Launched in February 2021, roughly a year into the COVID-19 pandemic, CR Grant Assist is a resource to help Campbell River businesses apply for grant funding.
The City of Campbell River's Economic Development team launched the program to support the local business community by offering participants the opportunity to consult with a grant writer (a contractor), who provides each participant with up to five hours of free grant-writing services. Participants may then decide if they would like to contract the grant-writer for additional, paid support.
The Economic Development Department contracts the grant writer to provide individual businesses with up to five free hours of grant-writing assistance, provides the contractor with a set budget, sets the parameters to determine eligibility criteria for participants (such as requiring that participating businesses be located within Campbell River's city limits and be applying for a COVID-19 financial support) and promotes the program. Interested businesses apply directly to the contractor by completing an application form that is available on the Economic Development Department's TECHatchery website (techatchery.ca/). Applications go directly to the contractor; economic development staff do not see them. The contractor then vets the applications to determine whether they meet the eligibility criteria and decides whether or not to work with each applicant.
Whether it's trying to sustain a business during closures, paying rent and staff, offering new services, adding an online storefront or pivoting a business entirely, members of the local business community have been working to adapt to the rapidly shifting economic landscape during the pandemic. Feedback from businesses was that they needed assistance accessing financial supports to help with these activities. The CR Grant Assist program helped local businesses secure funds at a critical time, supporting resiliency and recovery activities as well as sustaining businesses and jobs. As an example, one business was approved for a $40,000 financial support for recovery planning.
Campbell River businesses, business groups, innovators and entrepreneurs were all encouraged to participate when the CR Grant Assist program launched in 2021. One business group representing local tour operators secured a grant for more than $760,000 for a significant remediation project. One of Campbell River's attraction advantages is its spectacular natural setting. The clean-up endeavour offered both environmental and economic benefits, creating employment and protecting the natural environment that businesses such as local tourism operators depend on. It generated positive media attention for the area and the businesses involved with the project.
CR Grant Assist has offered an outstanding return on investment. Since the program launched, the City has paid less than $3,000 to the contract provider for grant-writing services. To date, businesses participating the program have collectively received more than $1 million in funding.
Although initially developed to help businesses with their pandemic recovery efforts, CR Grant Assist can be tailored to meet changing economic needs and respond to other types of disasters and challenges as needed.
Due to its success, the economic development team intends to continue offering this program and will be expanding its scope to provide assistance with a wider range of funding applications, looking beyond financial supports that are specific to COVID-19. The aim is to continue connecting businesses and other organizations with support to help them build their capacity for resiliency and recovery over the long term, and thereby remain contributing members of a strong, diverse and resilient local economy.
Yes, the CR Grant Assist program is replicable, and could be rolled out in other communities with ease. In fact, the City of Campbell River Economic Development Department has already been contacted by other municipal economic development departments that have expressed interest in the program. The economic development team also plans to adjust the CR Grant Assist program as needed so that they can continue offering it to Campbell River businesses to promote long-term sustainability and resiliency.
A lesson the economic development team learnt early in the program is that it's important to allow room in the contractor's budget for time spent tracking outcomes and reporting results, and to clearly communicate expectations for that record-keeping.