Community Adjustment Fund

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The Community Adjustment Fund (CAF) is a two-year, $1-billion national economic stimulus program supporting eligible projects that create jobs and maintain employment. Priority has been given to single-industry, rural communities.

Western Economic Diversification Canada (WD) is delivering the fund in the four western provinces. The fund will provide $306 million in support to western Canadian communities hardest hit by the current economic slowdown, such as those heavily reliant on resource based industries, for instance forestry, mining, energy, agriculture and fisheries, and communities that depend on the manufacturing industry.

Legal entities in and around affected communities were eligible to apply for funding under CAF, including:

• Not-for-profit organizations
• For-profit organizations (incorporated, sole proprietorships, partnerships or other legally established businesses);
• Post-secondary education institutions;
• Co-operatives;
• Indian bands;
• Provincial government departments, agencies and crown corporations; and,
• Municipal governments and organizations created by them

Projects funded under CAF had to:

• Be completed by March 31, 2011 with no requirement for continued support;
• Provide benefits to communities affected by the global economic recession;
• Create immediate short-term employment;
• Be able to start quickly; and,
• Be incremental (i.e. CAF funds should be in addition to existing resources and not replace funding available elsewhere).

Priority has been given to projects in and around eligible communities that:

• Were located in rural, single-industry communities;
• Created jobs and maintain employment;
• Leveraged funds from provinces, territories and other funding partners;
• Built on partnership arrangements already in place (e.g. federal-provincial/territorial agreements) and existing programs; and,
• Provided a legacy of longer-term economic benefits.

The deadline for submitting an application for Community Adjustment Fund projects was June 29, 2009.  A total of 1,092 CAF submissions were received from across the West requesting in excess of $2 billion in funding from the federal government. As of February 18, 2010, WD has approved 241 projects that will provide more than $276 million in CAF funding across the four western provinces.

In addition, in northern British Columbia, WD entered into an agreement with the Northern Development Initiative Trust (NDIT) for the delivery of CAF in their service area.  Over and above the western total WD forwarded an additional 477 CAF applications, requesting $685 million in program funding, to NDIT for evaluation and decision.  

For more information, please contact:

Western Economic Diversification Canada 
WD Toll-Free Number: 1-888-338-WEST (9378)
Teletypewriter (TTY): 1-877-303-3388
Website:  www.wd-deo.gc.ca/