RETURN TO PLAY Grant

All applications need to be submitted by August 7, 2022 by 4:30 MST.

Funds will be granted to the applicant in October 2022.

Sport organization questions can be referred to returntoplay@kidsport.ab.ca

Physical Activity or Recreation organization questions can be referred to returntoplay@arpaonline.ca

If you are unsure whether your question is sport or physical activity/ recreation related, email either returntoplay@kidsport.ab.ca or returntoplay@arpaonline.ca and you will receive a response.

Registered Alberta non-profit organizations (including those that serve
underrepresented populations) that offer sport, physical activity and recreation programming at a community level; and,

Registered Alberta for-profit organizations (including those that serve underrepresented populations) that offer sport only programming at a community level.

Sport Organizations offer regulated forms of physical activity organized as a contest between two or more participants for the purpose of determining a winner by fair and ethical means.

Physical Activity Organizations offer physical activity and exercise for the purpose of integration into daily life to optimize health and wellness.

Recreation Organizations offer activities that a person or group chooses to do in order to make their leisure time more interesting, more enjoyable and more personally satisfying so as to enhance social functioning, assist in individual and community
development, and improve quality of life.

• Government departments, public agencies or other public institutions;
• Municipalities;
• Post-secondary institutions;
• Schools or School Boards;
• Foundations;
• Organizations outside of Alberta;
• Provincial sport organization – unless offering community-level programming directly related to serving those with a disability;
• Organizations with outstanding reporting to the Ministry of Culture and Status of Women.

• Program administrators, supervisors, instructors, and coaches;
• Facility rental costs
• Equipment costs essential to providing programming;
• Human resource capacity (program staff, coaches, volunteers) including training to meet changing needs;
• Uniform costs are subject to approval and must not constitute any more than 30% of the overall program budget submission.
• Uniforms must remain property of the organization at the end of the program’s season of play;
• Costs related to promoting sport within the local community i.e. try it days, local festivals;
• Costs incurred to meet return to play guidelines / provincial health protocols / regulations;
• Transportation costs (only eligible for Disability and Para-Sport, Physical Activity and Recreation Organizations).

• Ongoing operational costs not specifically associated with direct programming, including corporate overhead, capital building costs, utilities, salaries, rent and interest on late payments, debt reduction, projects with no public element;
• Dividends, bonuses or other extraordinary compensation for company shareholders or owners;
• Hospitality and gifting;
• Expenses incurred before the application is submitted are not eligible;
• In-kind transactions, donated services and recoupable expenses will not be recognized;
• Costs associated for the sole purpose of a Sport Tourism activity only including the hosting or staging of a tournament, or competitions.
• Costs associated with out of province instructors or presenters

Sport related inquiries can be directed to KidSport Alberta – returntoplay@kidsport.ab.ca and Physical Activity and Recreation related inquiries to the Alberta Recreation & Parks Association – returntoplay@arpaonline.ca

Uniform costs are subject to approval and must not constitute any more than 30% of the overall program budget submission. Uniforms must remain property of the organization at the end of the program’s season of play and cannot be retained by the participant.

Unsuccessful applicants did not demonstrate financial need in their application, a plan and strategy to optimize the return to sport, physical activity or recreation.

Your organization may not have been eligible to apply, your application was not complete, or your application was submitted past the deadline.

Your application did not provide enough information for the review panel to make an informed decision.

Applications will be reviewed to ensure that the applicant is eligible and the submission is complete. Follow-up will occur for ineligible or incomplete applications. Review panels will assess applications against the supplied information and the grant eligibility criteria to determine if applicant is successful or not and the amount of the funding that will be granted.

At this point, the program is a one-time initiative.

All applications must be completed electronically. If there are challenges in completing your application, please contact for sport enquiries: returntoplay@kidsport.ab.ca physical activity or recreation enquiries: returntoplay@arpaonline.ca

Unfortunately no, eligible expenses can be claimed if they were incurred after June 1, 2022.

Non-profit organizations and for profit organizations will be eligible for up to $15,000.

All applicants will be notified of their status prior to September 30, 2022.

The funds can be used for a program postponement for any time in the next 12 months.

Sport Organization applicants will receive funding directly from KidSport Alberta via E-transfer by October 28, 2022.

Physical Activity and Recreation Organization applicants will receive funding directly from Alberta Recreation Parks Association via cheque by October 28, 2022.

Organizations will have one calendar year from the time that they receive funds to spend them on approved expenditures.

Yes. A reporting template will be made available to successful applicants with reporting due 2 months following the completion of the project and no later than December 1, 2023.