Yellowknife (Mar 04/05) - Caribou Carnival will celebrate its 50th anniversary festival with some extra cash from City Hall.

It is one of 19 groups to receive a special grant this year; being awarded a quarter of the $100,000 pot. The grant for Caribou Carnival is in addition to the $17,000 it received this year in core funding.

Carnival co-ordinator Carol Van Tighem said she was ecstatic about the new funding.

"This has given us a little bit of a pillow to rest our heads on," she said.

The funding will help Carnival organizers confirm all the planned Northern and cultural activities like a Dene and Arctic Games and a tent for Northern performers.

One other core funding recipient, Folk on the Rocks - it gets $15,000 this year - will receive $10,000 for safety improvements to the concert site.

The grants were recommended by a committee of Yellowknife residents, a change from previous years when city councillors decided who received the money.

"This has been the most thorough examination of special grants," said Coun. Dave McCann at Monday's council meeting.

In all, 26 organizations submitted funding requests by the Jan. 10 deadline totalling $245.977.46.

Five groups received cash from the grant fund in 2004: Nats'eju' Dahk'e, Yellowknife Community Wellness Coalition, Paddlers for Parts, Western Arctic Moving Pictures and the Yellowknife Playschool Association.

Who got grants

• Community Wellness Coalition requested $15,000 for Citizens on Patrol System, received $5,000.
• Nats'eju' Dahk'e asked for $10,074 for sewing circle program, received $1,475.
• Paddlers for Parts asked for and received $3,200 for pool rental.
• Garderie Pleinsoleil asked for $3,500 to help hire music instructor, received $1,000.
• Arts & Craft Festival Yk asked for $10,000 to cover production costs and equipment rental for an August arts festival, received $5,000.
• WAMP asked for and received $4,000 to pay for location sound equipment.
• Caribou Carnival asked for and received $25,000 for 50th anniversary.
• Ecology North asked for $10,000 for sustainable living fair, received $2,000.
• Funkfest Yk asked for $10,000 for Summer Solstice Event, received $7,000. (Organization owed money to the city until Jan. 12, 2005.)
• Yellowknife Laughter Club asked for $5,000 for World Laughter Day event, received $3,000.
• Yellowknife Playgroup Association asked for and received $500 to offset facility rental.
• St. John Ambulance asked for $13,000, received $10,725 to help increase volunteer base.
• Lunch Pail Theatre asked for $3,500 to help fund production of Dracula, received $2,000.
• Diamonds in the Rough Female Development Hockey requested $4,143.46 to cover ice rental from 2004 and 2005 summer camp, received $2,000.
• Yellowknife Association for Community Living asked for and received $2,500 to help pay recreation costs for children with special needs.
• Yellowknife Foster Family Association asked for and received $5,000 for its summer camp.
• Yellowknife Playschool Association asked for and received $600 for facility rental.
• Community Emergency Response Team asked for $20,000 for a trailer, received $10,000.
• Folk on the Rocks, asked for $15,000 for site improvements, received $10,000.

Who didn't get money

• NWT Montessori Society - wanted $3,760.
• Native Women's Association of the NWT - wanted $10,000.
• Federation Franco-Te'Noise - wanted $13,000.
• Yellowknife Family Centre - wanted $5,000.
• Yellowknife Golf Club - wanted $39,250.
• Mildred Hall PAC - wanted $7,500.
• Arctic Indigenous Youth Alliance - wanted $7,450.