CENTRE WELLINGTON – Approximately $150,000 is currently recommended to fund Community Impact Grants in 2024, although the requested amount exceeded that considerably.
While staff considered 31 applications totalling $288,186 in requests, a new report only recommends 28 receive funding.
This funding will come from the $157,980 council allocated for Community Impact Grants during its 2024 budget deliberations.
According to the report, other items were considered beyond the scope because there were more requests than available funding.
This included discussions about how to set small groups up for success, how the township's community resource centre could support events and where organizations could share resources or collaborate more.
There were also discussions about reducing support to fit the available funding.
Among those slighted by the recommendations were the Children's Foundation of Guelph and Wellington's Food and Friends program, the Fergus Scottish Festival's parade and downtown events and player development for the Centre Wellington Minor Lacrosse Association.
The Elora Centre for the Arts, Ennotville Library and Fergus Agricultural Society are currently set to receive the most, with grant recommendations totalling approximately $48,500 between the three organizations.
At the Healthy Committees Advisory Committee meeting next week, members will review the applications and make further recommendations for council's consideration at the next council meeting.
Isabel Buckmaster is the Local Journalism Initiative reporter for GuelphToday. LJI is a federally-funded program.
