CAMPBELL RIVER, BC –The City of Campbell River is setting up a Social Grant Funding program.
The city’s council will be in charge of it for the year, after which it will be handled by the Community Partnership Committee.
During Monday’s meeting council announced it will set up an application process for the funding program. This will ensure organizations that haven’t received funding from other grant-giving programs have the priority.
Councillor Colleen Evans says it’s important to have a framework in place so the city can help fund community initiatives. She says this way, it will be easier to keep track of what goes on with the money and who receives it.
“I think through the discussions over the last couple of weeks… talking about this need that exists in our community and the opportunity for non-profits and other organizations to come forward and fill a gap we currently have in our community, I think this has really moved us forward significantly,” Evans said.
She adds there is still a lot of work to be done before the program is up and running, but that she and the rest of council look forward to what comes next.
“The not-for-profit community and those organizations have an opportunity to meet with us and allow us to hear their perspectives on how best we can utilize these funds.”
The money for the program will be taken out of the council’s contingency funds already set aside for social initiatives.
Once bylaws and policies are drafted for the program, there will be a stakeholder engagement session where community members and partners can give feedback.
