Belleville Grant Program

The City of Belleville Grant Policy was approved on December 10, 2012. It’s goal is to promote the well-being of the community and the growth and/or recognition of individuals in the community through providing resources to organizations, groups and events in a fair and equitable manner.

The City of Belleville recognizes that many municipally located organizations, groups, and events provide a valuable contribution to the residents of the City of Belleville. The Municipality understands the financial constraints that these organizations operate under and the impact and social responsibility that the Municipality has to ensure the viability / financial stability of these community organizations, groups, and events.

Streams

The City has 4 grant streams:

• Community Impact– Single grants of up to $5,000 each for financial assistance and municipal resources for a total of $10,000.
  • Use of a municipally owned facility (rental fees waived/ reduced)
  • Municipal staff support (expertise) or an event (wages waived reduced)
  • Use of municipally owned equipment (rental fees waived/ reduced)
  • Use of municipally owned materials (rental fees waived/ reduced)
• Tourism – No specified limit of funding for events that draw visitors from outside of the City of Belleville, provide local entertainment, promote new spending, and overnight stays in the city
• Social Infrastructure – Single grants up to $20,000 for non-profit organizations that primarily provide services to individuals who are experiencing adverse social impacts due to the economy, housing, physical, family, cultural, social exclusion, disabilities, and ethnic/ racial/ religious factors.
• Arts and Culture – Single grants of up to $5,000 to increase the local arts and culture sector’s impact on the quality of life of local residents and the economic vitality of the community.

Belleville accepts applications for the Community Impact and Tourism grants during 2 intake periods per year. You can apply for grants here.

Funding

In the 2025 Operating Budget, Belleville allocated $549,900 in grant funding as follows:

• Community Impact – $90,000 from the Casino – Social Infrastructure Reserve Fund
• Tourism – $139,000 from the Municipal Accommodations Tax
• Social Infrastructure – $260,000 from the Casino – Social Infrastructure Reserve Fund
• Arts & Culture – $60,000 from the Municipal Accommodations Tax

Eligibility

Applicants must demonstrate the need for the specific request by submitting an application to the applicable category. General eligibility requirements are as follows:

• Individuals will not be eligible to receive grants from the City.
• The municipality reserves the right to limit the number of grants made to a particular organization in any given year.
• Applicants must be located in the City of Belleville, and promote the well-being of Belleville residents.
• The City Council’s decisions regarding eligibility are final.
• Organizations and/or charities whose primary focus is not within the municipality shall not be considered for a municipal grant.
• Applicants for a grant of municipally owned resources will be required to hold sufficient commercial general liability insurance; as determined by the City of Belleville. At a minimum commercial general liability coverage of $2,000,000 will be required, but increased coverage may be necessary based on assessment of the application/applicant during the grant review process.
• The insurance certificate must be submitted with the application or the application will be considered incomplete and will be denied
• Applicants for a grant of municipally owned resources are required to provide an insurance certificate outlining the insurance coverage and listing the Corporation of the City of Belleville as an additional insured.

Comparison to other municipalities