Municipal and community buildings are vital structures to the community. Municipal buildings, such as town halls and fire stations, provide important services whereas community buildings, like indoor swimming pools and libraries, strengthen community culture.
The Green Municipal Fund (GMF) provides financing for the construction of new high-efficiency buildings as well as energy upgrades to existing buildings that will increase their sustainability and lower their operating costs. You can use GMF funding to retrofit multiple buildings at a time. Our funding options are listed below.
How to distinguish between a “community” and “municipal” building?
Before exploring our funding options below, take a moment to identify your building type.
If you are retrofitting existing housing units or constructing new affordable housing, visit the Sustainable Affordable Housing funding initiative.
Municipal building
A workplace that is:
- owned by a municipal government
- primarily used by administrative or service staff to carry out their duties to the public
- not necessarily accessible to the public, but may have a public interface
Community building
An enclosed public place or an enclosed workplace that is:
- Primarily used to deliver athletic, recreational, cultural and community programs or services to the local community.
- Widely accessible to everyone, offering services that enhance the health and well-being, skills development and economic development of individuals and communities.
Example: A fire station is considered a municipal building, as it is primarily used by staff to carry out a service to the public.
Example: An indoor swimming pool is considered a community building, as it is used for athletic and recreational services.
Funding options
- Municipal buildings: New builds and energy retrofits
The Sustainable Municipal Buildings (SMB) offer supports the planning and construction of new energy-efficient municipal buildings, as well as deep energy retrofits of existing municipal buildings. Funding is available for both feasibility studies and capital projects in these areas.
Available funding:
- Study: New construction of municipal and community buildings
- Capital project: Construction of new sustainable municipal and community buildings
- Study: Retrofit pathway for municipal buildings
- Capital project: Retrofit of existing municipal buildings
Learn more about the SMB offer
- Community buildings: Energy retrofits
The Community Buildings Retrofit (CBR) initiative supports the planning and implementation of retrofits that will improve the energy performance of community buildings, lower operating and maintenance costs, and transition to cleaner energy solutions over time. Funding is available for feasibility studies and two different types of capital projects.
Note: The CBR initiative is not available to Low Carbon Cities Canada (LC3) municipalities (Calgary, Edmonton, the Halifax region, Montreal Metropolitan Community, Ottawa, the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area, and Vancouver and the Lower Mainland).
Available funding:
- Community buildings: New builds
The Sustainable Municipal Buildings (SMB) offer supports the planning and construction of new energy-efficient community buildings. Funding is available for feasibility studies and capital projects.
Available funding:
- Study: New construction of municipal and community buildings
- Capital project: Construction of new sustainable municipal and community buildings
Learn more about the SMB offer
Featured resources
Guide: Taking your indoor ice rink to net zero
Learn how to develop an actionable roadmap to net zero ice rinks
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Key measures and lessons learned to help you build a net-zero plan
Read moreE-learning courses: Tackling energy use in your municipal and community buildings
Learn how to improve the energy performance of buildings in your municipality
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