Frequently Asked Questions

The Regional Municipality of Durham Community Safety and Well-Being (CSWB) Plan was adopted by Durham Regional Council on November 24, 2021, in accordance with legislative amendments to Ontario’s Police Services Act. The goal of the CSWB Plan is to support safety and a strong sense of belonging among residents of Durham Region; and address needs related to education, health care, food, housing, income, as well as social and cultural expression. The CSWB plan establishes a collaborative framework for integrated service delivery, working with community partners to encourage an upstream approach in addressing the priority risk factors to community safety and well-being in Durham Region.

The goal of the CSWB Fund is to assist not-for-profit groups and other community partners in developing or implementing their own projects which identify and respond to the needs of residents of Durham Region. The CSWB Fund supports implementation of Durham Region’s CSWB Plan and contributes to the objectives found in the Region of Durham 2020-2024 Strategic Plan under Goal 2: Community Vitality, Goal 3: Economic Prosperity, Goal 4: Social Investment and Goal 5: Service Excellence.

The Community Safety and Well-Being (CSWB) Fund: Building Safer Communities Grant Program supports the development of community-based violence prevention and intervention initiatives. This program will address community violence and youth justice involvement by supporting sector resilience, bridging service gaps, and encouraging resident engagement and leadership development. This program is made possible by funding from Public Safety Canada.

• For Stream One: program funding 
  • Applications open: Spring 2024
  • Applications close: April 30, 2024 at 4:59 p.m.
  • Results Announced: June 2024

• For Streams Two and Three 

  We will accept applications on a rolling basis. Once all Stream Two dollars have been allocated, applications will not be considered for the remainder of the year. We encourage you to apply early. 

• Stream Four: This funding Stream is closed.
  
  
  
  
  
  

Eligibility with respect to the use of funds will be based on the fund parameters set out by Durham Region and Public Safety Canada in the application guidelines. Eligibility with respect to the use of funds will aim to be flexible and based on community and equity needs. 

Examples of the eligible use of funds for project activities include, but are not limited to the following:

• Equipment rental. 
• Program supplies (e.g. food , supplies, etc.). 
• Promotion and publicity (e.g. flyers, posters, etc.).
• Purchased services (e.g. web design, translation, catering, printing, etc.). 
• Accessibility supports (e.g. American Sign Language (ASL) interpretation). 
• Administrative costs – related or required for the delivery of your project (e.g. partial rent for office space, partial staff cellphone costs, photocopies). 
• Small capital cost purchases expenses (e.g. equipment to support virtual activities). 
• Space rental (not including space rental for pre-existing programs). 
• Transportation to and from project activities by youth leaders, participants, staff and volunteers. 
• Volunteer honorarium and expenses.
• Caretaking costs for participants and volunteers to support participation in project activities (e.g. for children, dependants, etc.).  

Examples of the eligible use of funds for organizational capacity-strengthening include, but are not limited to the following: 

• Anti-racism training. 
• CPR training. 
• Cultural responsiveness training. 
• Financial literacy training. 
• First aid training. 
• Mental health training. 
• Mentorship. 
• Strategic planning. 
• Trauma-informed care training.
• Policy development. 
• Other capacity-strengthening activities.

Examples of the ineligible use of funds include, but are not limited to the following: 

• Debt repayment or deficit funding. 
• Fundraising events. 
• High-liability activities (e.g. fireworks). 
• Projects and activities outside of Durham Region.

Emerging (small, grassroots, or unincorporated) organizations are eligible to receive funds through Stream Four community micro-grants.  For Streams One, Two and Three, collaborative applications, which include emerging, small or grassroots organizations are encouraged.

Project Implementation Period: August 2024 to March 2026

Your funds must be spent within this timeframe, however your project may continue beyond this time frame. 

An advisory committee comprised of Region of Durham staff will support the application review processes, using an equity framework. Application review committee members will indicate if they have a conflict of interest with an applicant or project. Reviewers declaring a conflict of interest will be excused from the review of the specified application.   

Final grant decisions shall be made by the Region of Durham, in accordance with Public Safety Canada, Building Safer Communities Fund terms and conditions.

The following scoring criteria will be used: 

1. Project quality and relevance (30 per cent) 
2. Anticipated impact of the project (25 per cent) 
3. Budget, financial feasibility (25 per cent) 
4. Organizational capacity (20 per cent) 

Adherence to principals of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion should be demonstrated throughout the application. This will be assessed through all four review criteria. 

Coaching sessions will be available to applicants who are new to grant and proposal writing. To receive coaching support, please contact cswb@durham.ca or refer to durham.ca/cswb-fund.

If you have any questions or require more information about the Building Safer Communities Grant program, please contact cswb@durham.ca.