Thanks to the Community Foundation of Lethbridge and Southwestern Alberta, 49 projects and initiatives with grants totalling $509,135 will be supported through the Foundation’s spring application cycle.
Recipients of the grants were awarded as the result of the spring call for applications to the Community Priorities Fund, the Henry S. Varley Fund for Rural Life and multiple Field of Interest Funds.
The Community Priorities Fund will provide $299,571 in grants to projects from 41 organizations across southwestern Alberta. This funding is made possible by private, unrestricted donations given generously by supporters of the Community Foundation.
The Henry S. Varley Fund for Rural Life will provide $111,874 to eight projects. This fund, which supports projects aimed at helping sustain a high quality of life for residents in southwestern Alberta, was established from a bequest by Pincher Creek-area rancher Bill Long and named to honour the memory of his uncle.
Additionally, 15 of the 49 grants received a total of $97,690 from various Field of Interest Funds. These FOI funds are the result of donors who have chosen to support organizations working with a specific age group, in a certain geographical location or projects dealing with a cause that is important to them. This is the largest amount of FOI money ever granted in a single grant cycle through the Community Foundation.
Executive Director Charleen Davidson says the spring application process was a challenging intake because the organization is always oversubscribed. “But we had a lot of applications this year, so our committee had some hard decisions to make. They did a fantastic job. I think everyone’s worthy, but some projects weren’t necessarily ready to come forward. Hopefully, they’ll come back in the fall and maybe we can support them.”
Davidson notes the Foundation will start accepting applications in mid-July. “And that will close in mid-October. That will be reviewed and celebrated in December.”
“I think it’s fantastic to see so many groups doing such wonderful things to enhance our quality of life in southwestern Alberta,” Davidson adds.
(Photo by Stan Ashbee)
