City Enrichment Fund

Please contact staff to let us know how we can provide support through the application process. Staff can assist by providing:

• translated grant documents including the application form*
• fillable forms
• video support
• one on one staff meetings

*Requests must be received by November 4 at 9 am.

Applicants must consult both the general guidelines and the program specific handbooks in order to ensure all eligibility criteria are met.

These types of organizations are eligible within the City Enrichment Fund:

• Incorporated not-for-profit organizations
• Organizations with a charitable number
• Community associations
• Unincorporated groups with not-for-profit goals and governance structure.
• Creation & Presentation artists and collectives (Arts Program Only)

1. Carefully review the Handbooks in your Program Area and Funding Stream to ensure that you understand the eligible and ineligible expenses related to your program budget.
2. Prepare your budget numbers - this can be done directly in the CEF Grant Portal. If helpful, you can download the attached excel template(File, 113 KB)(File, 113 KB) to build your budget.
3. Budgets must be submitted through the CEF Grant Portal, if using the excel template, please transfer all information into the correct section of the portal before submitting.

Review direct deposit information including the required forms, or email [email protected]. Registering will reduce the period of time in processing the grant payment.

Please reach out to your Program Manager to receive adjudicator comments and general feedback following the funding notifications each Spring.

A requirement of receiving a CEF funds is the submission of final reports through the grant portal.

CEF final reports provide valuable information to help the City measure and demonstrate the impact of our funding programs. Reporting requirements can be found on page 20 of the CEF general guidelines.

Final reports include a description of the funded program results, a budget comparing the proposed budget and budget actuals, and statistics related to the funded program. Missing or incomplete final reports result in a hold on future funds.

Should a funded program be unable to be delivered, the grantee must return the funds to the City. Should a funded program experience a significant budget change and is no longer in compliance with the CEF funding policies resulting in a surplus of funding, they must return funds to the City.

As per the approved guidelines and funding agreement the Recipient acknowledges and agrees to return to the City any surplus or unspent CEF Funds to the City within 30 days after the scheduled completion of the initiatives (program), unless an extension is granted by City Council. It is the responsibility of the Recipient to request an extension by contacting the Grant Coordinator in writing prior to the expiration of the 30-day period within a calendar year. 

A cheque can be submitted to the Program Manager or Grant Coordinator within 30 days of the scheduled completion of the program. Cheques are payable to the City of Hamilton.

MYF is a pilot program to offer returning A rated City Enrichment Fund (CEF) grantees with an option to receive funding through a multi-year funding (MYF) commitment. A 3-year MYF period provides predictable and sustained funding to not-for profit organizations that maintain good financial operations and are providing recurring programs and services. The 3-year pilot period begins with the 2025 CEF cycle, with qualifying MYF grantees receiving a commitment of funding for years 2 and 3.

Multi-Year Funding was identified during the 2023 community consultation as a long-term strategy to provide sustained equitable funding and meets three of the initial community recommendations in the design of the CEF program: 

• Increased community impact – strategic and equitable 
• To be more consistent with best practices 
• Flexible to address the needs of the community.

No, you will not be automatically enrolled. All applicants interested in receiving MYF must apply during the 2025 intake period. You must indicate on your application that you wish to be considered for MYF and outline your plans for the duration of the MYF period. The funding will cover 3 years, but you will still be required to submit reports each year, maintain good standing with the City Enrichment Fund (CEF) program, and receive an "A" rating during the 2025 adjudication period.

Receiving an "A" rating is just one of the criteria to qualify for MYF. Other requirements include:

• Applying in a Program Area and Stream eligible for MYF.
• Opting into MYF consideration on the application form.
• Being a returning applicant to the City Enrichment Fund.
• Submitting a 3-year Program Plan.
• Being in a healthy financial position according to the CEF Financial Review, and, if applicable, providing either a deficit reduction plan or a surplus justification.
• Committing to providing the program or services described in your application over the 3-year MYF period.

This is a pilot program. If it is approved for continuation, the next MYF intake for the City Enrichment Fund will be in October 2027, with MYF beginning in 2028. The details of the next MYF intake, including the duration of the funding, will be determined closer to that time.

Yes, applicants approved and funded through MYF will need to submit an interim report after year 1 and year 2 of funding, and a final report at the end of year 3. They will also need to provide updated financial statements annually. However, they will not be required to reapply in subsequent years until the conclusion of the three-year MYF cycle. New Funding Agreements must be signed each year of MYF.

Successful MYF applicants must submit the following reports:

• Spring 2026: Interim Report 1
• Spring 2027: Interim Report 2
• Spring 2028: Final Report (Closing of MYF Pilot)

Yes, successful MYF applicants will receive consistent funding over the 3-year pilot period. If funding levels and applications allow, you may receive nominal increases year over year, but this is not guaranteed. This also assumes there will be no overall reduction in the City Enrichment Fund budget during the pilot period.

Each application is reviewed annually by a new set of knowledgeable adjudicators within the relevant program areas, based on the criteria outlined in the Program Area handbooks. While a similar quality and content in your application may yield a similar score, a previous year’s score is not considered in the current year’s review.

No, this will result in the application not being considered.

• No, appeals will be evaluated based on eligibility and described circumstances.  
• Evaluations will be completed by three CEF Program Managers. A passing Appeals score is required and consists of 3/3 in eligibility and 2/3 in extenuating circumstances. To receive a passing score for extenuating circumstances it is not enough to explain that information was missing from the initial application, applicants must explain that there were circumstances beyond their control which contributed to their need for Appeal consideration.

• Maybe, the total budget for the appeals process is $50,000 annually. The allocation of the funds is based on the total number of passing appeals applications received and available appeal budget. 
• There is no requirement for the full Appeals budget to be allocated each year.

• All appeal allocations will be made following the intake period closing on July 11^th. Applicants can expect to receive results in August.

• No, if an application received appeals funding in 2024, they are not eligible to apply in 2025, as Appeals funding is designed to support groups with extenuating circumstances, not ongoing operational concerns. Please review the handbook for full eligibility criteria.