MOOSOMIN — Communities across Saskatchewan recently received the second round of Community Initiative Fund grants for the year. In total, there were 457 grants disbursed through 156 communities for a total of $6,526,313.
The CIF funding helps support local initiatives with a goal of enriching the quality of life in those centres.
“The Community Initiatives Fund plays a crucial role in supporting a wide range of organisations, people and communities throughout the province,” Parks, Culture and Sport Minister Alana Ross said.
“These grants help strengthen important programs, while enhancing the quality of life for all Saskatchewan people. Our government is proud to support the CIF’s important work through a dedicated share of annual SaskGaming casino revenues, which typically results in $8 million to $9 million of funding each year.”
Locally, the Community Grant Program helped fund the Moosomin & District Arts Council with a $7,668 grant for their after school kid’s arts program at the visual arts centre; the Moosomin Family Resource Centre with their early childhood education and nutrition programming that received the maximum $35,000; and the South East HealthAbility Society through $15,000 in funding to Backpacks for Children.
Samantha Campbell of the Southeast HealthAbility Society stressed the importance of the CIF grant to their program.
“It allows us to keep our backpack program going throughout the year,” she said. “Actually, without this funding, we probably wouldn’t be able to go ahead with it, so this is great news.”
The backpack program is for kids between the ages of four and 17, offering food that takes minimal to zero preparation time, discreetly packed for students from food-insecure households for the weekend. Currently, Campbell says there are 22 young people utilizing Backpacks for Children.
“We ran it through donations and sponsorships through the community the first year, and it was great,” she explained. “It really kicked things off for us and we were able to get the program going. I think we had about 14 kids when we first started, and then we applied for the grant because our sponsorship was going down, and we got it last year.”
This is the second time the Southeast HealthAbility Society has been successful in obtaining CIF funding.
In Esterhazy, the Jean Pask Public Library received $9,077 for Library Programming, and the Growing Tree Preschool Cooperative received $10,000 toward their preschool.
In Wapella, the After School Program run by the Town of Wapella received $5,280.
The Churchbridge Daycare Co-operative also received $10,000 for its Before and After School Program.
In Langenburg, the Cooking and Lifeskills Program offered by the Langenburg & District Activity Centre received $18,736 in funding.
In total, the Community Grant Program saw $4,881,207 approved by the CIF through 202 grants. These programs help the overall well-being of children and youth, plus families, helping non-profit groups to deliver the much-needed programs.
The CIF also announced their Summer Grant program recipients, which saw $1,645,106 in funding to 255 groups. These programs offer recreation, arts, culture, and learning opportunities for young people across the province, particularly during the summer months.
“At the Community Initiatives Fund, we’re continually inspired by the dedication and innovation of the organizations we support,” said Tracey Mann, Executive Director of the Community Initiatives Fund. “Their efforts make a lasting difference in communities across Saskatchewan, and we’re proud to be part of that impact.”
The Moosomin & District Arts Council was again successful in their grant application for the Passport Moosomin, which received the maximum $7,500 in funding.
The Moosomin Family Resource Centre also received $7,500 for their Summer Reading and Exploring Camp.
In Esterhazy, the Park and Regional Library gained $7,291 for Summer Programming, while the Town of Esterhazy received $7,500 for their Beat the Heat program.
Groups receiving $7,500 for their programs included the Town of Rocanville for their Recreation Summer Program; Town of Kipling for Fun in the Sun; the Town of Redvers for the Summer Fun at the Pool; the Town of Grenfell for their Summer Literacy Boot Camp; the Town of Churchbridge for their Summer Dayz Program; and the Churchbridge Daycare Co-operative for the School Age Summer Program. The Southeast Regional Library in Grenfell also received $7,240 for its Summer Literacy Boot Camp.
