Home page

Text size

E-mail this page

SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
Council is set to approve handing out $76,000 in special grants funding after a list of recommended recipients was presented to the municipal services committee, Monday.

Although the amount is yet to be approved at a regular council vote, councillors seemed to approve of the recommendation for 31 community groups chosen to get money.

This year's special grants fund saw a reduction of more than a quarter of the amount handed out last year, when 18 groups got $105,000 in funding. As a result, many of the groups who applied for money this year got far short of what they asked for.

"We were unfortunate in the fact that we only had a total of $76,000 to give away and approximately $350,000 worth of requests for money," said grants review committee chair Bob Brooks. "We were not able to give out as much as we would have liked."

Brooks explained that more money was given in core grants this year and this was the reason there was so little for special grants. Between the two funds, the city can only use two per cent of its annual operations and maintenance budget to help community groups, according to the Cities, Towns and Villages Act.

"Because more groups became eligible for core grants this year, there was money given to them," said Brooks. "Whatever is not used for core grants is given out to special grants. This time, there was more for core grants, so there was less for special."

Coun. Niels Konge was one member who liked what he saw when it came to who received money this year.

"I'll say that I went over this list and was quite pleased with the variety of people applied and where the money is going," he said. "The NWT Farmers Association, the community gardens and others - I think a little bit of money for them goes a long, long way in our city and I am looking forward to seeing what they can do with this money."

One of the groups applying to receive money this year, the Territorial Farmers Association, had applied for $8,000 to expand its annual harvest festival, but the special grants review committee has recommended the group get $2,500.

"In the past we have had a vegetable growing showcase and a potluck dinner and used it as a chance for sharing things that are possible to grow," said association member Lone Sorenson. "So we wanted to expand that idea and maybe involve a little bit more of a community feast and celebrating what local farmers market. We would also have a farmers market and ideally working with other organizations."

If this money is approved, Sorenson said despite not getting the full amount, the little bit of money could help with providing a tent for a future farmers markets and other small initiatives to celebrate the growth of local food.

Special grants is one of two opportunities throughout the year that community non-profit groups can receive seed money from the city to go toward activities that benefit the city.

The other opportunity, typically given out in October, is known as the core grant and typically represents a bigger amount, and is given out to groups that have been approved to receive special grants money three years in a row. Last October, council gave out $342,000 in core grants to 21 groups.

Fact file

Proposed Recipients of city grants

Snowking Festival $5,000

NWT Chamber of Commerce $5,000

Long John Jamboree $5,000

Yellowknife Curling Centre $4,300

Yellowknife Skating Club $4,000

NWT Floatplane Association $4,000

Northland Community Garden $3,000

JH Sissons School $3,000

Canadian Parents for French $2,844

Northern Youth Leadership Society $2,500

Somba K'e Paddling $2,500

Western Arctic Moving Pictures $2,500

Yellowknife Artist Run Community Centre $2,500

Territorial Farmers Association $2,500

Old Town Community $2,500

NWT Softball $2,000

CNIB $2,000

Yellowknife Tennis Club $2,000

Trail's End Community Association

NWT SPCA $2,000

Yellowknife Shooting Club $2,000

Ptarmicon $2,000

NWT Pipe Band $1,500

John Howard Society $1,500

The Sacred Circle Project $1,500

YK Food Bank $1,500

Yellowknife Dance Collective $1,356

Church of Christ $1,000

Borderless Art Movement $1,000

Classics on Stage Yellowknife $1,000

MS Society of Canada AB/NT Branch $500

Source: City of Yellowknife

We welcome your opinions. Click here to e-mail a letter to the editor.