Active Transportation Fund: Frequently Asked Questions

Active transportation refers to the movement of people or goods powered by human activity. Active transportation includes walking, cycling and the use of human-powered or hybrid mobility aids such as wheelchairs, scooters, e-bikes, rollerblades, snowshoes and cross-country skis, and more.

Active transportation infrastructure refers to the physical structures and the built environment that support active transportation, such as pathways, bike lanes, multi-use trails and widened sidewalks. The most effective active transportation infrastructure provides a complete network that allows users to safely move through their communities and between destinations, from main streets to schools, parks, public transit hubs and residential neighborhoods.

Municipal governments; local and regional governments such as service districts; provinces; territories; not-for-profit organizations; and Indigenous organizations are eligible to apply for the Active Transportation Fund.

Ineligible applicants are individuals; private citizens; for-profit entities (with the exception of Indigenous for-profit entities); and federal entities, including federal Crown corporations.

Additional details on the specific applicant eligibility requirements for the Active Transportation Fund can be found in the Applicant Guide.

There are two streams of projects under the Active Transportation Fund.

Note: Project streams open during calls for application may vary.

A. Planning Projects

Planning projects involve the development or enhancement of formal active transportation strategic planning documents or stakeholder engagement.

Eligible planning projects can include:

• Research, including case studies, data collection initiatives, mapping of walkability and bikeability, community audits/assessments;
• Public and/or stakeholder engagement and outreach, education programs;
• Policy development, including drafting objectives/actions for inclusion in community land use and/or transportation plans;
• Feasibility studies, business cases, and detailed costing estimates relating to the design of a project or program;
• Projects which support the implementation of Canada's national active transportation strategy, such as events raising awareness and encouraging the adoption of active transportation.

Note: Projects eligible during calls for application may vary.

B. Capital Projects

Capital projects involve new infrastructure construction, enhancement of existing infrastructure, and/or improvements to design and safety features that encourage increased active transportation.

Eligible capital projects may include:

• Building or enhancing infrastructure for active transportation, such as multi-use paths, sidewalks, footbridges, separated bicycle lanes, and connections to other roadways (recreational trails are only eligible provided they can also be used for transportation, i.e., connecting to destinations, services or amenities);
• Enhancing active transportation infrastructure, including design considerations in which there may be no net gain in kilometres of infrastructure, but include quality improvements that support greater usage;
• Building or enhancing design features and facilities that promote active transportation, such as storage facilities, lighting, greenery, shade, and benches; and
• Building or enhancing safety features which promote active transportation, such as crosswalks, medians, speed bumps, and wayfinding signage.

Ineligible projects include:

• Proposals to build or enhance infrastructure for which the primary users would-be passenger and commercial vehicles; and
• The purchase of non-fixed, removable assets, which are not essential to the operation of active transportation infrastructure.

More details and examples of eligible planning and capital projects for the Active Transportation Fund are outlined in the respective Applicant Guides.

No. Project expenditures will only be eligible as of project funding approval, except for expenditures associated with environmental assessments and Indigenous consultation which are eligible before project funding approval. Costs can only be reimbursed if and when project funding is approved, the funding agreement is signed, and conditions outlined in the funding agreement are met.

No. Expenditures related to purchasing land, buildings and associated real estate are ineligible under the Active Transportation Fund.

Between December 12, 2024 and February 26, 2025, applications will be accepted through the Applicant Portal. Indigenous applicants can submit their applications by April 9, 2025. Applicants can consult the Step-by-Step Guide for Capital projects for clear, simple instructions for submitting an application.

Future intakes under the planning stream may be announced at a later date.

If you would like to receive updates on the Active Transportation Fund, including on the availability of new guidance, please send us an email to subscribe to our Mailing List.

Projects must be completed by March 31, 2030.

There is no limit on the number of applications that may be submitted by an eligible applicant. An applicant may submit multiple planning or capital projects at the same time. There can only be one point of contact for all applications from an organization. Each application must describe a stand-alone project that will achieve clear results and create benefits on its own.

If an applicant is submitting multiple projects, they may include a rationale for prioritizing the projects. Housing, Infrastructure and Communities Canada will evaluate each project using a merit-based approach to ensure that projects support the Active Transportation Fund's objectives, and does not make any commitment to consider the applicant's prioritization in its determination.

Yes, applicants can seek funding through multiple streams. For more information on maximum federal contribution limits for the Active Transportation Fund, please refer to the Applicant Guides.

The Active Transportation Fund is a competitive program, and projects will be assessed against a list of eligibility and merit criteria. Eligibility and merit criteria will be available in the Applicant Guides for Capital and Planning projects.

Project funding recommendations will be merit-based and will also take into consideration factors such as regional distribution, the type of project, and equitable access. Final project funding decisions will remain at the sole discretion of the Minister of Housing, Infrastructure and Communities.

There are no funding allocations for regions or provinces/territories under the Active Transportation Fund. However, regional distribution may be one of the factors taken into consideration in project funding recommendations.

The Active Transportation Fund includes a minimum of 10% of total funds for Indigenous recipients.

Municipal applicants do not require a municipal Council endorsement, resolution or other form of attestation at the time of application.

Should the project funding be approved, such an attestation may be required as a condition of the funding agreement.

Yes, it is possible to use any other sources of funds for a project. The only requirement under the program is that the maximum federal contributions and total Canadian Government stacking limits are respected.

Maximum federal contributions and total Canadian Government stacking limits are available in the Applicant Guides.

Following project funding approval, the Minister of Housing, Infrastructure and Communities will send an approval letter to successful applicants. Project expenditures will only be eligible from the date of a project’s approval-in-principle, except for expenditures associated with environmental assessments and Indigenous consultation which are eligible before project funding approval. Costs can only be reimbursed if and when project funding is approved, the funding agreement is signed, and conditions outlined in the funding agreement are met.

Successful applicants will be notified by letter of the project funding approval. Once a project is approved, officials from Housing, Infrastructure and Communities Canada will contact successful recipients to begin the development of a funding agreement. Costs can only be disbursed if and when: project funding is approved, the agreement is signed, and conditions outlined in the agreement are met. The signed agreement will indicate the conditions under which payments will be made.

Note: Provincial legislation may require some organizations to obtain authorization prior to entering into Funding Agreements with Canada.

Agreements will specify that any ineligible expenditures or any unspent funds remaining at the end of the funding agreement will be returned to the Government of Canada. Minimum holdback provisions will be based on risk assessment.

Final payments will follow receipt of the final accounting of eligible expenditures, and the total amount of the funding will not exceed eligible expenditures incurred pursuant to the terms of the agreement, including in respect to stacking and contribution limits.

The Government will have no involvement in the implementation of the project or its operation. It is neither a decision-maker nor an administrator of the project.

The Government will ensure recipients adhere to reporting requirements outlined in the agreements. Recipients of funding for capital projects may be required to provide progress reports to Housing, Infrastructure and Communities Canada in accordance with the funding agreement.

All funding agreements will provide the Government of Canada the right to conduct, at any time, a full audit of the project as deemed necessary. All audits required as per the audit strategy will be carried out in accordance with Canadian Generally Accepted Auditing Standards.