Ontario has reopened its Anti-Hate Security and Prevention Grant for 2026-27, and the clock is short. Applications close on November 12, 2026 at 5:00 p.m. If you run a place of worship, a faith-based or cultural school, a cultural centre, or a faith-based childcare program, this is money set aside to help you make your site safer.
Most people think of cameras and locks when they hear “security grant.” Those matter. But one of the most overlooked risks at community buildings is the vehicle. A car that jumps a curb by accident, or a vehicle driven at a crowd on purpose, can do more harm in two seconds than any break-in. This guide covers what the grant offers, who qualifies, and how to think about crash-rated bollards so the money goes where it actually protects people.
The Grant at a Glance
- Deadline: November 12, 2026, 5:00 p.m. Eastern
- Stream 1, Security and Infrastructure: one-time grants of $2,500 to $10,000, based on your organization’s category and revenue. Covers physical upgrades, cybersecurity, training and short-term security measures.
- Stream 2, Special Projects: one-time grants of $100,000 for community anti-hate projects focused on prevention, education, and preparing for or responding to incidents.
- Spending window: eligible expenses must be incurred between September 1, 2026 and August 31, 2027.
- Operating date: your organization must be operating in Ontario on October 15, 2026.
You can apply to one stream or both. Full details are on the Ontario Anti-Hate Security and Prevention Grant page, which links to the application portal.
Who Qualifies (Read This Part Carefully)
The grant is aimed at faith-based, cultural, 2SLGBTQQIA+ and Indigenous communities. Eligible organization types include:
- Religious and spiritual organizations such as mosques, synagogues, temples and churches
- Cultural organizations, including 2SLGBTQQIA+ groups and traditional culture programs
- Indigenous organizations such as friendship centres, ceremonial lodges, First Nations councils and First Nations schools
- Faith-based or cultural private schools and colleges
- Faith-based or cultural providers of childcare, children’s and youth programs, health care, social services, housing, long-term care and the arts
A few points trip people up:
- Childcare is covered only when it is faith-based or cultural. A church-run daycare or a cultural centre’s child program can qualify. A general licensed daycare with no faith or cultural mandate does not.
- Publicly funded schools are not eligible, and neither are public colleges and universities, municipalities, or most for-profit businesses.
- You need a real gathering space. Most applicants must own, lease or rent a non-residential facility in Ontario and hold gatherings of religious, spiritual or cultural significance at least monthly.
- Registration date matters. Charities must have been registered with the CRA, or non-profits incorporated, by December 31, 2024.
Some exceptions apply, including for 2SLGBTQQIA+ organizations that mainly run annual events and for full-year faith-based private schools. Check the official page for the exact wording before you apply.
Why Vehicles Belong in Your Security Plan
Places of worship, schools and childcare centres share a few traits that raise vehicle risk:
- Crowds at predictable times. Services, drop-off and pick-up, and festivals put lots of people near entrances and sidewalks on a known schedule.
- Parking that faces the building. Head-in parking aimed at glass doors or a play area is the classic setup for a pedal-error crash. These crashes are common, and most are not malicious.
- Open approaches. A straight driveway or wide open frontage gives a vehicle room to build speed toward the building.
Cameras record what happens. Locks keep people out of a building. Neither one stops a vehicle. A properly rated bollard is one of the few security upgrades that physically prevents harm instead of documenting it.
Crash Ratings Made Simple: C40, M30 and M50
Not every bollard is a security bollard. A steel post filled with concrete will guide traffic and stop a slow bump, but unless it has been crash tested, nobody can tell you what it will stop. Crash-rated bollards are tested to a published standard. In North America that standard is ASTM F2656, and the rating tells you two things: the test vehicle and the impact speed.
| Rating | Test vehicle | Impact speed | Where it fits |
|---|---|---|---|
| C40 | Small passenger car, about 2,430 kg (5,000 lb) | 40 mph (about 65 km/h) | Storefronts, entrances, childcare drop-off zones and play areas facing parking. The everyday “car through the front door” risk. |
| M30 | Medium-duty truck, about 6,800 kg (15,000 lb) | 30 mph (about 50 km/h) | Places of worship and gathering spaces where a deliberate vehicle attack is a credible concern, with limited run-up distance. |
| M50 | Medium-duty truck, about 6,800 kg (15,000 lb) | 50 mph (about 80 km/h) | Sites with long, straight approaches where a vehicle can reach highway speed. Usually government and high-security sites. |
You may also see older K ratings (K4, K8, K12). These come from a legacy U.S. State Department standard that ASTM F2656 replaced. K4 roughly lines up with M30 and K12 with M50.
Ratings also carry a penetration class. P1 is the best result, meaning the front of the vehicle travelled one metre or less past the barrier. For a building entrance or a crowd standing close to the line, P1 is what you want.
Picking the Right Rating for Your Site
The right answer is the lowest rating that handles your real risk. Over-specifying burns budget that could protect more of your frontage. A few rules of thumb:
- Childcare centres and school entrances: the main risk is a passenger car, usually by accident. C40 bollards along the drop-off zone, the front glass and any play area that borders parking cover that risk well.
- Places of worship and cultural centres: start with C40 at entrances that face parking. Where a security assessment flags deliberate vehicle attack as a credible threat, M30 at the main gathering points and approaches is the usual step up.
- Measure the run-up. How far can a vehicle travel in a straight line before it reaches your door or your crowd? Short run-up means lower possible speed, which often means a lower rating is enough.
- Think about the ground. Embedded foundations, shallow-mount systems and bolt-down options all exist. A bolt-down post on its own will not perform like a crash-tested system. Our post on bolt-down vs. embedded bollards explains the difference.
- Keep it accessible. Bollards need spacing that lets wheelchairs, strollers and walkers through while still stopping a vehicle. Plan spacing early so the layout works for everyone.
Making $10,000 Count
Stream 1 tops out at $10,000, so be realistic. It will not fund a full perimeter. It can fund a focused upgrade at your single highest-risk spot, such as the main entrance or the drop-off zone. The grant page lists “physical upgrades” as an eligible use. Bollards fit that category, but confirm against the eligible-expense list inside the application before you commit.
If your site needs more than that, two other programs are worth knowing about:
- Canada Community Security Program (federal): covers up to 70 percent of eligible costs, to a maximum of $1.5 million per project, for communities at risk of hate-motivated crime. It accepts applications on a continuous, first-come first-served basis, and bollards are named in its list of protective barriers. Projects must be framed around hate-motivated security risk, not traffic calming, and installation labour is capped as a share of equipment cost.
- Toronto’s Hostile Vehicle Mitigation Grant: up to $100,000 per organization for crash-rated bollards, gates and furniture. The intake has closed, but if your organization applied, our Toronto HVM grant guide walks through what comes next.
Your Checklist Before November 12
- Confirm your organization fits an eligible category and meets the gathering, facility and registration rules.
- Walk your site. Note every spot where parking or a driveway points at a door, a window, a play area or a gathering space.
- Pick your highest-risk location and decide what you need to stop there: a car by accident, or a vehicle on purpose.
- Get a written quote so your application shows a real, scoped project with a clear cost.
- Ask for crash test documentation for any product called “crash-rated.” A real rating comes with a test report from an independent lab.
- Submit before 5:00 p.m. on November 12.
How Ontario Bollards Can Help
We have spent more than 30 years helping Ontario organizations protect their people and property, from daycares and storefronts to places of worship and government sites. We supply crash-rated bollards tested to ASTM F2656, including C40, M30 and M50 options, along with standard steel bollards for everyday traffic control. We will help you find the right rating for your site, not the most expensive one, and give you a written quote you can attach to your grant application.
For more background, see our guides to crash-rated bollards and choosing bollards for storefront safety.
Applying this round? Call us at 289-891-8559 or email info@ontariobollards.com and we will help you scope your site before the deadline.
Grant details are summarized from the Government of Ontario, Public Safety Canada and City of Toronto program pages as of October 2026. Program rules can change, so always confirm eligibility with the official program before you apply.