B.C. Active Transportation Infrastructure Grants Program

The B.C. Active Transportation Infrastructure Grants Program offers two grant options for Indigenous governments and local governments, including municipalities, regional districts, Islands Trust, and Indigenous Economic Development corporation where the Nation is the shareholder. The current intake is open from September 3 to October 31, 2024. Indigenous applicants or partnership applicants may apply at any time in the year through the rolling intake. 

Active Transportation Network Planning Grant

Just as roads are part of a network, active transportation projects work best when they are connected to a broader network of active transportation infrastructure.

Network planning grants help smaller communities develop active transportation network plans to encourage active transportation for all ages and abilities. Eligible governments may apply if:

• Their community has a population under 25,000
• Their community Active Transportation Network Plan is over 5 years old or non-existent

Network Planning Grant Resources:

• Access instructional video for the Network Planning Grant 
• Video transcript (PDF, 195KB)
• Network Planning Grant Guidelines

Active Transportation Infrastructure Grant

Eligible governments may apply for a maximum of two active transportation infrastructure grants for different projects or different phases of the same project if they satisfy the following criteria:

• Projects under $1M funded prior to 2023/24, or projects over $1M funded prior to 2022/23, must be completed by application submission date
• Project is part of an active transportation network plan or equivalent
• Project can begin construction once provincial funding has been announced
• Projects will be completed by March 2026 (projects under $1 million) or by March 2027 (projects over $1 million)
• Projects are open to the public

Infrastructure Grant Resources:

• Access instructional video for the Infrastructure Grant
• Video transcript (PDF, 188KB) 
• Infrastructure Grant Guidelines

Funding Amount

The B.C. Active Transportation Infrastructure Grants Program provides guidance and cost-sharing for B.C. communities to make it easier and safer for people to walk, ride, or roll using active transportation modes.

Active Transportation Network Planning Grant

The province cost-shares active transportation network plans to a maximum of 50% or $50,000, whichever is less.  The sliding scale funding does not apply to the Active Transportation Network Planning Grant.

Active Transportation Infrastructure Grant

The province cost-shares to a maximum of $500,000 per project.

Provincial cost-share portions are determined by the type and size of community applying for a grant. Eligible and ineligible costs are detailed in the Program Guidelines.

Eligible Infrastructure Funding by Community Type

Percent of eligible funding by applicant’s community profile:

• Indigenous community or local government(s) working in partnership with an Indigenous community - 80%
• Population less than 15,000 - 70%
• Population between 15,000 to 25,000 - 60%
• Population over 25,000 - 50%

Successful recipients of a grant will:

• Be asked to sign a Conditional Grant Agreement
• Receive initial funding when the agreement is signed
• Submit before and after photos
• Submit expense reports with supporting documentation
• Receive the remainder of the grant funding when the agreement is fulfilled

Active transportation relates to human-powered forms of commuting to work, school, recreation, socializing or running errands. It can take many forms and is continually evolving as new technologies emerge. It includes:

• Walking
• Cycling
• Rolling (skateboarding, in-line skating)
• Other emerging modes that are legal in B.C.

The B.C. Active Transportation Infrastructure Grants Program provides cost-sharing opportunities for network planning grants and infrastructure grants. Funding from these grant programs support the development and upgrading of active transportation infrastructure for all ages and abilities. For example, infrastructure grants fund:

• Multi-use protected travel lanes
• Pedestrian and cycling safety improvements
• End-of-trip facilities and other amenities
• Lighting and way-finding

The funding is not available for:

• Maintenance
• Beautification
• Recreation sites (e.g. skateboard park)
• Projects that create an unsafe or illegal environment

The following instructional videos are available to assist with the application process:

• Grants Program Overview 
• Network Planning Applications 
• Infrastructure Applications 

The B.C. Active Transportation Infrastructure Grants Program aligns with CleanBC Roadmap to 2030 and the Clean Transportation Action Plan.

Active transportation infrastructure improves:

• Safety
  • See ICBC Statistics and crash maps for the province, and
  • Transport Canada’s National Collision Database
• Local economic opportunities and tourism
• Air quality, environment, and GHG mitigation efforts
• Physical and mental health
• Accessibility and equity
• Community connectivity

Frequently Asked Questions

• Frequently Asked Questions (PDF, 275KB)

Successful Grant Applicants

• Active Transportation Infrastructure  Progress Report
• Active Transportation Network Plan Progress Report
• B.C. Active Transportation Grants Final Report
• Summary of Expenditures
• Communications Protocol and Signage Guidelines (PDF, 211KB)

Active Transportation Funded Projects - Examples

• Active Transportation Funded Projects – 2004 - 2024 (PDF, 386KB. February 15, 2023)
• Active Transportation Funded Project Examples

Design Best Practices

Projects must meet best practices for safe infrastructure design. The following resources are recommended:

• British Columbia Active Transportation Design Guide
• Guidelines for the Development of Bicycle Facilities, 4th Edition
• Urban Bikeway Design Guide
• Bikeway Traffic Control Guidelines for Canada (2nd Edition)
• Design Guide for Bus Stops Adjacent to Cycling Infrastructure (PDF, 14.1MB) 

Other Transportation Funding & Grants

• Other Infrastructure Funding Programs
• Federal Active Transportation Fund