Dave Reidie is shaking his head these days, wondering why it is the St. Albert Community Foundation has money to give away, but no one is asking for it.
“It’s amazing. I have one application,” the foundation executive director said of the lack of applications for the grants that are available each year. “It hasn’t been a struggle in the past. Generally, by this time, I have six, seven, or eight [applications].”
He’s calling for all qualified community groups to make sure they don’t miss out on the opportunity.
“I don’t know whether people, because they applied in the past, feel they can’t apply again. Well, they certainly can. You can apply every year. There’s only two choices for them, basically: a yes and a no,” he said.
The foundation is accepting applications for grants up until Oct. 27.
Grants generally range from $500 to $9,000. They come from a variety of funding programs that the foundation oversees.
According to its website, www.sacf.ca, the foundation focuses on “quality of life programs and services of proven need or benefit to the community.” It does, however, have the flexibility to expand that scope if an innovative idea comes along.
The foundation allocates funding in several categories: youth, social, seniors, arts and culture, and recreation. Applicants must be a registered charity and must have been in operation for at least one year.
Grants are awarded annually at the foundation’s board meeting in November. They are meant to complement already available community funding while establishing a permanent legacy of service and involvement for St. Albert.
Last year grants were awarded to a number of groups, including:
• The Transitions Rehabilitation Association that started a pilot program to support families living with intellectual disabilities.
• A nutritional program called Breakfast for Learning was able to provide food for some St. Albert children while at school.
• The St. Albert Youth Community Centre’s youth outreach program received help with transportation costs for high-risk youth as they worked on figuring out their situations and straightening out their lives.
The St. Albert Senior Citizens’ Club, the Sturgeon Community Hospital, the Wilderness Youth Challenge and the Alberta Association for Community Living were among other groups that benefited from the program.
“We try to help as many people as possible … when the applications come in,” Reidie said. “They should be coming in soon, I hope.”
St. Albert Community Foundation
P.O. Box 65068
St. Albert, AB
T8N 5Y3
Phone: (780) 458-8351
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.sacf.ca
