Springboard Grant
Our Springboard Grant application intake is closed for 2024. Please check back in June 2025 for 2025 program information.
Check out our 2024 Springboard Grant Recipients
Alberta Ecotrust Foundation is proud to announce the recipients of its 2024 Springboard Grant. This grant program provides funding to organizations addressing Alberta’s environmental challenges, helping them build their internal capacity.
Program guidelines
The Springboard Grant program criteria are available on this page, or you can download a PDF of the 2024 Springboard Grant Guidelines.
The Springboard Grant is a capacity-building grant to support your organization in developing competencies, developing new strategies, or improving processes or systems. It is an opportunity to invest in your organization, have a more significant impact, and improve your ability to achieve an environmental outcome.
The guidelines are intended to clarify the grant program details and assist applicants in ensuring their initiative is a good fit for a grant.
Get up to $10,000
Applicants can request between $1,000 to $10,000 in funding. In 2024, a total funding envelope of $100,000 was available.
New this year: Randomized selection
For this year, we are trialling a randomized selection process to ensure a fair and unbiased allocation of funds. Read about this selection decision.
Small capacity building grants are very competitive, and Alberta Ecotrust receives many more requests than it can fund. Applications with the best chance of being funded should fit the eligibility criteria (below) and clearly state the need, readiness and commitment to increasing your capacity in our Focus Areas (below). Applications not for capacity building will not be considered.
Research has shown that randomized selection can effectively reduce biases and provide equal opportunities for all eligible applicants, enhancing the transparency and equity of the grant distribution process. By adopting this method, we aim to foster a more inclusive and just approach, ensuring that all qualified applications have an equal chance of receiving support.
Focus Areas
Our Springboard Grant responds to the urgency of biodiversity and climate crises while advancing the circular economy. To address these challenges, we offer funding to various organizations that are doing this vital work in Alberta.
The Springboard Grant is intended to increase the capacity of Alberta organizations to complete good projects which contribute to our Focus Areas:
- 1
Nature-based Solutions & Conservation
Alberta values, develops and fully integrates Nature-based Solutions to achieve environmental, economic and social objectives. Alberta Ecotrust supports Indigenous-led efforts and implementation of Indigenous Protected and Conserved Areas (IPCAs).
- 2
Climate Resilience & Emissions Reductions
Alberta achieves the vision of carbon neutrality and resilient communities by mid century. Alberta Ecotrust supports projects and initiatives that have the potential to scale to achieve this vision within this timeframe.
- 3
Circular Economy
Alberta has a circular economy that preserves the value of energy, labour, and materials. Alberta Ecotrust supports projects and initiatives that promote durability, reuse, remanufacturing, and recycling to keep products, components, and materials circulating in the economy.
- 4
Overarching/Foundational
Initiatives in this Focus Area will yield positive environmental benefits while addressing environmental justice and/or lack of access for marginalized or underrepresented groups; undertake and improve monitoring, measurement, and reporting plans; or explore financial mechanisms that unlock the economic value of ecosystem benefits and/or provide essential funding to support a diverse range of projects, ultimately advancing our focus areas of NbS Solutions & Conservation, Climate Resilience & Emissions Reductions, or Circular Economy.
Are you eligible?
Organizations can submit only one application per funding round. Contact our grant teams if you are unsure if you can apply.
The following organizations are eligible to apply:
Nonprofit organizations
Band Councils; Tribal Councils, Tribal Associations or Tribal Governments; and Organizations of Indigenous communities across Alberta
Projects that answer "yes" to the following questions are eligible for the Springboard Grants
- Will Alberta be the primary beneficiary of the capacity-building initiative?
- Does the initiative align with/contribute to building capacity in Alberta Ecotrust’s Focus Areas?
- Is this a true capacity-building application? (NOTE: if it is a project-based application which could qualify under either the Environmental Impact or the Climate Innovation Fund programs, it does NOT qualify under the Springboard program)
- Will the initiative contribute to a sustained increase in capacity for the organization?
Springboard Grant timeline
- 1
July 15 - Sept. 3: Submit your Application
AEF Staff will guide as requested and as capacity allows prior to application close.
- 2
September: Decision Making
AEF Staff will screen applications against the eligibility criteria and make the randomized selection.
- 3
October: Award
Successful applicants are notified, and Contribution Agreements must be signed within three months of notification.
Frequently Asked Questions
Related projects
Explore a showcase of projects that we've funded.
