The Water for Life Program, administered by the Government of Alberta, which launched in 2006, provides cost-shared funding to regional commissions or groups of two or more municipalities. Water for Life funding is only available for new regional water or wastewater systems or extensions to existing regional water or wastewater systems. Regional systems are more cost effective and environmentally sustainable than independent systems. Program funding is determined each budget cycle.

Grant

• The minimum project funding request is $100,000 and the maximum is $6 million.
• Municipalities with less than 1,000 people – up to 75% of project costs.
• Municipalities with 1,000 – 45,000 people – grant percentage is based on a formula. The percentage ratio decreases as the population rises.
• For regional water systems where upgrades are made to existing facilities, a weighted average is used to determine each municipality’s share of the allocated funds.
• New regional systems are funded at 90% with future extensions at 100%.

How to apply

Open to the following:

• Regional Commissions.
• Public-private ventures.
• Municipalities with contracted services to privately owned utilities.
• Groups of two or more eligible municipalities, which include: cities (less than 45,000 people), towns, villages, hamlets within rural municipalities, Métis settlements.
• Municipal Partnerships.