Another round of funding has been awarded to the Community Foundation of Northwestern Alberta to distribute amongst local community organizations. The Community Foundation of Canada has issued the foundation another $229,110 to divvy up between grantees that demonstrate how the funds would be utilized to support vulnerable populations.
Community Foundation CEO, Laura LaValley, says the grant needs to be fully distributed by the end of November, to which successful applicants will receive their grant in early December.
“We have opened up the portal to apply as of today [October 5th], and applicants have until October 30th to send in their applications,” she says. “We will spend a couple of weeks in November deliberating on those applications and making sure that we’re funding the greatest needs in the region.”
The Community Foundation was initially allocated approximately $545,000 earlier this year to distribute among community organizations. In August, they were awarded an additional $175,000 to continue their distribution efforts. Since May, over $720,590 has been awarded to approximately 30 community organizations across Northwest Alberta.
LaValley says she dreads the thought that without grant support, many of the local community organizations that require the extra funding would cease to function.
“The needs are great right now and community organizations are suffering just because they’re not able to have a lot of the fundraising events that they do to keep afloat,’ she says. “Let’s face it, there’s an economic downturn and times are tough for these community organizations.”
As a further prerequisite, the CRA requires applicant organizations to be qualified donees. Community groups that may be hesitant to apply out of concerns over their eligibility are encouraged to call the Community Foundation for clarification.
“We have expertise in the area and we would like to see if there is a way that we can help them,” says LaValley.
She adds the process of connecting with the surplus of community groups in such a short timeframe has been strenuous, but the team has no intention of stopping short of sending out every dollar they are able.
“We’ve made a lot of connections, talked to a lot of community groups, and we plan to continue to do so. Part of what we do here is make sure we’re connected to those community organizations and that we have a good understanding of what their needs are.”
The Community Foundation released, grants can be used for a variety of purposes, including to cover staffing or resource needs, or purchase assistance, among other eligible operational expenses.