Category: News

What’s New in the 2021 Program Guidelines
The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly impacted communities across the
province, and British Columbia’s not-for-profit sector has played an instrumental role in ensuring essential services and programming continue to be delivered during this unprecedented time.
In early 2020, the Community Gaming Grant program adapted policies and procedures to address the immediate impacts of COVID-19 on B.C.’s not for-profit sector; several program criteria were relaxed or adapted to provide flexibility and ensure organizations continued to be eligible for funding.
Many of the COVID-19 response measures implemented by the Community Gaming Grant program will continue for the 2021 grant year. Recognizing the disruption COVID-19 has had on programming and organizational capacity, requirements around some grant criteria will be relaxed to ensure organizations can access Community Gaming Grant program funding in order to continue providing vital services across the province. These temporary changes to the Community Gaming Grant program will help organizations sustain and revive their programs and services as they come back to full strength.
In addition to the temporary policy changes to support COVID-19 re-start
and recovery, the Community Gaming Grant Program Guidelines have
also been updated to reflect other minor changes to policies and to improve
overall readability.
All applicants are strongly encouraged to review the Program Guidelines in their entirety to ensure they understand all eligibility and application criteria.
Temporary changes to the 2021 Program Guidelines and application requirements include:

® Human and Social Services sector application period amended to permit
organizations to apply for funding beginning in June 1, 2021.

® Organizational financial eligibility criteria relating to operating surplus will not be enforced for returning applicants affected by COVID-19. Return
applicants with more than 50% operating surplus will not have their
funding levels negatively impacted if they are unable to meet this criterion.

® Program eligibility requirement for programs to have been delivered for 12 months at the time of application will be waived for return applicants. The 12 months requirement will also be waived for new programs responding to COVID-19-related community needs.

® Program financial eligibility criteria related to government
funding will not be enforced for returning applicants affected by
COVID-19. Return applicants with more than 75% of program
funding from government sources will not have their funding levels
negatively impacted if they are unable to meet this criterion.

® Eligible use of grant funds will allow Community Gaming Grant
funding to be used to create new paid positions in 2021.

Other key changes to the 2021 Program Guidelines and application requirements include:

® Eligible use of grant funds will allow Community Gaming Grant
funding to be used for cultural components that contribute to the
inclusive delivery of a program.

® Gaming Accounts maintained by organizations in order to receive,
hold and disburse grant funds must be held in British Columbia.

® Notification to applicants that publicly available materials and
information on an applicant’s organization or programming may be
reviewed as part of application assessment.

® Organization eligibility criteria updated to provide greater clarity
on organization membership and additional information on Board
of Director’s election and governance requirements.