Rural Growth Initiative

The Rural Growth Initiative (RGI) provides community organizations with the opportunity to fund initiatives that strengthen rural community life in PEI.  

Two main funding streams are offered by the RGI with the following outcomes: 

• Community Revitalization - Enhance, maintain, or expand access to spaces that provide services which enhance rural communities
• Community Capacity Building - Increase community or organizational capacity to support rural population growth, economic growth, or ability to provide services that enhance rural communities.

The Reception Centre Resiliency Fund and Heat Pump Initiative are offered under the Community Revitalization Funding Stream. Please consult this page and their separate web pages (links below) for information regarding these programs:

• Reception Centre Resiliency Fund
• Heat Pump Initiative 

Eligibility 

Eligible Organizations:

Organizations that have a mandate for community and/or economic development in rural PEI who are either a:

• PEI incorporated non-profit
• Municipality
• Band Council
• Development agency

Ineligible organizations and/or applicants:

• Private Businesses
• Provincial or federal-owned organizations
• Places of worship (unless applying for the Heat Pump Initiative only under the Community Revitalization Funding Stream)
• Organizations whose services benefit urban populations only (unless applying for the Reception Centre Resiliency Program or Heat Pump Initiative only)
• Cooperatives that share dividends

Eligible Projects:

Eligible projects must demonstrate that they will increase the quality of life in rural PEI, whether in a particular community or region. Specific activities are eligible under each stream of funding: 

Community Revitalization – Infrastructure updates, expansions or capital costs which could include, but are not limited to:  

• Building renovations to centers such as community halls, recreation centers, or municipal buildings.
• Energy efficiency updates (see Heat Pump Initiative webpage for heat pump installations)
• Renovations to help an eligible center become a designated reception center in times of emergencies (see Reception Centre Resiliency Fund webpage for more details).

Community Capacity Building – Community or organization planning activities which could include, but are not limited to: 

• Strategic plans
• Community infrastructure plans
• Regional economic development plans
• Diversity and inclusion initiatives
• Training and skills development

Ineligible Projects

Ineligible projects that will normally not be funded by RGI include:

• Projects whose benefit would not extend to PEI rural populations
• Projects that occur on provincial or federal-owned property
• Projects that may result in increased competition for existing private businesses regardless of potential economic benefits.
• Municipal spaces/ offices that account for more than 20% of the building
• Projects that better fit with other provincial funding sources
• Projects whose objectives and benefits are the mandate of another government department or agency

For a full list of normally eligible and ineligible types of projects and activities that can be funded by the RGI, applicants should refer to the Applicant Guide.  Rural and Regional Development staff may deem additional expenses or types of projects to be ineligible. These decisions may be based on the project scope, their relevancy to fulfill RGI outcomes, or funding availability. 

Criteria

All projects will be assessed on the following criteria: 

• Alignment with RGI program outcomes
• Applying organization’s project management capabilities to complete the project on budget and on time
• Applying organization’s capacity to maintain, insure and finance the approved project long-term
• Project’s ability to leverage funding support from other partners
• Demonstrated community and/or organizational support for the project
• Applying organization is in good standing with Rural and Regional Development
• Project not suited for other provincial government funding programs
• Does not duplicate existing services or initiatives in the community
• Community and/or regional need for project benefit

Not all projects or requests that meet the established criteria will be funded and may depend on funding demands in the given fiscal year. 

Available Funding

The amount of funds available to projects normally under each RGI stream is described below. Specific types of projects may only be eligible for certain funding. See the Applicant Guide for more details. Rural and Regional Development reserves the right to adjust funding contributions according to project scopes and funding availability in a given year.  

All projects normally require that at least 10% of the total project costs be covered by the applying organization's own funds. Exceptions may apply. 

Community Revitalization (multiple funding sub-streams available)

• Small-scale projects - Maximum contribution of 75% up to $250,000 of total eligible costs. 
• Large-scale projects - Maximum contribution of 50% up to $2 million of total eligible costs. 
• Heat Pump Initiative - One-time assistance of 100% of heat pump costs up to a maximum of $20,000 (see Heat Pump Initiative webpage for more details). 
• Reception Centre Resiliency Program - Maximum contribution of 80%, up to $250,000 of eligible costs (see Reception Centre Resiliency Fund webpage for more details).

Community Capacity 

• Maximum contribution of 75%, up to $50,000 of eligible costs

Applications

Eligible organizations interested in applying to the RGI must retrieve an application package from the Community Development Officer in their region (contact details below). Applications are accepted throughout the fiscal year and funds are allocated until the budget for the fiscal year is spent (fiscal year operates from April 1 – March 31). 

It is highly recommended that applicants read the full Rural Growth Initiative Program Guidelines and Applicant Guide prior to applying.  

Contact

If you have any questions about the Rural Growth Initiative or to retrieve and application, please contact your local Community Development Officer.

Location	Community Development Officer	Phone Number	E-mail
West Prince	Ellen Rennie	902-853-0104	emrennie@gov.pe.ca
East Prince/Central Queens	Kellie Mulligan	902-887-3975	kamulligan@gov.pe.ca
Evangeline (Bilingual)	Giselle Bernard	902-854-3680	gbbernard@gov.pe.ca
Southern Kings/Queens	Sonia Dixon	902-838-0618	SDDixon@gov.pe.ca
Eastern Kings	Chris Blaisdell	902-208-0032	cwblaisdell@gov.pe.ca

Additional Resources

• Rural Growth Initiative Program Guidelines 
• Rural Growth Initiative Applicant Guide 
• Heat Pump Initiative 
• Reception Centre Resiliency Fund