Ecoprojects Community Fund

The Fund’s objectives are to:

• support and promote citizen involvement initiatives;
• support collective efforts that have cumulative effects;
• involve citizens and organizations in improving, enhancing and protecting the environment;
• meet the environmental objectives and aspirations of the City's various policies;
• contribute to raising citizens' awareness of environmental issues;
• develop citizens' sense of belonging to the community.

As part of the Ecoproject Community Fund, the City of Vaudreuil-Dorion is offering a grant of up to $5,000 per project (including taxes), subject to the availability of funds. Applications to the Ecoproject Community Fund can be submitted by either a sole citizen, a group of citizens, a non-profit organization or an institution. Maximum of one application per year.

Submitting a project

Applications must be sent to the City’s Environment Division via email. Submitted projects will then be evaluated by the Environment Division to ensure they are complete and meet all eligibility requirements (refer to eligibility criteria, eligible expenses, obligations and project submission documents). A selection committee will then evaluate the project using the Evaluation Grid. Only projects that receive a score of at least 60/80, calculated based on the Evaluation Grid, and the minimum score required for Criteria 6 and 7 of the Grid will receive funding by resolution of the Municipal Council, subject to the availability of funds. The process will be carried out according to the timeframe outlined below.

Deadlines

2025
Project submission period	January 1st to February 28
Evaluation of projects	March 3 to 28
Unveiling of selected projects and payment of 1st instalment for 50% of approved grant amount	Mid-April
Planning and completion of projects	Starting on the date grant is awarded and until November 15
Filing of Project Completion Form, including proof of expenses	Before December 1 of the reference year
Payment of remaining 50% and project follow-up	Between December 1 and 23

 

Eligibility conditions and criterias

To be eligible for an Ecoprojects Community Fund grant, projects must meet the following criteria:

• Be carried out by a citizen, a citizens' group, a non-profit organization or a public institution;
• Be carried out in Vaudreuil-Dorion;
• Be carried out on land or in a building with the agreement of the owner(s);
• Be carried out with the support of the board of directors or management of the organization or institution (if applicable);
• Be carried out between the acceptance date and November 15 of the reference year in which the application was approved;
• Be non-profit;
• Be in compliance with municipal regulations (including obtaining a permit from the city, where applicable);
• Include only species adapted to local hardiness and not known to be invasive exotic species (if applicable);
• No projects requiring City maintenance efforts will be eligible.

Furthermore, any request from a citizen, a group of citizens, a non-profit organization or a public institution will be automatically refused if, in the three previous years, a subsidy from the Ecoprojects Community Fund was granted to such an applicant for a previous project which was not completed within the deadlines prescribed by the City.

Eligible expenses

Only expenses defined as eligible by the Ecoproject Community Fund and that were incurred after the date on which the Municipal Council passed a resolution to award the grant can be reimbursed. More specifically, the following expenses are considered eligible:

•  Professional fees, travel costs and daily allowances for contractors such as consultants, technicians or other specialists required for the project;
• Costs for materials, rental of equipment or space, and transportation related to the implementation of the project;
• Promotional fees.

The following expenses are not eligible:

• Operating fees of organizations involved in the project (if applicable);
• Salaries and benefits of project initiators;
• Fees related to fundraising, financing and market development campaigns;
• Expenses that do not comply with a certain law or by-law;
• Portion of the Quebec Sales Tax (QST) and Goods and Services Tax (GST) for which the applicant can obtain a credit or refund;
• Expenses already underway or paid for;
• Expenses not directly related to the project or unjustified expenses.

Application documents 

• Application form;
• Power of attorney or written agreement from the owner of the land where the project will be carried out (if applicable);
• Power of attorney or written agreement from the board of directors or immediate superiors (if applicable);
• Plant list and planting plan (if applicable);
• Site plan for any project involving work (if applicable);
• Any other document required for project execution (study report, estimate, quotation, photos, etc.).

Any changes to the project during its implementation must be approved by the Environmental Division beforehand.

Communications obligations

The City of Vaudreuil-Dorion's support must be mentioned on all information, promotional and advertising documents. Publications mentioning the city must be approved in advance.

Project selection criteria

After the project submission period, complete grant applications, i.e. those accompanied by all necessary documents and meeting the eligibility criteria, will be evaluated by the City of Vaudreuil-Dorion's selection committee. Only projects with a minimum score of 60/80 points and meeting the minimum score required for criteria 6 and 7 will be retained and presented to the municipal council for grant approval by resolution. Projects will be evaluated according to the following criteria :

• Relevance of project to Fund objectives
• Relevance of the project to at least one of the five themes of the City of Vaudreuil-Dorion's environmental policy (protection of water resources, urban agriculture, residual materials, adaptation to climate change and biodiversity and natural environments);
• Relevance of the project to the aspirations of the City of Vaudreuil-Dorion's Strategic Planning;
• Project's relevance to the City of Vaudreuil-Dorion's family and seniors policy;
• Extent of the project's positive impact on the community as a whole;
• Applicant's ability to carry out the project;
• Autonomy and effort required to maintain the project over the long term;
• Financial balance and realism of budget forecasts.

For more information on the evaluation of submitted projects, please consult the evaluation grid.

Project completion documents

• Proof of expenses related to the project;
• Project Completion Form;
• Photos or any other documents relating to the implementation of the project and the final result.

Payments

Payments will be made by cheque. The applicant responsible for the project will be the person to receive the cheque, whether in the case of a citizen, a non-profit organization or an institution. A first payment of 50% of the amount awarded will be paid once the project has been approved.

The final payment of 50% will be paid following receipt and validation of the end of project form and proof of expenditures by the Environment department. The City of Vaudreuil-Dorion reserves the right to modify the amount of the second payment (the remaining 50%) if proof of expenditures show non-eligible expenses or expenses where the amount is lower than the amount spent. If budget is exceeded, the second amount (remaining 50%) will remain the same as the initial estimated amount.

Projects that are not finalized by November 15 of the funding year will be deemed non-compliant and will therefore not be eligible for the second payment. Furthermore, this failure will deprive the applicant(s) of such a project from benefiting from subsidies from the Ecoprojects Community Fund, for the next 3 years.

The applicant must make a reimbursement to the City before December 23 of the funding year if the total amount of eligible expenses is less than the amount of the first payment indicated by the proof of expenses.

Examples of potential projects that could be considered eligible (without limitation)

• Creating gardens for pollinators, urban food forests or tree planting in connected plots of land;
• Environment-themed workshops (e.g.: residual materials, zero waste, etc.);
• Environment clean-up;
• Financing an educational environment-themed program (e.g.: Cycliste Averti, Scol’ERE Carbon Bursary);
• Organizing a conference or event of an environmental nature;
• Purchasing a community compost bin;
• Organizing workshops dedicated to repairing defective appliances with a view to promoting zero waste in the community;
• Purchasing zero-waste equipment for an institution or organization;
• Implementing a bike-sharing system;
• Landscaping that helps reduce environmental pollution (e.g.: rain gardens);
• Restoration of natural environments and riparian buffers.

Information documents and forms

• Details of the Ecoproject Community Fund / eligibility criterias pdf

• Evaluation grid pdf

• Application form pdf

• Project completion form pdf