What are the fundamentals of successful grant writing for digital equity programs?
The City of Hamilton offers a City Enrichment Fund which is the overall name for the City of Hamilton’s municipal investment in a wide range of program areas that supports the City’s strategic plan. The fund comprises 7 Program Areas (Agriculture, Arts, Communities, Culture & Heritage, Community Services, Digital, Environment, Sports & Active Lifestyles) with funding streams and categories. The digital stream is a new pilot project for 2023-2024 to fund programs promoting digital equity in Hamilton. Currently this funding is available up to 30% of the eligible project or program budget up to a maximum of $15,000. Total funding received from all sources within the City of Hamilton cannot exceed 30% of the program budget of the applicant. Financing the remaining 70% of the program can present obstacles for organization, and students will conduct research for available funding opportunities at the federal, municipal and local level for organizations. This research will be used to create a resource guide on the CEF webpage.
Working together with representatives from the Beasley Neighbourhood Association, students will draft a grant application for the digital stream using a digital equity program concept from Beasley as an example. Through this exercise students will learn and understand the fundamentals of effective grant applications, provide insight to the City of Hamilton on the application process, and provide relevant recommendations and a needs assessment back to the BNA for their program to qualify for the CEF digital grant.
In Scope: Draft content for the Digital Program grant on behalf of Beasley Neighbourhood Association, assessing further needs and recommendations for a successful grant.
City staff: Kelly Austen, Senior Project Manager, Digital Innovation Office
Community Partner: Charlie Mattina, Beasley Neighbourhood Association
Faculty & Course: Chuck Ma, Capstone 410, Redeemer University
Students: Julia Bootsma, Dan deGelder, Alissa Heagy, Elisabeth Krstevski, and Rylan Vanderwoude
