My Main Street - Community Activator
“FedDev Ontario”
$250,000.00
Maximum Eligible Amount
Government Grant
Fund Type
MY MAIN STREET OVERVIEW My Main Street is a $23.5 million investment in local economic recovery. My Main Street is a collaboration between the Economic Developers Council of Ontario (EDCO) and the Canadian Urban Institute (CUI) to help support the revitalization of approximately 200 neighbourhoods across southern Ontario, excluding Toronto.
My Main Street aims to revitalize neighbourhood main streets with a healthy retail mix while generating inclusive local economic opportunities. The program will feature two funding streams: the My Main Street “Local Business Accelerator” and the My Main Street “Community Activator.”
MAIN STREET “COMMUNITY ACTIVATOR” PROGRAM OVERVIEW
My Main Street Community Activator provides support for community projects in southern Ontario, including events and activities, main street enhancements and policy and partnership development designed to draw visitors and increase local vibrancy.
As communities continue to adapt to COVID-19, this program provides support for local groups to revitalize neighborhoods and reimagine public spaces, including main streets, downtown strips and plazas, as vibrant and inclusive places that work for everyone.
Funding will be provided for events and activities, community enhancements and policy and partnership development that improve shared public spaces and bring people together to support neighborhood businesses and benefit equity seeking groups. Capital costs are not eligible. A list of example projects is posted at mymainstreet.ca/news. Funding will be prioritized for projects that support sustainable placemaking strategies for their geographic area and that are designed to support economic and social benefits for equity seeking groups, including Francophone, women, Indigenous, racialized groups, Black communities, newcomers, youth (39 and under ), people living with disabilities, the unhoused, low-income people, Trans or non-binary people, and LGBQ +.
To ensure the efficient and timely distribution of funding to support community revitalization and recovery efforts, the program will include two application windows: Year One (2021): October 1, to November 1, 2021, during which 70 percent of available support will be allocated for placemaking work completed between June 8 and December 31, 2021. Year Two (2022): December 1, 2021 to February 1, 2022, during which the remaining 30 percent of available funding will be allocated for placemaking work completed between January 1 and December 31, 2022. Twenty-five percent of funds are earmarked for communities with populations of less than 100,000
My Main Street supports placemaking, an approach that asks people to collectively reimagine and reshape public space to maximize its shared value. Placemaking can take the form of events that draw people into a community, murals that brighten neglected streetscapes and celebrate local artists, seating and temporary patios that allow people to gather safely outdoors, new uses for neglected or empty spaces, and more.
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