• Have broad community benefit (ie. a large portion of the community’s population will feel or recognize the project’s impact)
• Be led by a nonprofit organization. We are unable to fund for-profit businesses or local and regional governments through this funding.
• Take place within communities within the CFEK service area

For full assessment criteria and eligibility make sure to review the CED Funding Policy document below.

• Community Impact – projects that benefit multiple communities or broadly benefit a single community are preferred. Applications should explain need being addressed and the scope of the impact (communities, population, affected demographic within the community(ies)).
• Viability of the Project – ability to successfully complete the project, experience of the team or organization(s)
•  Project Collaboration – are there partners and/or matching funds
• Endurance – perpetuation of the outcomes beyond the completion of the project
• Value – cost effectiveness and value for money, time and effort invested 

• Columbia Valley Community Foundation, Vital Signs project. This report provides the Columbia Valley with relevant and digestible data that can be used to spur action to address the challenges and opportunities facing the local communities. It measures the vitality of the Columbia Valley communities and looks at trends related to quality of life for full- and part-time residents.
• Columbia Valley Food & Farm, Market Trail Project Food. This guide promoted food businesses and farmers’ markets from Canal Flats to Golden, with the aim to promote the food sector within the Columbia Valley region more widely and act as a tourism tool to promote food opportunities to visitors.
• Cranbrook Chamber of Commerce, Business Walks. Business Walks are a great opportunity to engage with businesses in person and get valuable information about the barriers and challenges facing businesses within a community.  They provide everyone with a better understanding of the advocacy, programming and supports that are needed for businesses. View the report here.
• Golden Community Economic Development, Canyon to Confluence Initiative. This project aims to engage the community of Golden and CSRD in visioning what the Kicking Horse River (from the mouth of the canyon to the confluence with the Columbia River) would best look like 10-15 years from now, thereby enhancing the community’s connection to the river.
• Sand Creek Community Club, Community Coordinator. This Community Coordinator role aims to unite nonprofits and create a community hub for RDEK Area B, thereby fostering collaboration, understanding community needs for projects and services, and addressing service gaps.
• Society for Kids’ Care, Mountainview Child Development Hub feasibility study. This study will investigate the opportunities of using space at the Mountainview School in Sparwood to increase the number of full-time day-care spaces for those under 5, support before and after school care, provide offices for child support services and also allow space for other community programs to use.
• Tourism Fernie, Work in Fernie website. This funding helped enhance the social media, content, website and digital marketing efforts of the Work in Fernie website in preparation for the summer 2021 season. The aim of the project was to help increase employment opportunities and address workforce shortages with Fernie.
• Wasa Lions Club, Wasa Community Map. This funding helped produce a map of the community to help increase traffic to local businesses and increase visitor’s awareness of services and activities available in the area.