SARAH WILLIAMS
STAFF WRITER
The recipients of the Municipal Community Grant Program was decided recently with close to 40 local organizations to receive funding and in-kind support in 2022.
“We saw an extremely high demand for grants through the program this year, which really speaks to the community need, especially on the heels of pandemic lockdowns over the past several years,” said Dominique Jones, Executive Director of The County Foundation (TCF), which administers the program in partnership with the municipality. “Facing several difficult decisions, the adjudication committee really focussed on evaluating the proposals based on community impact, financial need and geographic equity in The County.”
The Municipal Community Grant Program has two streams: Grants under $5,000 and Grants over $5,000.
“We are honoured to assist 36 local projects, and we look forward to seeing the impact this work will have across Prince Edward County,” said Mayor Steve Ferguson “And even though COVID-19 has impacted our community, I am encouraged to see community organizations bouncing back and the enthusiasm of volunteers to get involved and make a difference.”
As part of the annual process, TCF reviews the Municipal Community Grant Program to identify potential improvements. Municipal staff will work with TCF to explore the following program changes in 2023 before bringing an updated program to Council in early 2023, prior to budget deliberations.
In her address to council, Jones noted 43 applications were received and reviewed.
“I’m told this is a record number of applications for the grants,” she said. “A number were new applications, which speaks positively to the reach of this funding and engagement.”
Jones also explained some of the recommendations for improvement, including evaluating granting criteria.
“The adjudication committee determined the criteria doesn’t reflect some of the smaller community groups applying and they noted there appears to be increased fragmentation where multiple organizations are applying within the same sector, for example the arts, culture and food security. We noticed quite a few applications from those sectors.”
Please see the 2022 recipients of the Municipal Community Grants below:
Under $1,000, In-Kind
Bay of Quinte Modern Quilt: $900
Ghosthole Productions in partnership with Macaulay Heritage Park: $1,000
Quinte Dolphins. (Submitted photo)
“Miss Supertest” Annual Commemorative Main Street: $255
Music at Port Milford Canada Inc.: $330.25
“Perfectly Preserved” group within Prince Edward County Memorial Hospital: $1,000
Total $3,485.25
Under $5,000, Cash and In-Kind
Alchemy Artists Residency: $4,000 in-kind
Bethany Christian Reformed Church: $2,500 cash
Friends of Sandbanks Park: $1,979.55 cash
Gathering of Friends (Heritage Re-Enactment): $150 cash
Picton Community Gardens: $2,000 cash
Picton Free Methodist Church: $2,700 in-kind
PEC Horticultural Society: $1,235 cash
PEC Master Gardeners: $750 cash
PEC Minor Baseball Association: $1,987.39 cash
Quinte Dolphins Swim Club: $2,500 cash
Wellington Community Gardens: $400 in-kind
Big Lake Arts Festival: $2,000 cash
PEC Marathon: $5,000 in-kind
Prince Edward District Women’s Institute: $5,000 in-kind
Totals: $17,100.00 in kind and $15,101.94 cash
Over $5,000, Cash and In-Kind
Alzheimer Society of Hastings-Prince Edward: $5,568 cash
Baxter Arts Centre:$4,400 in kind, $4,250 cash
Community Development Council of Quinte: $5,000 cash
Prince Edward County Food Hub Inc.: $7,400
Prince Edward Point Bird Observatory: $5,443.57 cash
Quinte Educational Museum and Archives: $500 in kind, $5,000 cash
Volunteer Information HPE: $5,100 cash
County Kids Read. (Peggy de Witt/For The Gazette)
Westlake Community Association: $5,000 cash
County Kids Read: $3,000 cash
Department of Illumination: $2,000 in-kind, $2,000 cash
Festival Players of Prince Edward County: $3,500 cash
South Shore Joint Initiative: $4,445 cash
The Storehouse Food Bank: $3,500 cash
Food to Share: $16,800 in-kind, $10,848 cash
Prince Edward County Arts Council: $3,000 in-kind, $24,000 cash
Regent Theatre Association: $30,000 cash
ROC, Prince Edward County Youth Centre: $60,000 cash
Totals: $26,700 in kind, and $184,054.57 cash
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