Downtown Hamilton Creative Placemaking Grant

The City of Hamilton is pleased to provide funding for new, community-led placemaking projects that temporarily animate outdoor public spaces in Downtown Hamilton. Applicants are encouraged to reimagine every day public spaces and propose temporary projects that are creative and innovative.

What is Placemaking?
Placemaking is a hands-on approach for making a meaningful change or impact in a neighborhood, city or region. Placemaking inspires people to collectively reimagine and reinvent public spaces. Placemaking interacts with the unique geography, culture, and heritage of a space and is a way for residents to feel ownership of public space and use it in a way that is specific to community need.

Resources for Grant Applicants

Read the Placemaking Toolkit(PDF, 612.22 KB) (PDF, 160 KB)
Read the Placemaking Equity Guidance Checklist developed by Jay Pitter Placemaking for the Healthy Communities Initiative

Groups are strongly encouraged to contact staff and discuss their project details before submitting an application. Please contact [email protected] or call 905-546-2424 ext. 2036 to arrange a meeting or with any questions.

Watch Downtown Hamilton Creative Placemaking Grant Information Session on YouTube.

March 12, 2025 Information Session Recording

Designated Area

The grant program will support activities in outdoor public spaces within a defined area in downtown Hamilton. This area borders on Victoria Ave to the east, Queen St to the west, Young/Duke to the south, and Strachan to the north. Projects must take place on public property or private property that is easily accessed by the public and considered public space. In all cases, permission from landowner is required.

See Toolkit for detailed information(PDF, 612.22 KB)

Note: Parks along the border of this area that will be considered for funding include Carter Park, Corktown Park, JC Beemer Park, Jackie Washington Rotary Park, Strachan Linear Park. Projects hosted at Bayfront Park are not eligible for funding through this program.

map with red border outlining designated area of Victoria Ave to the east, Queen St to the west, Young/Duke to the south, and Strachan to the north.

Learn how to submit a

Grant Application

Read all of the information provided. Review the funding eligibility, assessment criteria, and expectations for funded projects.
Submit application by the deadline. Grant applications must be submitted by 4 pm on April 8, 2025.
To complete the application form online:
- Create a user name and password
- You can save your progress as you work on your application
- Prepare a project budget and upload it to your application
- You can submit your own budget document or use the Placemaking Budget Template(File, 42 KB)

If you require any accommodations or the application in an accessible format, please contact [email protected] prior to the deadline to make alternate arrangements. Note: Application does not support Internet Explorer. We recommend using Chrome, Firefox, or Safari browsers.

Submit Grant Application

Learn more about the

Grant Funding Process

Available Funding

How Funding Decisions are Made

One day events

Funding to support one-day events such as performances, gatherings, workshops, concerts, etc.
Can apply for $500 - $5,000 per event.

Event series

Funding to support a series of events, with a minimum of 3 dates such as performances, gatherings, workshops, concerts, etc.
Can apply for $500 - $15,000 per series.

Temporary installation projects

Creative temporary installations such as wayfinding, murals, light installations, vinyl wraps, little libraries, etc.
Can apply for $500 - $15,000 per project.

The grant can cover up to 100% of eligible project expenses.

Approximately 7 - 10 grants will be awarded through this grant program. The majority of grants awarded will be under $5,000.

Note to City Enrichment Fund grant applicants: It is your responsibility to ensure that participation in this funding program does not exceed the 30% funding threshold from all City sources. If unsure, please speak to your City Enrichment Fund Program Manager or [email protected] and review the City Enrichment Fund guidelines

Eligible Applicants:

Groups of residents (minimum of 3 city of Hamilton residents, 18 years or older) working on a project together. All 3 residents will be responsible for the funds awarded and ensuring that the project is completed as proposed. Note: Funding recipients will receive a T4A from the City of Hamilton.
Non-profit groups and organizations. Groups may or may not be incorporated. Organizations must be Hamilton-based.
City of Hamilton employees who wish to apply to the Creation & Presentation stream must also submit a Confidential Code of Conduct Disclosure Form(PDF, 1.06 MB).

Ineligible Applicants:

Individuals
Groups of people and organizations who do not reside/operate in the City of Hamilton
Political parties or events related to political projects or lobbying
For profit organizations or businesses
Organizations whose projects are deemed to come under the jurisdiction of other levels, divisions, departments or agencies of the City or other governments, i.e. school boards, post-secondary institutions, libraries, hospitals, etc.

Eligible Projects:

Projects must meet all of the following eligibility requirements.

Place-based projects - The project must be created to interact with the unique traits and local context of a place.
Project must be new or being tested on a newer/larger scale.
Projects must be temporary.
Projects that include above-ground gardening may be eligible, depending on project scale. Contact grant staff in advance to discuss.
Must take place in the designated Downtown Hamilton region in the City of Hamilton on public property or private property that is easily accessed by the public and considered public space. Permission from land owner required.
Project and activities are free and open to the public.
Projects expected to start between July 2025 and May 2026.

Ineligible Projects:

Projects led by the City of Hamilton
Repeat or annual projects/events
As projects are intended to be temporary, in-ground gardening projects are not eligible for this grant
Projects that forecast a deficit
Projects whose primary purpose is fundraising
Projects of a primarily religious or political nature
Projects that are not intended for, or accessible by, the general public
Projects currently receiving funding through the Placemaking, Public Art and Projects section at the City of Hamilton

Eligible Expenses

To be eligible, an expense must be directly related to the project being funded. Some examples include:

Permits (including park rental fees)
Maintenance and removal costs
Insurance
Supplies and materials
Fees and expenses for artists, demonstrators, and/or performers
Production expenses
Equipment and venue rental

Ineligible Expenses:

Operating expenses for your group or organization (e.g., salaries, travel, office equipment or furniture)
Creation, production and/or distribution of souvenirs
Purchase of alcohol and related expenses
Purchase, commission, or restoration of items that are intended for sale

All applications submitted by the deadline will be reviewed for completeness and eligibility. Ineligible and late applications will not be considered for funding.

Projects will be reviewed through a 2 Stage process:

STAGE 1: Applications will be reviewed by staff to ensure that they are eligible and that projects are technically feasible before advancing to a second assessment process. Applicants may be asked to submit additional information during this stage.
STAGE 2: Applications that are deemed eligible and technically feasible will be reviewed by staff and the assessment team using the assessment criteria.

Assessment Criteria and Scoring:

All eligible applications will be assessed against the following assessment criteria. It is expected that applicants requesting a larger dollar amount ($5,001-$15,000) will submit a more detailed application than those applying for $5,000 or less.

Assessment Criteria #1
Project demonstrates a place-based experience within the designated geographic area.

Assessment Criteria #2

Project encourages collaboration and interaction.

What the Assessors will be looking for in the application:

Individuals and/or organizations involved in the project are identified and their roles described.
Additional community collaborators and/or partner organizations are named and the project outlines how their inclusion will strengthen community connections.
Those involved with the project are diverse and represent more than one point of view, with decision-making and creative power shared.

Scoring:

Exceeds assessment expectations
Meets assessment expectations
Below assessment expectations

Assessment Criteria #3

Project is new and demonstrates a creative or innovative approach.

Assessment Criteria #4

Applicants demonstrates they have the resources to complete the project

Funding Decisions

To be considered for funding, the application must achieve the score of “application exceeds assessment expectations” or “application meets assessment expectations” in each of the 4 areas of assessment.
Applications that receive a score of “application is below assessment expectations” in any area of assessment will not be considered for funding.
Projects will be reviewed to ensure that they are technically feasible before funding is awarded. Applicants may be contacted by staff if more information is required. Any terms and conditions will be outlined in a funding agreement.
The assessment team will make funding recommendations based on score and on supporting a diverse range of projects.

Projects Awarded Funding

Funding Announcement
Funding decisions are expected to be announced by June 2025. Successful applicants can expect to receive written confirmation from the City of Hamilton via email.

Funding Agreement
Applicants awarded funding should expect to meet virtually with City staff after the funding announcement to confirm technical requirements. Once both sides are sure that the project can go ahead as described in the application or reasonably amended, a funding agreement will be created. The funding agreement, agreeable to both parties, will identify a payment schedule, project milestones, insurance requirements, any approvals required for the project, acknowledgment of funds, etc.

Date modified

March 17, 2025