The Government of British Columbia is investing $33 million to establish the Rural Economic Diversification and Infrastructure Program (REDIP). The REDIP offers three program streams, Economic Diversification, Economic Capacity and Forest Impact Transition, to assist local governments in transitioning and diversifying their local economies.
Funding Categories
- Economic Capacity: Aims to build the economic capacity of small rural communities and provide or
improve their ability to support economic diversification (max funding $100,000).
- Economic Diversification:
- The Development grant aims to support the planning of programs, services and infrastructure projects (max funding $100,000).
- The Implementation grant aims to fund the implementation of programs or services, or the construction of infrastructure resulting in new, upgraded or preserved local asset(s) (max funding $1,000,000).
- Forest Impact Transition: REDID-FIT applicants may submit projects that are eligible under REDIP-ED. (max funding $500,000).
Who can apply
- The proposed project must directly serve the applicant’s community.
- Where multiple communities collaborate and the project serves multiple communities, each applicant community must meet the eligibility requirements of the funding category. However, their combined population can be larger.
- Population size will be determined using Statistics Canada 2021 Census Data. Communities with populations up to 500 over the respective limits are eligible to apply.
- Communities with populations under 25,000 in the CRD and Metro Vancouver areas can contact the program office to request an exception.
What is funded
- Economic Capacity: Aims to build the economic capacity of small rural communities and provide or improve their ability to support economic diversification (max funding $100,000).
- Community assessment projects such as identifying community economic development capacity, community needs and/or opportunities.
- Capacity building projects such as strengthening local economic development capacity through targeted coaching, job shadowing, mentorship, and/or professional development.
- Engagement projects such as community consultation, project identification and/or fostering inhouse economic development services and resources.
- Staff recruitment and retention projects such as ones that reduce staff turnover, enhance stability, or temporarily increase staff positions, time and/or resources.
- Economic Diversification: REDIP-ED has two types of grants.
- The Development grant aims to support the planning of programs, services and infrastructure projects
- Infrastructure design including architecture, engineering, assessment costs, and planning
- Feasibility studies.
- Business plans.
- Program design.
- Service planning.
- The Implementation grant aims to fund the implementation of programs or services, or the construction of infrastructure resulting
in new, upgraded or preserved local asset(s)
- New or enhanced programs or services related to related to workforce development, business development, and industry/sector development, retention, and expansion.
- Construction of a new asset or the upgrading of an existing asset to support the development, stability, and scaling up
of businesses.
- Assets to support sector development, and investment attraction.
- Forest Impact Transition: REDID-FIT applicants may submit projects that are eligible under REDIP-ED.
Eligible project costs
- Costs incurred after approval and on or before the project completion date
- Capital purchases essential to project implementation
- Staff salaries in the lead or partner organization(s) working directly on project activities :
- REDIP-EC up to 100% of total project costs
- REDIP-ED and REDIP-FIT up to 15% of total project costs
- Insurance related to construction
- Equipment and/or furnishing essential to project operations
- Utility, electrical, sanitary sewer, and storm sewer set-up/connection services to project site
- Project management
- Design/engineering costs
- Environmental reviews
- Archaeological assessments
- Indigenous consultation
- Culturally relevant hospitality costs as part of the consultation process
- Communications, marketing or promotion-related costs
- Travel, accommodation and meals related to the project based on government per diem rates