Building a High Speed Future funding program

How to submit a funding proposal

Please note there is no formal application form. Please prepare a funding proposal that includes the information listed in this section.

Take some time to read the information below – it will assist you in the development of your proposal.

If you want to be creative in how you present your proposal to us – for example using a multi-media approach - we would be delighted to receive such applications.

For information on how we will evaluate project applications, please read the section entitled Project Evaluation Criteria carefully. To submit a funding proposal, please create a .pdf document and email it to broadband@gov.ns.ca. To submit a project application by mail or courier, please load the funding proposal and accompanying presentations onto a USB flash drive and send it to:

Broadband for Rural Nova Scotia initiative
1660 Hollis St., Suite 302
PO Box 2311, Halifax NS B3J 3C8

For further information and assistance with this process, contact broadband@gov.ns.ca , or telephone 902 - 424-0183.

1: General Information

Please provide the following information for your project, using the following headings:

1.1 Project Title

1.2 Contact details for proposal’s lead organization, including:

• Name of Project Manager
• Title
• Organization
• Address
• Telephone numbers
• Email address
• Organization website address

2: Project details

Please provide details of the project using the following headings:

2.1 Project statement of work
Provide a brief description of the work that you intend to complete during the lifetime of the project.

2.2 Project Objectives & Deliverables
List the project’s objectives and deliverables, i.e what you hope to achieve in your community with this project, and what deliverables (e.g. events, training outcomes, strategies, online resources) the project funding will support.

2.3 Project Activities
Identify which of the following activities will be undertaken in your proposed project (more than one activity is allowed). Write a brief description of project activities.

• Identify training needs
• Provide training opportunities
• Develop and/ or roll out Internet applications
• Build leadership and/ or collaborative capacity
• Undertake research and/ or develop community Internet strategy

2.4 Project Time Frame
Identify project start and end dates. Provide details on key milestones within the project, as well as the dates of key project-related events, where available. The deadline for receipt of applications is 18th December 2009. Evaluation of proposals will take place in January 2010 and communities will be informed of the department’s decision by February 2010.

2.5 Project Budget Information
There is no minimum funding requirement. The maximum funding available to a proposal will be $25,000. Project partners should provide at least 25% of the proposal’s costs in matching funding/in-kind funding.

For example, if the proposal will cost $15,000 to implement, then community partners should provide at least $3,750 in matching funding/ in-kind funding and submit a proposal requesting no more than $11,250 in funding.

Please outline costs required to complete the project, and how the dollars are to be expended. Use the following budget headings:

Project Costs

• Activity-related costs, including
  • Salaries and professional fees
  • Office supplies
  • Printing and Communications
  • Project resources
  • Travel and subsistence
• Project-related equipment costs
• Project Administration Costs

Project Funding

• Building a High Speed Future program funding (max 75% total costs)
• Matching funding
• In-kind matching funding
• Project revenues

Please see eligible costs guidelines for details on what project costs you can include in your budget.

2.6 Future costs
Please identify estimates of any ongoing costs, beyond the end date of the project, that may be required (i.e. maintenance of a website) and how they will be met.

2.7 Project Team
Identify the human resources required to complete the project, e.g. project lead, team members, and indicate whether consultants will be working on the project.

3: Partnerships and community support

3.1 Partnership-based projects
Any community-based organization may submit a proposal. However, the project must demonstrate a collaborative approach to its development and implementation.

At minimum, the proposal must be developed and implemented by a community-based steering group that includes a number of partners. Ideally, your steering group will include at least two partners from the following list of organizations.

Partner Organization	Contact Name	Contact Title
Municipality
Regional Development Authority
Chamber of Commerce/ Board of Trade
Post-secondary institution
District Health Association
Library Board
Community Business Development Corporation
C@P Network
Other
Other
Other

3.2 Confirmation of community support
The funding proposal should be accompanied by:

• A letter of support from each partner organization
• Confirmation of all partners’ financial/ in-kind contribution to the project
• A brief description of how the partners will be involved in the project, both formally (e.g. steering committee, working group) and financially (e.g. use of facilities, staff time).

3.3 Commitment to community development principles
The Department of Economic and Rural Development endorses and is committed to the guiding principles for community development. When describing your project and its objectives, please demonstrate how they show commitment to some or all of these principles.

• Local Leadership - Communities must play a leadership role in all initiatives
• Flexibility - Initiatives must be adaptable, innovative and creative, in order to transform unpredictable challenges into new opportunities.
• Sustainable Economies - Initiatives must reflect social prosperity and sustainable competitiveness.
• Focus on Community Assets - Initiatives must build on existing community capacity/ assets.
• Collaborative Approach - Initiatives must acknowledge that governments, business and communities share the responsibility of long-term prosperity.
• Measurable Impact (Accountability) - Initiatives must demonstrate anticipated economic benefits exceed anticipated costs.
• Social Inclusion - All community members have the opportunity to become engaged and are able to access an initiative’s social and economic benefits.
• Balance - Initiatives must recognize that the economy, environment and people are interconnected with sustainable communities.
• Forward looking - Initiatives must be forwarding looking, with investments based on what we know and can predict about the future.

4. Supporting web-based resources

The project application should be accompanied by:

4.1 Links to all web-based resources associated with your proposal and the partner organizations – e.g. website addresses, MySpace links, Facebook groups, YouTube uploads, Google Map links, or Twitter accounts

4.2 If possible, a 1 - 5 minute audio-visual presentation or podcast describing your proposal and its impact on the community. If you have the resources, make a short film using your video camera or even your cell phone. Alternatively, you can prepare a photo or PowerPoint slideshow and add a voice-over or music to it. If you don’t want to make a film and you have the necessary equipment, prepare a short podcast (like a radio interview, but recorded on your computer) that outlines your proposal and its impact on the community (See FAQ for details on how to do this).