The Healthy Communities Initiative is a $31 million investment from the Government of Canada to transform public spaces in response to COVID-19. If you’re interested in applying to the Healthy Communities Initiative we invite you to learn more:

Healthy Communities Initiative

The Healthy Communities Initiative supports communities as they create and adapt public spaces, and programming and services for public spaces to respond to ongoing needs arising from COVID-19 over the next two years. This $31 million investment from the Government of Canada will fund small-scale infrastructure projects to create safer, more vibrant and inclusive communities. Community Foundations of Canada (CFC) and its network are working alongside the Canadian Urban Institute (CUI) and other partners to deliver the Healthy Communities Initiative locally. The Healthy Communities Initiative encourages community-level innovation and improvements in the quality of life for residents.

As local communities continue to adapt to COVID-19, local governments and community partners across the country in urban, rural and remote communities are discovering new ways to keep residents safe and healthy, support economic recovery and rebuild communities to be pandemic-resilient. The term infrastructure is popularly understood as the provision of roads, buildings and power generation plants. While physical infrastructure is important, there’s increased recognition of social infrastructure and digital infrastructure. These forms of infrastructure— physical, social and digital—contribute to community health outcomes. Moreover, various types of infrastructure projects often overlap and are co-led by a wide array of stakeholders such as: urban planners, public health professionals, grassroots neighbourhood groups, artists, cycling advocates and social service providers.

• Read the Applicant Guide to learn more about the Initiative and the application process

• Visit the resource library to explore helpful tools including the Equity Guidance and a screencast of the application process.