Apply Now for Grants Supporting Local Businesses, Not-for-Profits, Recreation Orgs and Artists

Published on: 2021/04/07 - in Releases

RELEASE — The City and its community partners are now accepting applications for $1.5 million in grants through four programs aimed at supporting local businesses, not-for-profits, recreation organizations and artists.

“These grants are all about supporting local businesses, organizations and artists experiencing hardship due to the pandemic. A great deal of collaboration has gone into this effort. We are, of course, all keen to see these groups recover from the pandemic and thrive so they can continue to contribute their energies and efforts to our community,” says Mayor Bryan Paterson.

Learn more about available pandemic grant programs outlined below, and see if your organization is eligible, at CityofKingston.ca/Business.

The four grant programs include:


The Kingston Pandemic Business Recovery Grant

This program has been allocated $600,000 by Council to support business recovery and will be administered by Kingston Economic Development which has allocated an additional $500,000. Applications will open on April 6.

“Kingston Economic Development’s board recognizes that this program is crucial to support businesses which were ineligible for other Federal/Provincial programs, have been hard-hit by the pandemic due to their industry sector or experienced dramatic changes to their businesses,” says Gillian Watters, Kingston Economic Development’s Board Chair.

Recreation Relief Fund

This City-administered program offers a total of $100,000 in one-time grants to help address needs of local minor sports, non-profit sports and recreation organizations experiencing hardship due to the pandemic. Applications will open on April 6.

Community Investment Fund

This existing fund, administered by United Way of KFL&A, has been augmented with $100,000 in City funding making a total of $320,000 available to eligible applicants in 2021. It provides one-time grants of up to $25,000 to social service programs, projects, or small capital expenditures to non-profit organizations in the community. Information on applications will be available on April 26.

City of Kingston Arts Fund, Resiliency and Adapt Grant Programs

This program offers a total in $200,000 in one-time grants for local artists, collectives and ad hoc groups, and not-for-profit arts organizations who have experienced pandemic-related challenges or who are addressing a related community need. These funds are being added to the City of Kingston Arts Fund, which is facilitated by the Kingston Arts Council. Information will be available at www.artskingston.ca (http://www.artskingston.ca/) and Resiliency Grant applications will open on April 6.

“This new funding will offer direct and immediate support to local artists and will contribute to the overall recovery of the arts sector in Kingston, which has been significantly impacted by COVID-19,” says Barb Danielewski, Chair, Kingston Arts Council Board of Directors.

The allocation of the grant funds will take place over the next several months. All applicants must be located within Kingston as these funds, allocated through the City’s Working Fund Reserve, have been generated by Kingston taxpayers.

All application processes will be competitive and, as with all other grant programs, there is normally more demand than supply of funds so the submission of applications does not guarantee approval.


Release: City of Kingston
Photo: Wikimedia Commons / Laslovarga (cc)