Building Excellence

Research & Education Grants

A STEP-BY-STEP GUIDE TO
COMPLETING YOUR GRANT APPLICATION 2020
 Table of Contents

1.0 General Information. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ................................................................................. 3

1.1 Before You Start. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ................................................................................. 3
1.2 About the Grants Program.. . . . . . . ................................................................................. 3
1.3 Our Granting Philosophy. . . . . . . . . . ................................................................................ 3

2.0 Application Information. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ................................................................................. 3

2.1 Application Deadlines. . . . . . . . . . . . . ................................................................................. 3
2.2 Funding. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ................................................................................. 4
2.3 Eligibility. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ................................................................................. 4
2.4 Application and Submission. . . . . . ................................................................................ 5
2.5 Project Costs.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ................................................................................. 6

3.0 Application Form. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ................................................................................ 6

4.0 Selection Process. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ................................................................................. 7

5.0 Post Selection Process.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ................................................................................. 8

5.1 Reporting. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ................................................................................. 8
5.2 BC Housing Acknowledgement. . ................................................................................. 8

6.0 Terms and Conditions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ................................................................................. 8

7.0 Application Checklist. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ................................................................................. 9

1.0 General Information

1.1 Before You Start

This Step-by-Step Guide is intended to provide you with information about the Building Excellence Research &
Education Grants program and help you with your application. Before you start the application process, please read
the application guidelines and forms thoroughly. You should also read the Frequently Asked Questions.

1.2 About the Grants Program

Launched in January 2015, the Building Excellence Research & Education Grants program is offered by BC Housing.
This is the fifth application intake for the grants program. A summary of previous grant recipients is available online
at www.bchousing.org.

1.3 Our Granting Philosophy

We recognize that innovative research and education, conducted individually or collaboratively, offers enormous
benefits for British Columbia’s residential construction industry and to the home buying public.
This grants program supports and encourages externally generated projects and initiatives that improve the
quality of residential construction and consumer protection for buyers of new homes in British Columbia.
Sharing information, fostering excellence and advancing best practices help us to deliver our ongoing mandate:
strengthening consumer protection for home buyers and improving residential construction.

We place a high value on learning through collaboration and knowledge building. To benefit industry and
consumers, we make research studies, best practice guides and other educational resources that align with our work,
publicly available online at www.bchousing.org.

We also encourage applicants to share their research and lessons learned with others in their field.

2. 0 Application Information

Information in the following sections is designed to help you complete your grant application. Whether you are
an organization or an individual researcher applying for funding support, it’s important to carefully follow the
grant application requirements.

2.1 Application Deadlines

The Building Excellence Research & Education Grants program accepts submissions once per year, subject to avail-
able funding. Application forms can be completed online in PDF format.
To ensure your application is eligible for the 2020 intake, you must submit your completed application, including
required supporting documentation, to BC Housing no later than 4:00 pm on January 14, 2020.

Grant recipients will be announced in April 2020.

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 2.2 Funding
The number of grants awarded each year depends on available funding and the number of applications received.
Eligible projects may receive up to a maximum of $30,000. Preference may be given to projects that leverage partner-
ships and funding from other sources.

2.3 Eligibility

Who is eligible to apply?

• Eligible applicants are organizations or persons resident in Canada including:
o Industry organizations
o Consumer organizations
o Education providers
o Housing Sector Organizations or Associations
o Independent researchers, including college and university researchers
• Applicants may apply for more than one project at a time, but only one grant per organization in each
intake period is awarded.

What types of projects are eligible?

The project framework must align with BC Housing’s mandate under the Homeowner Protection Act to enhance
protection for buyers of new homes and improve the quality of residential construction in British Columbia. The final
results must be relevant to the home building industry, Licensed Residential Builders, Building Envelope Renovators
or homebuyers in BC.
Eligible projects may fall within one or more of four overarching categories:
• Industry Research
• Industry Education
• Consumer Research
• Consumer Education
The following topics are helpful suggestions only. Other topics or innovative projects proposed by grants program
applicants are encouraged and considered.

Industry Research and Education Topics

• BC Building Code requirements and standards
• Business planning and management
• Construction technology
• Construction management and supervision
• Customer service and home warranty insurance
• Energy efficiency and sustainability
• Financial planning and management
•
Homeowner Protection Act and regulations
• Housing market studies
• Legal issues in residential construction
• Residential construction practices
• Other topics of interest and innovative projects proposed by applicants

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 Consumer Research and Education Topics
• Consumer protection education and information resources for stakeholders involved in buying
and selling homes (e.g., real estate licensees, lawyers, notaries, lending institutions)
• Education and information resources for homeowners/homebuyers related to:
o Consumer protection, particularly home buying and home warranty insurance
o New home maintenance and governance

•
Homeownership and housing market trends
• Other topics of interest and innovative projects proposed by applicants

What makes an application ineligible?

The application will be ineligible if:
• Project scope does not align with BC Housing’s mandate under the Homeowner Protection Act
(See Section 1.3 - Our Granting Philosophy)
• Application is late or incomplete
• Project duplicates research and education already conducted by BC Housing or other industry participants
• Application requests funding for attending conferences, workshops or seminars
• Application requests funding for event sponsorship or promotions
• Scope of the project includes development and testing of new building products

2.4 Application and Submission

Please see our helpful Application Checklist on page 9. BC Housing requires applicants to submit applications
electronically. Application Forms are available online in PDF format.

Submit your completed application to [email protected], including required supporting
documentation, no later than:
4:00 pm January 14, 2020
The number of grants awarded each year depends on available funding and the number of applications received.
Eligible projects may receive up to a maximum of $30,000. Grant recipients will be announced in April 2020.
Future application dates will be announced by BC Housing online at www.bchousing.org. Applicants may be eligible
to resubmit for the next application cycle.
If you have questions about the grants program or about completing your online forms, please contact us by phone at
1-844-648-6400 (toll free) or email [email protected].

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 2.5 Project Costs

Please include the project budget items in your application using the Budget Form provided. Here are some
examples of acceptable project costs:

Acceptable Project Costs:

• Staff or consultant fees directly related to the project
• Costs related to the transfer of information (e.g. facilitator fees, costs of course development, facility rental)
• Purchase of equipment necessary to conduct the project
• Travel and accommodation costs including meals
• Standard business services related to the project (e.g. professional or technical services)
• Development, production, distribution of promotional materials

Unacceptable Project Costs:

• Expenses incurred prior to the awarding of the grant
• Cost of completing the application process
• Unrelated, indirect, business or income taxes (including, for example, property taxes)
• Expenses for regular activities of the individual or organization
• Expenses related to attending events or conferences
• Expenses related to new product development

3.0 Application Form

Please complete the project Application Form and Budget Form using the most recent online templates at
www.bchousing.org. Save a copy of the files on your computer as you fill in the online Application Form.
The green text throughout the forms provides guidance and helpful examples to successfully complete your submission.
The Application Form allows you to cut and paste from other documents as long as the number of words fits within
the recommended word limit for each section.
For MAC users with Preview, the PDF application form must be opened in Preview by double clicking the PDF icon.

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4.0 Selection Process
Prior to submission, please ensure that all of the elements included within your application fall within the selection
criteria outlined below.

Selection Criteria for Industry and Consumer Research and Education Projects:
Project Relevance:
• What is the overall contribution towards improving BC’s residential construction industry and to home
buyers in BC?
•
Will the project results be scalable or transferable to other projects or communities?

Project Scope:
• Does the project fill a previously unmet need or gap in the industry?
• Is there a clear description of the project scope, objectives and impacts?
• Is the project innovative or does it support a culture of innovation?
•
Does the project provide a solution to an industry challenge or issue?

Ability of Applicant to Carry Out the Project:

• Is the project schedule realistic?
• Do the assigned project members have relevant experience and expertise?
• Does the project involve suitable partners?
• Does the project leverage funding from other sources?
• For proponents who have previously received a grant, did they fulfill their proposed scope of work, meet
the reporting requirements of the grant program, and deliver work of high value?

Accessibility:
• Will the proposed project reach a broad audience in BC?
• How many people benefit from the proposed research or education project?
• Is there a cost to access the research or education? Will it be offered free of charge or at a low cost?
• Is there a strong dissemination plan?
• Does the project support knowledge mobilization and transfer?

Methodology:
•
Is there potential to develop new knowledge, technology or practices?
• Is the proposed methodology sound?

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5.0 Post Selection Process
• All applicants will be notified by email on the outcome of their submission.
• A summary of successful applicants will be posted online at www.bchousing.org.
• Successful applicants will receive instructions on next steps for obtaining the funding and getting started on
the project.
• Applicants whose vetted project applications show merit, but could not be funded in this cycle, may be
invited to re-submit their application for the next intake period.

5.1 Reporting
• While BC Housing does not manage or participate in the selected project, recipients are required to provide
progress reports twice per year.
• Since grants are awarded based on the merits and strengths of the applicants’ project submissions, a grant
recipient must have BC Housing’s written consent before deviating in any significant way from the project
plan or from other details contained in the successful grant application.

5.2 Deliverables

While BC Housing does not endorse project findings, the following reports must be submitted upon
completion of the project:
• Final project report
• Project highlight or summary, approximately 3 pages
• PowerPoint presentation, approximately 6 slides
BC Housing may request a face-to-face or web-based presentation of the project’s results. Reports and project
results may be posted to the BC Housing website at the request and discretion of BC Housing.

5.3 BC Housing Acknowledgement

We ask that grant recipients recognize the assistance provided by BC Housing on all materials relating to the
project by using the following acknowledgment:
“ We gratefully acknowledge the financial support of BC Housing as part of the Building Excellence Research
and Education Grants program.”

6.0 Terms and Conditions

BC Housing retains sole and absolute discretion with respect to the assessment of applications and the granting of
funding. Factors in determining whether to grant funding include those listed in these program guidelines, the general
availability of funding, and other criteria deemed relevant by BC Housing from time to time. Failure to follow the
terms and requirements of these program guidelines may result in BC Housing refusing to consider the application.

BC Housing is under no obligation to receive further information, whether written or verbal from any applicant
beyond the application deadline of 4:00 pm January 14, 2020.

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7.0 Application Checklist

q Review the selection criteria (see page 7) to ensure all relevant information is included in your application
package.
q
Ensure your application includes all the required documents, including the Application and
Budget Forms. Use the most up to date forms available at www.bchousing.org.
q
Check your application for attachments, including copies of any relevant supporting documentation
(e.g. electronic copies of summary reports or articles of related work you have completed).
q Application documents, including all supporting documents, should be submitted electronically to
[email protected].
q Submissions must be received by 4:00 pm January 14, 2020.

Grant recipients are announced in April 2020.

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