Investment Grants
The Alberta Real Estate Foundation’s Investment Grants support and advance education, research, law reform, and other activities related to real estate across three focus areas of Real Estate Leadership, Built Environment, and Land with up to $250,000 in funding.
The Real Estate Act states that the Foundation’s purpose is to promote and undertake:
- the education of related professionals and the public in respect of the real estate industry,
- law reform and research in respect of the real estate industry, and
- other projects and activities to advance and improve the real estate industry.
See Section 64: Foundation’s Mandate
We accept Letters of Inquiry for Investment Grants twice per year.
The following statements are examples of potential outcomes of projects supported through the Grant Programs. The Foundation welcomes projects aligned with our mandate that may not be reflected in these outcomes:
The first step is submitting a Letter of Inquiry so we can discuss whether your project fits in one of our three categories to advance the real estate industry and benefit Albertans.
| • Fit the Foundation’s mandate. | • Demonstrate industry involvement or collaboration. |
| • Meet the strategic priorities adopted by the Board. | • Leverage wider support with the Foundation’s funding by securing additional funders. |
| • Address an industry-identified need that is in the public interest. | • Generate transferable results so that the project can impact more than its local context. |
| • Make a lasting impact and have a broad reach. | • Incorporate knowledge sharing on to the broader community. |
| • Demonstrate organizational capacity to manage and complete the project the grant would support within the agreed timeframe and budget. | • Not duplicate existing work. |
Grants are not awarded to support:
- individuals
- for-profit and commercial ventures
- political or religious activities
- other granting agencies for ultimate distribution to agencies or programs of its own choosing
- activities already substantially completed (retroactive funding)
- deficit or debt retirement
- annual fundraising drives
- motivational presentations
- capital funding (for renovations, retrofits, or builds)
Step 1: Submit Inquiry
Submit a Letter of Inquiry (download here) to inquiries@aref.ab.ca three to four weeks in advance of the grant deadline. If your project is a fit, we will be in contact to set up a call or a meeting. If projects meet the Foundation’s criteria, we will invite you to complete a full application for evaluation.
Step 2: Invited to apply
You will submit your application through our online submission portal by the deadline. The application will go under a staff review as well as a blind Governor peer review with applicants having the opportunity to provide additional information to answer any questions raised. Both Staff and Governors will evaluate applications using a common Evaluation Tool.
Step 3: Board Meeting
If deemed suitable, the application will be considered at a Board of Governors meeting. The Board makes the final decision on each application. Board decisions may not be appealed.
The timeline from application submission to board decision is 8 weeks.
Step 4: Recognition
If your project is approved, we expect appropriate recognition, regular project updates, as well as a final report. All publications, reports, and outcomes of research projects and grants must be made available publicly (electronic copies can be found in our Resource Library).
The Foundation is committed to open, fair, and transparent processes. We welcome your feedback on our processes to help identify and reduce barriers for you, the applicant. In the spirit of continuous improvement, our team looks forward to hearing from you. Get in touch with us at inquiries@aref.ab.ca.
| Letter of Inquiry Deadlines | Investment Grant Application Deadlines | Grant Decision Meetings |
|---|---|---|
| March 28, 2023 | April 18, 2023 | June 13, 2023 |
| August 8, 2023 | August 29, 2023 | October 24, 2023 |
All deadlines and meetings are subject to change without notice. Before preparing an application, confirm the appropriate deadline with us. The Board of Governors makes funding decisions on Investment Grants.
