Nova Scotia has announced the Age-Friendly Communities Grant Program to provide funding for projects that lead to more age-friendly communities.

Projects funded through the program help advance the goals outlined in Shift: Nova Scotia’s Action Plan for an Aging Population.

Age-Friendly Communities is an approach to ensuring that the physical and social aspects of a community are designed to improve the health and well-being of older adults. Age-Friendly Communities help overcome social isolation of older adults, and help them stay active, healthy and engaged in their communities.

Age-Friendly Communities address the 3 pillars of Shift: Nova Scotia’s Action Plan for an Aging Population:

• valuing the contribution of older adults to their communities
• supporting them to age in place
• create conditions for them to live healthy, active lives

Funding Streams

The grant has 2 funding streams: planning and projects.

Planning stream

• The planning stream funds projects that lead to more age-friendly communities. Planning initiatives engage stakeholders, develop action plans, and monitor and evaluate improvements to policies, services and structures within 8 domains:
  • communication and information
  • housing
  • transportation
  • outdoor spaces and buildings
  • social participation
  • community support and health services
  • respect and social inclusion
  • civic participation and employment
• Initiatives must be in partnership with local government. They need to include consultation and engagement with older adults, Stakeholders, and others in the community.

Projects stream

• Collaborative, innovative projects to develop, implement or evaluate programs, services, resources or events that:
  • support active, healthy living
  • help older adults to stay connected to community life
  • maximize the economic and social contributions of older adults
  • increase social interaction and community involvement among older adults
• Applications for projects that create mutually supportive, intergenerational experiences that help reduce social isolation among older adults are encouraged.

Funding Information

• Funding is available for up to $25,000 per initiative.
• Requests for the maximum contribution must involve a large-scale province-wide initiative or an Age-Friendly Communities planning or evaluation initiative, following the Public Health Agency of Canada’s Pan-Canadian Age-Friendly Communities Milestones.
• Most smaller-scale community projects receive a maximum contribution of up to $10,000 per initiative.

Eligibility Criteira

• To apply for a grant, you must be a:
  • municipality
  • Nova Scotian Mi’kmaw band
  • registered non-profit organization, registered charity, or registered association based in Nova Scotia
  • university based in Nova Scotia
• Partnerships with local government and between 2 or more organizations are encouraged.
• Businesses and individuals can’t apply.
• Planning stream initiatives require written approval from the municipality’s Chief Administrative Officer or Nova Scotian Mi’kmaw Band Chief.

For more information, visit Nova Scotia.