[Closed] Call for Projects 2024–2025

Organizations welcome to apply:

• Universities
• Municipalities
• Public enterprises
• Registered charities
• Non-profit organizations or an individual affiliated with them
• Educational institutions or school boards, including individual schools or classrooms that are part of them

Organizations not eligible to apply:

• Political parties
• For-profit organizations
• Financial institutions
• Organizations intending to use the funds for partisan activities or political lobbying (federal or provincial).
• Organizations with an unfinished project funded by the Climate Fund.

The mission of the Climate Fund is to accelerate the decarbonization of the Greater Montreal. For this reason, all funded projects must directly and concretely contribute to accelerating the reduction of GHG emissions in the Greater Montreal area, with a commitment to a just and equitable transition.

Selected proposals must demonstrate a potential impact that extends beyond the project’s duration. They must also have structural and complementary benefits to the initiatives or recommendations of other actors in Greater Montreal.

To be eligible, a project must:

• Be carried out on one or more of the 82 municipalities of the Montreal Metropolitan Community (Communauté métropolitaine de Montréal), or on the territories of Kanesatake and Kahnawake
• Lead to GHG emissions reduction , within the next 10 years, and estimate the expected reduction using a credible methodology.
• Be replicable and have potential for scaling up.
• Have financial support or a promise of financial support from at least one other partner (i.e. in addition to the applicant organisation).
• Incorporate an equitable or inclusive approach.
• Demonstrate benefits for the community (e.g., health, safety, quality of living environments, resilience, or adaptation to climate change).
• Produce a report on the project, with at least part of it available publicly.

The Climate Fund can finance initiatives at different stages of a project’s implementation cycle, from the pilot phase to scale up.

As part of this call for projects, the Climate Fund will pay particular attention to decarbonization projects that:
1- Target populations vulnerable to climate change or address issues of equity, inclusion, and reconciliation.
2- Are led by municipalities in Greater Montreal or in collaboration with these municipalities.

As part of this call for projects, the Climate Fund will not consider:

• Projects without measurable and/or projected GHG emission reductions.
• Conferences, forums or training sessions.
• Projects or research that are exclusively academic.
• Projects aimed at designing action plans or methodologies.
• Projects aimed at redistributing the obtained funding in the form of grants/rebates to other organizations.
• Projects exclusively focused on the acquisition, purchase, or financing of capital assets and infrastructures.
• Building renovations or any new construction project or installation of technological equipment that cannot be scaled up or replicated.
• Operational costs of infrastructures, electric vehicle charging, or public transportation.

Do you have a project idea that aligns with the Climate Fund’s mission but not with the objectives of this call for projects? Contact us at subventions@fondsclimat.com

For this call for projects, the Climate Fund has allocated a total grant envelope of $250,000. Submitted proposals must not exceed $50,000.

Maximum Grant Share of Total Project Cost

The grant can cover up to 80% of the total project costs. At least 20% of the project costs must be covered by matching funds or in-kind contributions, excluding federal funding sources.
Non-monetary or in-kind contributions (e.g., salaries) can be used as matching funds provided they are a verifiable expense.

Eligible Costs

The grant provided by the Climate Fund can be used for all verifiable expenses directly related to the project.

Eligible costs include:

• Expenses directly related to the project and incurred after the grant agreement is signed by the Climate Fund.
• Administrative costs related to the project, as long as they do not exceed 15% of the granted amount.

Ineligible costs include:

• Fundraising expenses.
• Costs associated with preparing the funding application.
• Non-recoverable taxes, interest charges, or financing fees.
• Operating and operational expenses of the applicant organization that are not related to the submitted project.
• Any expenses incurred before the grant agreement with the Climate Fund is signed.

The funding will be disbursed in two installments:

• 80% upon the signing of the grant agreement.
• 20% upon receipt of the project report.

A brief project report describing the results achieved and a short financial summary of the project must be submitted no later than one month after the end date of the funded project.

Projects will be selected based on the following criteria:

• GHG Reduction Potential: The project leads to a reduction in GHG emissions or has a clear potential for GHG reduction and is based on a credible and reasonable methodology for GHG quantification.
• Structuring Project: The project has a significant long-term impact. It engages multiple stakeholders.
• Integration of Equity and Inclusion Principles: The project is inclusive and equitable in its approach. It considers and identifies its impacts on populations vulnerable to climate change in its application or its planning.
• Cross-cutting Benefits: The project provides additional benefits beyond GHG emission reductions, such as improved health and safety, conservation of natural environments, community resilience or adaptability, or transformation of practices and behaviours.
• Replicability and Scalability Potential: The project can be replicated or scaled up within the territory of the Montreal Metropolitan Community (CMM), and its results will be accessible once the project is completed.
• Leverage Effect: The project is supported and/or funded by other organizations.
• Budget and Timeline: The budget is realistic for completing the project and achieving its objectives.
• Team and Organization: The organization(s) leading the project have the organizational resources and expertise to carry out the project.

To be noted: The Climate Fund will consider the support or involvement of organizations, stakeholders, or community members in the projects.

Organizations with an unfinished project already funded by the Climate Fund are not eligible for this call for projects.