1.   Appropriate Funding: Establish a Community Prosperity Fund

Invest in a Community Prosperity Fund eligible only to nonprofits, totaling $300 million over 3 years.  The first year will focus on relief from the ongoing impacts of the pandemic and the historic under-resourcing of the sector in the following priority areas: staff recruitment and retention, digital transformation, mental health programs for staff and volunteers, and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. 

A Community Prosperity Fund begins to reverse historic stagnation in nonprofit funding (provincial investments to Alberta nonprofits have not been indexed to inflation or population growth for over a decade), relieves strain among nonprofit workers and organizations, and supports the technological and social evolution demanded of the sector.   

A Community Prosperity Fund is a critical investment in social infrastructure: the programs and services, amenities, relationships, and structures that make a community an appealing place to live. These are the assets of a nation, region, city, or neighbourhood that contribute to quality of life, supporting individuals and communities to create a resilient, just, equitable, and sustainable society.

A Community Prosperity Fund aimed at the emerging needs of the sector will have clear and measurable economic benefits for Alberta, such as:[ii]   

  • Creating jobs - A $300 million investment for social infrastructure will create approximately 4,800 jobs while the same dollars in construction would create just under 2,000 jobs. Nonprofits are essential job creators that can deliver services efficiently and effectively, currently employing 285,000 people.

  • Promoting safety, community, and well-being - Social infrastructure investments have benefits including social capital, trust, sense of belonging, volunteerism, participation in community activities, safety, and wellbeing. This fosters economic development and reduces downstream costs in healthcare and the justice system.

  • Attracting future investment - Creating a Community Prosperity Fund for nonprofits will allow organizations to invest in social innovators – people who can increase nonprofits’ entrepreneurship and who have insight into how the province may be best positioned to move forward.

Priority areas in the Community Prosperity Fund are to be reviewed annually and adjusted as needed. Impacts of the Fund will also be tracked annually and evaluated at the end of the three-year commitment with the possibility of renewal. This investment comes with a commitment to maintain or restore core funding streams to the nonprofit sector, such as CFEP (Community Facility Enhancement Program), CIP (Community Initiatives Program), the Civil Society Fund, and Family and Community Support Services (FCSS), with a plan to index funds to inflation.

A Community Prosperity Fund enables our Province to provide services that improve and save lives and ensures its long-term economic health.

48% of survey respondents were concerned about persistent reduced revenue.

Fewer than 1/10 applications to the Civil Society were successful over 2020-2022, with $20 million of $448.5 million requested disbursed in three rounds [iii].