Frequently Asked Questions

APPLICATIONS PHASE

1. WHO CAN APPLY FOR THE FIELD LAW COMMUNITY FUND PROGRAM?

Participants can either be individuals, groups or organizations. Both registered and non-registered charities are eligible to participate. Participants in the Program must, if an individual, be residents of Canada to participate in the Program and reside in a Community Market (Alberta or Northwest Territories). If an organization or group wants to participate in the Program, they must designate a sole contact to represent them. You are not eligible to participate if you are a resident of Quebec. There is no purchase necessary to participate in the Program.

2. WHICH AREAS OF ALBERTA ARE INCLUDED IN THE NORTHERN/SOUTHERN COMMUNITY MARKETS?

The Province of Alberta Community Market is divided into Northern and Southern Alberta. The Northern Alberta Community Market is all of Alberta north of the City of Red Deer. The Southern Alberta Community Market includes the City of Red Deer and south.

3. DO I HAVE TO BE A REGISTERED CHARITY TO PARTICIPATE?

No, you do not have to be a registered charity to participate.

4. HOW MUCH FUNDING IS AVAILABLE IN EACH COMMUNITY MARKET?

A total of $80,000 will be divided among our Community Markets as follows: $30,000 in total will be distributed in the Southern Alberta Community Market; $30,000 in the Northern Alberta Community Market; $15,000 in Northwest Territories Community Market, and $5,000 for a community project idea from a post-secondary student in any of these markets, as part of our “Next Gen Award”.

5. WHAT ARE THE APPLICATION CRITERIA?

Each submission must:

  • Have a measurable positive impact in the community where it is located.
  • Be an idea for a designated new project where funding is not just added into existing operational and overhead accounts.
  • Clearly define the purpose for the funds requested and how the money will be managed for the duration of the implementation of the initiative.
  • Not have been previously awarded funding for the same idea from the Field Law Community Fund Program.
  • Conform to the Eligibility, Rules and Regulations.
  • A Participant submitting an Idea within the Next Gen Award category must be enrolled as a post-secondary student at a post-secondary institution in Alberta (in a full or part-time program), and must be 25 years old or younger on January 1, 2025. Applicants will be contacted to provide verification of age and current enrolment.

6. IF I SUBMITTED AN APPLICATION IN A PREVIOUS YEAR, CAN I SUBMIT AN APPLICATION AGAIN?

YES: If you are submitting the same Idea as a previous year and you never received funding from us.

YES: If you are submitting a completely new Idea.

NO: If you are submitting the same Idea as previous year and you received funding from the Field Law Community Fund Program.

For more information please refer to our Rules page.

7. WHAT DOES MY PITCH NEED TO SAY?

  • What is your Idea? Tell us your story—provide some background on your initiative or organization. Explain how the requested funds will be used in relation to your Idea.
  • Who will it benefit? Describe the groups or individuals who will be directly impacted by your initiative and how, including how the Idea has a “Pay it Forward” effect in your community. Tell us approximately how many people will directly benefit from the funding.
  • Provide a detailed proposal of how the awarded money will be managed. Outline a cost breakdown or timeline of how the funds will be used and who will be responsible for managing the funds, as well as what the minimum amount of funding you need is in order for your Idea to be successful.
  • A picture says a thousand words. Include up to three photos of your project Idea to help us understand the impact of your Idea.

Suggestions for Ideas From Submissions That Have Won Funding

Ideas that are typically funded tend to have a number of elements in common. We suggest keeping the below in mind when submitting your application.

Ideas that:

  • Are clear, concise and well-written.
  • Contain pictures that clearly support the Idea.
  • Are a self-contained Idea, i.e. the Idea is a well-defined project.
  • Can be fully funded, or partial elements can be fully funded, by winning proceeds.
  • Have clear indication of how funds will be budgeted.
  • Clearly identify how many people in the Community Market will benefit from the funds.

The questions asked on the application are as follows:

  1. What is your Idea?
  2. Who will it benefit?
  3. How will your Idea have a “Pay it Forward” effect in your community?
  4. How will the award money be managed?
  5. What is your budget?
  6. What is the minimum amount of funding you need in order for your Idea to be successful?
  7. When will your Idea start and end?

8. I SUBMITTED MY APPLICATION, WHAT NEXT?

All applications will be reviewed to ensure the Eligibility, Rules and Regulations have been met. Qualified applicants and Ideas will advance to the public online voting stage of the Program on October 10, 2024 and will be posted to the website on that day. From there, you will have until November 20, 2024 to get your networks involved in voting for your Idea!

For the Fielders’ Choice Award, a shortlist of finalists will be decided on by a Committee comprised of Field Law staff, employees, lawyers and partners which is at the discretion of Field Law. All members of Field Law will then be encouraged to vote on their pick for Fielders’ Choice.

VOTING PHASE

1. I QUALIFIED FOR THE VOTING STAGE. WHAT NOW?

Now is the time to engage your network and spread the word. Share your idea with others and encourage them to vote on our website before November 20, 2024. Follow Field Law on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn for Program updates and shareable content.

2. DO ONLINE VOTES COUNT WHEN THE JUDGES DECIDE THE WINNING RECIPIENTS?

Each Community Market Judging Panel (“Panel”) will consider a submission’s number of online votes; however, the final decision lies with the Panel.

The votes are not considered with respect to the Fielders’ Choice Award.

3. OUR STAFF IS TRYING TO VOTE AND THE WEBSITE HAS BEEN BLOCKED. HOW DO WE FIX THIS?

The problem is likely due to a firewall or network issue. It may be the result of a high volume of site visits to the one IP address. Please consult with your IT support team. In the meantime, we encourage you to vote from home or use your mobile device to ensure that votes come from a separate IP address.

4. CAN WE VOTE MORE THAN ONCE FOR OUR PROJECT?

You can vote multiple times for your project, but only one vote per device.

AWARDS PHASE

1. WHO JUDGES THE SUBMISSIONS?

Each Community Market Judging Panel will be composed of members drawn from Field Law and that Community Market. If you are interested in participating on the Panel, please contact communityfund@fieldlaw.com by November 1, 2024. The Community Market Judging Panel will determine the recipients of the funding in each Community Market.

The Fielders’ Choice Award will be voted on by all members of Field Law.

2. WHAT ARE THE JUDGING CRITERIA?

Each Community Market will use the following criteria to vote on submissions:

  1. Community impact. How much will the community benefit from this Idea? How many people will benefit? Will the community embrace the Idea?  How much of a ‘ripple’/’pay it forward’ effect will there be?
  2. Falls under the following areas: Education, healthcare, at-risk youth, homelessness, diversity, women’s organizations, community and sports or arts and culture.
  3. Idea is clearly presented, practical and achievable within the time frame allotted. If the Idea is presented by an individual or informal group, is there a clear accounting for the management of the money awarded.
  4. The funds are going to be directly used for new community Ideas and not just added into existing operational and overhead accounts.
  5. Originality
  6. Number of online votes: Panels will consider the number of votes when awarding funding, but ultimately, the decision lies with the Panels.

3. HOW DO I KNOW IF OUR APPLICATION HAS BEEN CHOSEN FOR FUNDING?

The winners in each market will be contacted prior to the awarding of the funds to answer their skill-testing question. Winners will be announced online.

4. IF MY IDEA IS SELECTED, WHAT NEXT?

Funding will be delivered to you. Notice will appear online and we will announce your winning Idea to various audiences. If your organization is a registered charity, we ask you issue a tax receipt within 30 days of receiving the funds.

You can then move forward with the implementation of your Idea.

5. FUTURE UPDATES

Send us photos and updates on implementing your Idea and any subsequent updates and progress. Tag us on social media throughout the year and let us know how your project is coming along. Submit updates on your project to our Impact page. Let us know how your Idea has impacted your community!