The Federation of Calgary Communities (FCC) is celebrating its 65th birthday in the only way it knows how: Community building.

Next month, the doors of Good Places HQ will open to the public, a new community innovation hub just a short walk away from the Franklin LRT station. It’s designed not just for gathering, but for building the tools that shape neighbourhood life, said the federation’s Placemaking Manager Adam Schwartz.

“Hopefully it acts as a space where communities can come together for workshops and build ideas,” he said.

“But also in the tangible ways of actually being able to put wood and screws together and build these projects that are going to come to life in their own neighbourhoods.”

The Franklin location was chosen in part for its accessibility, both by transit and its proximity to Deerfoot Trail. Schwartz also said their strategy also came from wanting to be in areas of the city that would feel the most impact.

Inside, Good Places HQ will feature a flexible gathering space capable of holding 100-125 people for anything ranging from panel discussions to art galleries, alongside smaller meeting rooms for planning and mentorship. At the back, a light industrial workshop will allow community members to build tangible projects, from picnic tables to planters and free little libraries, before bringing them back to their neighbourhoods.

The hub is an extension of Good Places, a placemaking initiative created in collaboration between the Federation of Calgary Communities and the City of Calgary. Its goal is to support grassroots projects across Calgary through funding, mentorship and workshops.

Good Places’ grant program allocates $400,000 a year for Calgary community associations, non-profits, charities or business improvement areas. These funds are divvied out triennially, with grants ranging between $5,000 and $15,000.

FCC executive director Leslie Evans said their work in community associations has always been about improving neighbourhood life. These grants are just another avenue to do so.

“The language of placemaking has become more prominent in the last decade or so, and I think it defines a lot of what we’ve been doing,” she said.

“But now we’re in the space of not only supporting ideas and helping people think about it, but also funding it.”

A monumental time for the federation

The opening coincides with a milestone year for the federation. On top of its 65th birthday, the organization is celebrating Community Association Awareness Month in March and National Volunteer Week in April, which is when they plan to open the hub.

“It’ll be two months of celebration,” Evans said.

“We’ve been promoting March Community Association Awareness Month and celebrating the good work of the associations. Then, in April, we’ll celebrate the good work of volunteers.”

The organization supports more than 280 non-profits, including 160 community associations and a volunteer network of roughly 20,000 Calgarians, the largest volunteer movement in the city, according to the federation’s website.

Good Places HQ was not initially part of the year’s festivities, but thanks to a boost from city funding the project was accelerated.

Originally envisioned as a four-year rollout, the hub came together in under a year after a 2025 notice of motion helped allocate ENMAX dividend funding toward city facility improvements, including $2.85 million for the federation’s placemaking work.

“It did kind of happen overnight in the sense of that notice of motion,” said Evans.

Still, the idea itself has been years in the making.

Evans said the FCC has been building toward this kind of space for nearly a decade, tracing back to earlier programs aimed at getting neighbours out into shared public spaces and reconnecting with their communities.

“What we saw over the years was a real kind of rebirthing of people engaging in things that mattered in their community and really reclaiming public space,” she said.

“To be a place where people could connect with their neighbours.”

Schwartz, who grew up in Calgary, said the hub comes at a critical time for a city nearing its two millionth resident, as the federation’s initiatives provide an accessible way for people to find their place in the community.

“One of the big things in relation to placemaking is just that sense of belonging that people have for place and for their community,” he said

“So, I see this program and the federation playing a big role in how people continue to find a sense of belonging in Calgary and in their neighbourhoods.”