Squamish Community Foundation’s Annual Grants and Neighbourhood Small Grants were able to support timely community needs in 2020.
Through the challenges that the Squamish community and wider populations have felt this year, the resilience of our non-profits and the generosity of donors has been inspiring. The Squamish Community Foundation (SCF) was able to adapt the Annual Grants and the Neighbourhood Small Grants programs to ensure donor support was directed to the most impactful projects addressing our current community needs.
Below is a summary of the Annual Grants and NSG programs in 2020:
Annual Grants
SCF’s Annual Grants are awarded to eligible organizations with projects that benefit the lives and wellbeing of the people of Squamish. These grants are funded by the income earned on SCF Endowment Funds and are distributed through grant application and committee review processes. For more information on SCF Endowment Funds and Donations, click here.
When reviewing applications and determining successful grantees, the Annual Grants Committee focuses on aligning projects with the field of interest and donor requests on certain funds. This year, they also prioritized projects that could proceed despite the pandemic, and those which could have the most impact given the current needs of the community resulting from the pandemic.
SCF granted over $21,000 in Annual Grants in 2020, as well as $1,000 for the Ron Anderson Memorial Scholarship. Below are the ten recipients and their projects that were chosen for funding:
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- Brackendale Elementary – School Musical “A Million Dreams”
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- Don Ross Middle School – Courtyard Revitalization and Outdoor Classroom
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- Howe Sound Women’s Centre – Youth-Led Peer to Peer Education Project
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- JABC – Bright Futures for Squamish’s Youth
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- Squamish CAN Grow Community Garden Relocation and Build
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- Squamish Elementary PAC – Outdoor Classroom and Nature Play Area
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- Sea to Sky Community Services & SD48 – Youth Leadership Summit
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- Sea to Sky Community Services – Child Development and Respite Funds
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- Squamish Seniors Centre Society – Seniors Arts Program
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- Ron Anderson Memorial Scholarship – Annie Malpass
“This generous contribution [to the Ron Anderson Memorial Scholarship] will help our young people pursue their desired careers, and in some cases make the difference in their ability to continue on to post-secondary education. On behalf of all staff at Howe Sound Secondary, I sincerely thank you for the support you have given our graduates.” – Michelle Watson, Howe Sound Secondary School
Neighbourhood Small Grants
The Neighbourhood Small Grants (NSG) program launched in 2017 with the help of the Vancouver Foundation as a way to provide small-scale funds to individuals and groups to facilitate activities that nurture our sense of community. The program is based on a simple, but powerful idea—that everyone is a valuable member of the community and that we all have something to share. From neighbourhood block parties to community gardens and cultural events, the NSG program is a favourite amongst our community.
Given the nature of the activities typically funded through the Neighbourhood Small Grants program, the NSG committee had to pivot focus this year. The “Responsive NSG” program was launched instead – to shift support to activities that could be done within the health restrictions but remained focused on community connection. A total of $5,550 in NSG funding was granted to 13 projects in our community this year. Below are some of the recipients and their projects:
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- Nicola Fairweather – NSG Grant Recipient
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- Kelly Banna – NSG Grant Recipient
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- David Protheroe – NSG Grant Recipient
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- Danielle Robson – NSG Grant Recipient
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- Meighan Creek COVID Friendly Halloween Event – included a carved pumpkin contest, and trick or treaters were greeted on their arrival and directed through a “spooky walk” to a witches table. Here, substantial loot bags were handed out by gloved and masked witches.
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- The “Smokebluff Pollinator Patch” – In addition to learning and connecting we had many conversations about the bees, birds and bugs that would be attracted to this permaculture inspired, predominantly native, perennial pollinator patch”
In addition to the annual granting programs, the SCF also launched a new Community Response Fund in March to bring increased donations directly to front-line charities in the short-term. With support from the Community Foundations of Canada, we also helped distribute two rounds of the Government of Canada’s Emergency Community Support Fund within our community.
For more information about our Annual Grants and NSG programs, or to learn more about our 2020 grantees, contact us at info@squamishfoundation.com.
