Nova Scotia’s Community Housing Growth Fund (CHGF)
The Community Housing Growth Fund (CHGF) provides financial resources to support non-profit and co-operative housing in Nova Scotia. It was established by and is funded by the Government of Nova Scotia in response to the 2021 recommendations of the Nova Scotia Affordable Housing Commission.
The fund provides money, new tools and expertise, enabling community housing providers to increase their supply of affordable housing options.
A portion of this fund is dedicated to subsidizing the growth and development of Black-led, Black-focused, and Black-serving organizations.
Funding
Funding is distributed using three grants and one investment:
Planning and Pre-Development
Grant
To help cover costs of pre-development activities related to the construction of new affordable housing supply
Capacity Building
Grant
To help community housing sector organizations strengthen the skills and competencies needed to undertake activities that lead to organizational transformation and growth
Research and Innovation
Grant
To provide support to undertake activities that will promote innovation, education, and knowledge transfer in the community housing sector
Provincial Non-Profit Housing Association
Investment
To support the establishment and operations of a provincial non-profit housing association
Eligibility Criteria
This fund is available to organizations working in the community housing sector in Nova Scotia:
- Non-profit housing providers
- Co-operative housing providers
- Non-profit organizations involved in the construction or operation of affordable or non-profit housing
- Researchers and post-secondary institutions
Apply for a Grant
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Frequently Asked Questions
See our answers to the most frequently asked questions
Contact us
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Frequently asked questions
How much funding is available?
The Community Housing Growth Fund holds a total of $7 million that will be allocated until 2026.
$2 million of this total is earmarked to fund projects by Black-led, Black-focused and Black-serving organizations.
What does Black-led, Black-targeted and Black-serving mean?
Black-focused organization: The focus of the organization is to support Black peoples and/or communities.
Black-serving organization: A significant portion of the organization’s program activities prioritize serving Black communities in Nova Scotia.
Why is Community Housing Transformation Centre administering the program?
The Community Housing Transformation Centre (the Centre) is a national non-profit organization specialized in providing support and funding allocation to the community housing sector across Canada. The Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) relies on the Centre to allocate 50 million dollars out of the National Housing Strategy to enhance the resilience and growth of the community housing sector from coast to coast to coast. As a result, the Centre developed specialized expertise, strengthened by tailor-made IT and administrative tools that provide highly efficient and secure grant allocation and management. This partnership means that provincial funds will flow much faster to eligible co-operative and non-profit housing organizations.
Not to mention, the Centre has a solid and constructive relationship with the Nova Scotia housing sector. Since 2019, the Centre engaged in dialogue and funding activity with the Nova Scotia Government and community housing organizations from every region in the province. This record includes allocating hundreds of thousands of dollars in grants tho to community housing groups and contributing to the recent Nova Scotia Affordable Housing Commission.
The Centre will also contribute another $550,000 to the Community Housing Growth Fund to support capacity building in the sector and the operational needs of the non-profit housing association once it is formed.
Who will select which proposals receive funding?
The evaluation of each application will be undertaken through a thorough process by a Program Manager. The Community Housing Growth Fund Selection Committee will make the final decision on all eligible project proposals.
The Community Housing Growth Fund Selection Committee will have one representative from Municipal Affairs and Housing, one from the Centre, and three representatives from the Nova Scotia community housing sector or individuals with relevant knowledge, experience, and expertise.
For more information about the evaluation criteria, see the CHGF application package.
For more information contact us at CHGF@centre.support
