Community Grants | The Project Leader's Toolbox

Welcome to the Project Leader's Toolbox, an online collection of resources and information to support you through the implementation of your project. If you can't find what you are looking for here or wish to contribute content to this page, please reach out to info.utown@ubc.ca.

All done with your project? Submit your Inspiring Community Grant Report

Getting started? Check out the steps below!

START HERE: 1. BUILD OUT YOUR IDEA

Here are resources for building out your project: 

• Gather inspiration from past grant project stories by Neighbourhood Small Grant leaders like you 
• Accessible and Inclusive Event Planning Guide & Checklist by UBC Equity & Inclusion Office
• Budgeting Guide by Neighbourhood Small Grants 
• Join the Neighbourhood Small Grants Project Leader Facebook Group

2. PROMOTE

Once your idea is ready to launch, it's time to get the word out into the community and invite everyone to join the fun!

Before implementing your marketing and promotions plan, please check in with your staff contact (see your acceptance letter for details). For any media coverages, please notify your staff contact in advance.

PROMOTIONAL MATERIALS

When promoting your project in print or online, please acknowledge the support of the UTown@UBC Community Grant using at least one of these options:

• a sentence that links to the grant webpage (utown.ubc.ca/communitygrants):

"We gratefully acknowledge UTown@UBC Community Grants for their financial support to our project."

"This community project is made possible by the UTown@UBC Community Grant."

• the UTown@UBC logo *Please show any materials with the UTown@UBC logo to your staff contact before publishing (allow a minimum of two business days for turnaround).

Take a look at sample poster designs from these projects: Indigenous Storytelling at Acadia Park and Seeds for Growth  

WHERE TO PROMOTE

Please actively promote your project to reach as many community members at UBC, UNA and Musqueam communities. 

Here are some ways to start promoting your project:

To reach the general community:

Use Social Media:

• Promote through our @UTownUBC channel on Facebook  |  Instagram | Twitter . To request promotions across the @UTownUBC social channels, please email info.utown@ubc.ca with a graphic and caption. Staff will review your request and contact you to finalize details. 
• Tag @UTownUBC in your grant-related social media posts and use some of the official grant hashtags: #communityatUBC #neighbourhoodsmallgrants #NSGStories

Submit to Newsletters:

• For content submission to newsletters, submit content at least 3-4 weeks in advance to ensure a greater liklihood of being picked up.

Print Posters:

• Print posters and post them around the community. Please request permission from local businesses and facilities beforehand and ensure you set a calendar reminder to take down the posters after your project. 

Connect with online communities:

• Minivillage is a local community platform supporting hundreds of residents in the UBC area. Minivillage helps everyone meet their neighbours through sharing skills, resources and interests. Like you, residents on the Minivillage platform are community builders and create fun events for neighbours to get together. Interested in joining the Minivillage community? Learn more here.
• To promote your project with Minivillage, contact the team at support@minivillage.ca.

To reach UBC Students, faculty, staff:

• UBC Events - Add your project to the UBC Events online calendar.
• There are various faculties and departmental newsletters to consider; please reach out to the Grant Program coordinator for details.  

To reach Musqueam Community:

• Reach out to the Musqueam Indian Band through their Contact Us page

To reach University Neighbourhood Association (UNA):

• UNA Community Newsletter Requirements.pdf - Submit content to the weekly UNA Community Newsletter

To reach Acadia Park Family Residence:

• Contact the Grant Program coordinator

3. BUDGET

• You are responsible for keeping expense receipts to account for all project costs. 
• All original receipts must be included in the project report. Please label all receipts to indicate what funding was used for and log each in the project report as you go.
• For honorarium payments, including any etransfers, receipts can be submitted in the form of asking the recipient to provide an invoice or taking a screenshot of the etransfer payment confirmation. 
• Unused funds must be returned to the grant program, no later than one month after project completion. There are two ways to return unused funds, depending on the leftover amount:

1. If the unused amount is $75 or less, please contact your grant staff for further instructions.

2. If the unused fund is over $75, return the fund in a cheque* addressed to UBC Campus and Community Planning. Please notify staff to confirm where to mail the cheque. *If you do not have a cheque book, you can request a single cheque from your bank in the form of a 'counter cheque'.

4. DOCUMENT 

Think about how you will evaluate your project’s success and tell your project story. Some ways to do this are:

• Take photos, videos or screenshots during your project. Any media of participants will require the participant to provide consent. To collect media consent from participants, please use the template form or create your own using online survey tools, such as Qualtrics or Google forms. 
• Survey and interview participants and use comments and testimonials in your report (with permission from individual).
• Record observations and metrics, such as number of participants, care packages distributed, etc.

Thinking about how to capture these details in advance will be useful when it comes time to put together your project report. 

5. REFLECT & REPORT

• While the project report and documentation submission is a requirement of your funding, it is also an opportunity for you to reflect about your project impact and learnings as a project leader. Sharing your story inspires others to get involved in their community! 
• ​Please note that failure to comply with the terms and conditions of your grant funding may result in funding being revoked or inability to secure funding in the future.
• Upon completion of your project, gather any notes from your project, quotes from participants, photos and proof of payments.  
• You can also upload a short story of your grant project to the regional NSG network. 

View some past project reports below!