grants Review Committee

The Grants Review Committee reviews applications for both MCDF and PACDF and is responsible for awarding grants based on criteria and available funds. The Committee consists of five members of public appointed by Council, the Mayor and a supported staff advisor.

Funding policies and procedures

To make sure the funding is distributed in a fair and transparent way, we have created policies and procedures for the MCDF and PACDF. Contact us for a copy of the following:

Mayor's Community Development Fund and Performing Arts Community Development Fund Policy
Mayor's Community Development Fund and Performing Arts Community Development Fund Procedure

Annual reports

To keep track of how our community development funds are impacting the community each year, we provide annual reports to document funding updates and recommendations. Contact us for a copy of any of the following reports:

Community Development Funds 2019 Annual Report
Community Development Funds 2018 Annual Report
Community Development Funds 2017 Annual Report
Mayor's Community Development Fund 2016 Annual Report
Mayor's Community Development Fund 2015 Annual Report