2024 Downtown Vibrancy Fund
2024 Downtown Vibrancy Fund
We're happy to announce the nine projects that have received funding. These projects will make public spaces lively and vibrant. They will also help achieve the Greater Downtown Plan's goal of a thriving and inclusive downtown.
Photo credit: ROAM Creative
About the fund
The 2024 Downtown Vibrancy Fund helped people, groups, and organizations improve Calgary's Greater Downtown. They could ask for funding between $20,000 and $250,000 for projects to make downtown more lively and engaging.
Funded initiatives included:
- New amenities
- Programming
- Place-based activations
- Capacity-building initiatives
After looking at feedback and community needs, The City decided not to offer the program in 2025. While the program is being reviewed, The City will continue to support downtown revitalization through its other programs and grants.
2024 winners
-
Volly is relaunching their popular Good Neighbour pay-what-you-can store in a new Chinatown location. They're expanding their all-ages programming to include classes, workshops, movie nights and more.
-
Contemporary Calgary is making its Free First Thursday events even bigger. They'll feature fun activities and entertainment, with free admission for all.
-
Inside Out Theatre is Calgary’s Deaf, Disability, and Mad theatre company. They're launching the new location of the Erratics Indie Arts Club. It is a gathering place with programming and performances for the community.
-
Working with the Rainbow Garden Society, Queer Calgary is offering a series of free cooking classes. They'll help participants prepare healthy meals on small budgets with downtown resources. They are also offering community gardening workshops and a Spring Social.
-
The Alcove is a vibrant community space, located right on the downtown C-train line. They are a gathering place, hosting weekly coffee socials. They attract people from across the city with their participatory arts events.
-
Youth can participate in storytelling workshops with Starlings. They can create digital shorts expressing their experiences with the stigma of family drug use. The shorts will be screened for the public at a mini-film festival at the Downtown Public Library.
-
The Confluence is bringing winter fun for everyone with their family-friendly outdoor skating rink. They will also offer programming and special outdoor events.
-
cSpace and Article 11, an Indigenous arts company, are working together on an amazing video installation at Historic Fire Hall No. 1. This exterior piece will light up the corner of First Street and Sixth Avenue S.E.
-
Youth Central will activate sites throughout downtown in a series of fun events that will make you smile. Look for their youth volunteers offering a random act of kindness, a compliment, or some inspiration for your day.
Frequently asked questions
Why did The City offer a Downtown Vibrancy Fund?
To address the economic issues caused by the 2014 oil industry downturn and the shift to working remotely, The City approved a $200- million in a plan to revitalize the downtown area. This initiative is part of a larger plan called the Greater Downtown Plan.
The Downtown Vibrancy Fund was a pilot program under the Downtown Strategy. It provided financial support to people, groups, and organizations passionate about improving the Greater Downtown. The goal was to see how funding could help:
- Create engaging and meaningful projects
- Improve the wellbeing of residents and visitors, and
- Make downtown more vibrant and safe.
What was the process for evaluating funding applications?
An in-house committee with expertise in placemaking, arts and culture, civic policy, and real estate reviewed the applications. After eligibility checks, multiple committee members reviewed and scored each application independently. They used a standard list of criteria for these reviews. The grant information and application forms included these criteria and details on priority areas.
The committee reviewed and discussed all applications and their scores to create a shortlist. The team contacted shortlisted and conditionally approved applicants to clarify and refine budgets, event details, resource requirements, and timelines. After a final shortlist review, we extended offers to nine projects.
How did you ensure fairness and transparency in the selection process?
Multiple reviewers checked each application using a scoring and weighting system. All applicants had access to these criteria and information on special priority areas.
Due to the high number of applications and variety of projects, we couldn't fund many excellent applications. The nine approved projects for the Downtown Vibrancy Fund were chosen to ensure diversity in project types and balanced funding for both smaller and larger initiatives.
Will there be other opportunities or support for downtown?
The City is looking for new ways to support downtown activation partners since the downtown vibrancy fund is discontinued. One idea is a networking event to encourage collaboration and knowledge sharing. Partners and participants can give feedback through a survey to help shape future initiatives for a vibrant, welcoming downtown. This feedback will help decide the format of future funding opportunities.