Campbell River city council has approved $798,639 in community and operating grant funding for 2026 to support several non-profit organizations based in the city.
Of the total, $146,189 will be allocated to community grants and $652,450 to operating grants.
According to a city report, community grants are provided to non-profit projects, programs and events that enhance Campbell River’s cultural, recreational, economic and social vitality.
Operating grants provide funding to non-profit organizations that deliver benefits to the community.
The city said community grants will be distributed under its recently introduced financial assistance policy, which governs all municipal financial assistance within a single framework. The policy is intended to make the grant program more inclusive.
Council approved all 2026 operating grant requests, allowing organizations time to reduce their reliance on city funding as they transition to the new policy.
Coun. Susan Sinnott said that without more feedback from arts and culture groups supported by the city, it is difficult to determine whether council is striking the right balance between encouraging self-sufficiency and limiting the impact on taxpayers.
“The numbers that came in were surprising to me – some are higher, some are lower,” said Sinnott. “It seems like we should be fine tuning it, so that we get good data to us.”
Under the operating grants, the Campbell River & District Public Art Gallery will receive $80,000, the Maritime Heritage Society will receive $51,450, the Campbell River District Museum & Archives Society will receive $230,120, the Tidemark Theatre Society will receive $217,000 and Haig-Brown House operations will receive $44,880.
Grant-ineligible organizations did not meet criteria outlined in the financial assistance policy, which requires programs to be held within the city and organizations to be registered charities for at least two years. Organizations that already receive permissive tax exemptions, low-cost city leases or provide regional services are also not eligible.
Council approved the grants during its meeting on Thursday, Jan. 8.
