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Council plans for $342,000 in core grants Gymnastics club, food rescue new recipientsSimon Whitehouse Northern News Services Published Friday, Oct 26, 2012
The Yellowknife Gymnastics Club and Food Rescue will get core grant money for the first time, worth $20,000 and $7,500 respectively. The NWT Disabilities Council will get a raise to $27,000 from $25,000 last year. Aurora Fiddlers Society will see an increase to $5,000 from the $4,500 it got last year. The Festival of the Midnight Sun was the only group to drop off the list receiving money from last year. Yellowknife Gymnastics Club vice-president Elaine Bengts said she was "very excited" and that the $20,000 her organization had been hoping to receive will go toward paying down the club's half-million-dollar mortgage with the Business Development and Investment Corporation. The club has had to raise money every year for almost a decade to make the annual mortgage payments for its home at the Multiplex. "All of that money will be used to make mortgage payments which is $48,000 a year," she said. "That will help defray those costs. Until now, our fees have covered our coaching costs and utility costs and nothing more. To pay our mortgage, we have had to fundraise about $50,000 a year." Core grant funding is allocated to about 20 groups every year by city council and is one of two ways in which nonprofit groups can get funding from the city. Special grants are awarded in January for projects and typically represent a smaller chunk of money given out. Last year, for example, $105,000 in special grants was given out to 18 groups. Under territorial law, the city is limited to giving out two per cent of its operations and maintenance budget for all grants. Only after an organization receives special grant funding for three years in a row, can an application be made for a core grant. The core grant, which is a larger chunk of money, funds an organization's broader mandate and typically goes to groups that are expected to become self-sustainable, according to councillor Bob Brooks, chair at the city's grant review committee. Brooks reported to the municipal services committee Monday that the committee was recommending $342,000 be given to 21 groups this year. "We did have quite a number of applications this year for core grants and $383,525 worth of requests," he said, noting there was quite a bit of discussion to get the figures down by more than $40,000. Ultimately, the new council will have to review the figures during the budget session, so the figures presented to the outgoing council are yet to be finalized. "I am reasonably comfortable with the recommendation that is being put forward for next year," said Coun. David Wind at Monday's meeting. "But the successive years and the capping of funding, while I am personally in sympathy with trying to hold the line and having a reasonable balance between core funding and special grant funding, it seems to me that that is something that projects into future years. I would feel more comfortable if that aspect of it was deferred for a discussion by the next council instead of us taking a position here today." Organizations recommended to receive core grant money
Source: City of Yellowknife
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