The 2025-2026 Affordable Housing Grant Program will soon be accepting applications!
The 2025-26 Affordable Housing Grant Program will open for applications on August 27th, 2025 with a submission deadline of October 1st, 2025.
About the program
The Affordable Housing Grant Program is open to all registered non-profit or charitable organizations for costs associated with the development, renovation or purchase of affordable housing units. A complete overview of the program’s requirements and eligible projects can be found in the Affordable Housing Grants Administrative Order.
If you have questions about the grant program or are interested in applying, please contact affordablehousingprogram@halifax.ca.
This program is provided under the direction of the Regional Council as outlined in AO 2025-003-ADM (Respecting Grants for Affordable Housing). AO 2025-003-ADM replaced the previous Administrative Order, AO-2020-008-ADM, as of June 24th, 2025.
The objectives of the AHGP are:
- to provide a grant that stacks with other funding programs to reduce the debt burden for non-profits, and improve the quality and affordability for new affordable housing;
- to support non-profits to acquire, maintain and improve existing affordable housing; and
- to allocate to non-profits funds contributed from some private sector developments as cash-in-lieu of affordable housing (incentive or bonus zoning).
What is considered "affordable housing"?
In the context of the AHGP, affordable housing is defined as housing that meets the needs of a variety of households in the low to moderate income range. This definition comes from the Halifax Regional Municipality Charter, which outlines the roles and powers of the municipality. AHGP applications are evaluated based on the depth of affordability of the housing being proposed, along with other prioritization criteria as outlined in the Affordable Housing Grants Administrative Order.
Projects must meet the following minimum requirements to be eligible for the AHGP:
- The project must be located within the Halifax Regional Municipality
- The project must be operated by a non-profit or charitable organization
- The applicant or another non-profit or charitable organization must own the land where the proposed development is to be located, or the current owner must be willing to sell it to the applicant
- The project must fall into one of streams listed below:
Project types
- New Construction
- Construction of a residential building or additional dwelling units in an existing residential building for use as affordable housing, or the purchase of a residential building that is currently under construction
Eligible Costs
- Repair/Renovation
- Repair and/or rehabilitation of an existing residential building used for affordable housing
Eligible Costs
- Construction costs
- Building condition assessment
- Accommodation and moving costs for tenants displaced during repairs
- Pre-development
- Completion of studies required to develop affordable housing, including but not limited to studies to assess development feasibility of a parcel, preliminary design, and studies specifically requested by the Municipality or other approval bodies as part of a discretionary or as-of-right approval process
Eligible Costs
- Studies to assess development feasibility of a parcel
- Preliminary building and site design
- Studies required for a discretionary or as-of-right development approval process
- Acquisition
- Purchase of an existing residential building for use as affordable housing or a building lot for future construction of affordable housing
Eligible Costs
- Deed Transfer Tax amount paid or anticipated within 24 months of the deadline of application intake
- Conversion
- Conversion of an existing non-residential building to a residential building used for affordable housing
Eligible Costs
- Construction costs
- Building condition assessment
Overview
- There will be at least one intake period each fiscal year. Intake periods are advertised at least 30 days in advance. Advertising includes updates on the AHGP website and emails to affordable housing providers and partners on the program contact list. Each intake period will last at least 30 days.
- Applicants must have a pre-application meeting with AHGP staff during the advertising or intake period.
If you would like to be added to our contact list to be notified of future intakes, please email affordablehousingprogram@halifax.ca.
Pre-application meetings
Applicants must have a pre-application meeting with AHGP staff prior to making an application. In this meeting, staff will help you determine whether your project is eligible for the AHGP and provide advice on which category to apply for and what to include in your application.
What to prepare for your pre-application meeting:
• About the applicant organization (history, experience providing housing, whether you have similar projects)
• Information about the proposed project (including project type, scale, location, and development timeline)
• Level of affordability of the units
• Who the units would serve
• Other funding opportunities confirmed or to be applied for
• How the project fits in the prioritization criteria
• How much funding you are planning to request through the AHGP
When you are ready to have a pre-application meeting, please apply online or email affordablehousingprogram@halifax.ca. We suggest scheduling a pre-application meeting well ahead of the intake deadline. Staff are available to answer follow-up questions as needed beyond the initial pre-application meeting.
Instructions on how to submit your application will be available here soon.
In the meantime, refer to the checklist and project rationale document below for the information you will need to include in your application. If you have any questions or would like to schedule a pre-application meeting with staff, please contact affordablehousingprogram@halifax.ca.
What information do I need to apply?
- New Construction Application Checklist
- Repair Application Checklist
- Pre-Development Application Checklist
- Acquisition Application Checklist
- Conversion Application Checklist
- Project Rationale Document
How much money can I request through the AHGP?
There is no set minimum or maximum amount of funding that can be requested through the AHGP.
What can I request funding for?
Not all expenses are eligible for AHGP funding. These costs are ineligible for AHGP funding:
• Private sector construction of affordable housing, except when in partnership with a non-profit
• Retroactive work
• Repairs to affordable housing not owned by a non-profit or charity
• Operating expenses for the non-profit or charity (e.g. employee wages, debt payments)
Can I apply for multiple properties or multiple streams?
If you are applying to for a grant for acquisition, repairs or for pre-construction on a portfolio with multiple properties, please speak with staff about combining multiple properties into one application. If you are looks for funding for multiple streams (for example acquisition as well as repair), you will be required to submit separate applications for each stream.
- Step 1 - Intake
Advertising period
- Minimum of 30 days
- HRM announces that a round of the AHGP will be opened
Intake period
- Minimum of 30 days
- Pre-application meetings held with applicants
- Applicants must submit their applications by 11:59 pm local time on the last day of the application period
- Step 2 - Evaluation
Staff review
- Review applications for completeness
- Receive feedback from Housing & Homelessness Partnership members and other project funders
- Step 3 - Awards
- Staff draft recommendation to CAO and CAO approves recommendation for award recipients
- Awards communicated to applicants and publicized on the website
- Debriefs are available with unsuccessful applicants upon request
- HRM and successful applicants enter into Contribution Agreements based on the project details in the application and the Affordable Housing Grants AO
| Project type | Prioritization criteria |
|---|---|
| Project type | Prioritization criteria |
| All types |
|
| Additional criteria for New Construction |
|
| Additional criteria for Renovation/Repair |
|
| Additional criteria for Acquisition |
|
| Additional criteria for Pre-development |
|
| Additional criteria for Conversion |
|
Density Bonus Reserve
AO 2020-007 Respecting Incentive or Bonus Zoning Public Benefits (Bonus Zoning AO) guides the spending of funds collected through the Incentive or Bonus Zoning Program that are deposited to the Density Bonus Reserve.
Most developments over 2,000 sq m (21,527.82 sq ft) in the Regional Centre or on select sites in the Suburban Area are required to pay into the Density Bonus Reserve. The amount depends on where in the municipality the building is and how large the development is. At least 60 percent of the money paid must go into the Density Bonus Reserve to support affordable housing. The other 40 percent can be used for public art, improving public parks, restoring heritage buildings, providing community spaces, or a further contribution to affordable housing through the Density Bonus Reserve.
Funds in the Density Bonus Reserve can only be used for projects in area they were collected in. For example, funds collected in the Regional Centre can only be used for projects within the Regional Centre.
Housing Accelerator Fund
The Housing Accelerator Fund (HAF) is a federal initiative administered by Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC), created to assist municipalities in removing barriers to housing construction and increasing the supply of diverse and affordable housing options.
As part of Canada’s broader National Housing Strategy, HAF provides financial support to streamline development processes, promote innovation in housing, enhance housing affordability and encourage planning for long-term housing and infrastructure needs.
HRM signed a $79.3 million agreement with CMHC in October 2023, in exchange for HRM completing the initiatives in its HAF Action Plan, which includes creating 2,600 new homes above what would normally be built by October 2026. Some of the funding from the HAF agreement is available to support affordable housing through the AHGP.
Municipal Department Budget
As part of its Budget and Business Planning Process, Regional Council may dedicate a portion of the municipality’s operational funding to support affordable housing across the municipality.
The Municipality and other levels of government have separate programs that also support affordable housing. The AHGP can fund projects in combination with funding from other sources, including funding available through programs administered by other levels of government. Applicants are encouraged to explore additional funding options. The table below is a non-exhaustive list of programs available to non-profit or charitable housing providers in the Municipality.
| Program | Description |
|---|---|
| Program | Description |
| Tax relief for non-profit organizations |
|
| Waiving of municipal-related construction fees |
|
| Surplus land for affordable housing |
|
The following linked webpages are maintained by other organizations and not by the municipality. Programs may change over time. This list was last updated by staff on July 8th, 2025.
| Program | Description |
|---|---|
| Program | Description |
| Affordable Housing Development Program |
|
| Community Housing Acquisition Program (CHAP) |
|
| Community Housing Infrastructure and Repair Program (CHIRP) |
|
| Land for Housing Program |
|
| Program | Description |
|---|---|
| Program | Description |
| Affordable Housing Fund |
|
| Canada Greener Affordable Housing |
|
| Co-op Housing Development Program |
|
| Federal Lands Initiative |
|
| Program | Description |
|---|---|
| Program | Description |
| Community Housing Capital Fund |
|
| Community Housing Growth Fund |
|
| Program | Description |
|---|---|
| Program | Description |
| Affordable Multifamily Housing Program |
|
| Program | Description |
|---|---|
| Program | Description |
| Green Municipal Fund |
|
| Program | Description |
|---|---|
| Program | Description |
| Capacity & Organizational Development Stream; and Capital Development Stream |
|
- Affordability standard: the proportion of units in a development that are affordable housing; the number of years that an applicant commits to keeping units affordable; and the depth of affordability of a particular unit of affordable housing or room in a shared housing use. The affordability of rent for a particular dwelling unit is compared to the average market rent for a dwelling unit of the same type and within the same Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) Rental Market Survey Zone. Rent information for each Zone can be found on CMHC’s Housing Market Information Portal. Depth of affordability can also be considered based on a shelter-costs-geared-to-income approach.
- Affordable housing: Housing that meets the needs of a variety of households in the low to moderate income range.
- Construction costs: The direct costs of constructing the project, including but not limited to municipal fees not eligible for waiver under the License, Permit and Processing Fees Administrative Order; design, insurance, and legal fees; materials; labour; and site preparation.
- Financial viability: The ability for the building owner or manager to generate sufficient income from rent, fees, and subsidies to meet its operating payments and debt commitments and save for future capital needs to maintain the building in good condition.
- Housing First Principles: Immediate access to permanent housing with no housing readiness requirements, consumer choice and self-determination, recovery orientation, individualized and client-driven supports, and social and community integration.
- Priority Groups (CMHC National Housing Strategy): Survivors (especially women and their children fleeing domestic violence), seniors, Indigenous peoples, people with disabilities, people dealing with mental health and addiction issues, veterans, 2SLGBTQIA+, racialized groups, recent immigrants (including refugees), and people experiencing homelessness. These groups may be updated from time to time and the most up-to-date information can be found on the National Housing Strategy webpage.
- Regional Centre Area: The Regional Centre Area as shown in the most recent version of the Regional Centre Secondary Municipal Planning Strategy.
- Suburban Area: The area of the municipality where municipal water and wastewater services and conventional transit are available or planned.