School Community Connections

Applications are no longer being accepted for this program.

The School Community Connections (SCC) program was launched in 2005 through a one-time $10 million grant from the provincial Ministry of Education. The program is jointly managed by the Union of BC Municipalities and the BC School Trustees Association and is intended to promote sustainable and innovative collaboration between boards of education and local governments.

In 2005, the first SCC program was launched with an emphasis on encouraging greater community use of school facilities. The three step program provided funding to i) connect boards of education and local governments to explore common needs; ii) embark on a planning process to determine how those common needs might be addressed; and iii) provide minor capital funding to implement the project as planned. The 2005 program is nearing completion with 55 boards of education having taken advantage of at least one phase of the program.

In 2008, SCC was continued with the Strengthening the Connection program. This program offered boards of education and/or local governments the opportunity to apply for up to 3 grants of $8,000 per district in order to support partnerships, address local issues and provide direct benefit to students, their families and the community. To date, more than 140 projects have been completed under the 2008 program.

The 2010 SCC program, Supporting Neighbourhood Learning Centres, was intended to continue the original goals of the 2005 and 2008 programs while actively encouraging boards of education and local governments to work cooperatively and with community partners to create neighbourhood learning centres and expand the use of schools to provide community services.  Grants of up to $30,000 per school district were available.

2010 Supporting Neighbourhood Learning Centres Program

The application in-take for the 2010 program is now closed.  Applicants will be notified of the status of their applications by June 30, 2010.  

2008 Program (2nd Intake)

For applicants with currently funded projects, please review the Program Guide for reporting requirements.

2008 Program (1st Intake)

For applicants with currently funded projects, please review the Program Guide for reporting requirements.

2005 Program

For applicants with currently funded projects, please review the Program Guide for reporting requirements.

Please note: there is not a final report form for the 2005 program.  Instead a report on project achievements and a financial summary must be submitted.  The report must demonstrate that the funding was used to enhance or expand the use of school facilities for broader community use.  For Phase 3, the final report should include:

  • Summary of work undertaken, including costs and time lines
  • Services to be provided, including potential number of users and hours facilities are available for community use 
  • Expected community benefits from project.

Additional Information

The following resources are available for the School Community Connections program:

Contact Information

For more information contact Local Government Program Services at (250) 356-5134 or lgps@ubcm.ca.