WESTLOCK — The Westlock Community Foundation (WCF) wants local organizations to be a catalyst for positive change in the community and is launching its brand new granting program to help them do just that.
The foundation announced the launch of the 2024 granting program in a press release Jan. 31, and will be providing funding opportunities for growth and positive change within the region, including the Town of Westlock, Westlock County and the Village of Clyde.
“All the work that we have done is culminating in this,” said WCF executive director Katie Robertson. “This is another giant milestone that we’ve reached.”
The annual initiative will help enrich the community and offer a range of grants to organizations and community groups to address various needs and aspirations, whether it’s a charitable organization or a community group, all are welcome to explore available funding opportunities through the WCF.
Robertson noted last year in 2023, the foundation distributed the Community Services Recovery Fund (CSRF), federal dollars totalling $210,000 for post-pandemic recovery to 10 recipients in the community.
“That (was) money that would not have been able to come into the community without the community foundation,” explained Robertson, adding that the CSRF was set up to be administered through three different organizations — the United Way, Red Cross and community foundations. “The fact that we existed meant that an additional $210,000 was able to be distributed into the community in 2023 because of that.”
Several funding opportunities are available this year via four grant categories. They include community priorities grants, youth in action grants, learning and literacy grants and rural resiliency grants. Each granting program will focus on a particular area or areas.
The first opportunity, community priorities grants, will support projects aimed at enhancing the overall development and well-being of the region, including the Town of Westlock, Westlock County, and the Village of Clyde. These projects align with six community priorities that include community health and wellness, cultural life, lifelong learning, environment, connections and belonging and abundant living.
The community priorities grant is very broad-based, noted Robertson, and includes six priorities that “encompasses almost anything you can imagine in terms of what a community needs to thrive."
The youth in action grants will focus on initiatives that nurture the education and growth of youth and were made for youth by youth.
“There will be a youth committee made up of youth. They will decide which of the projects get funded,” said Robertson, noting that youth ages 11-25 can apply for the grant and can join the committee. She said they want to share the importance of community development with youth and instill community pride at a young age so that young people will want to continue contributing to their community for the long haul.
“In a small rural community and region such as ours … youth ready to go to university (often) leave and they don’t come back. So it’s really about a long-term vision of the community, that we start teaching our youth about philanthropy and community development at an early age and then they’ll want to come home,” she said.
The learning and literacy grants were created by the Westlock Learning and Literacy Centre which closed last year. Wanting to leave a legacy, the centre developed the learning and literacy fund.
‘’That one was created by them, it’s what’s called a designated fund,” said Robertson. “That money will always be available for learning and literacy initiatives,” she added, noting that fund was given over to the foundation who now oversee it. “We’re looking forward to seeing what other community funds are created by different groups.”
The rural resiliency grants celebrate the unique lifestyle of rural communities in Westlock and the surrounding areas. It was established in honour of Albert and Florence Miller and aims to enhance and sustain the quality of life in rural communities. Examples of eligible organizations for grants, include 4H Clubs, community halls, and agricultural societies.
“They were deeply rooted in a rural community and rural community living,” said Robertson. “We thought that developing this particular fund would be a great way to celebrate the Millers and the legacy that they created in this community foundation coming to life, but also in celebrating the uniqueness of rural living.”
Grant applications are open from Feb. 2 until March 28 and those wishing to apply for a grant can find detailed information on the application process, eligibility criteria, and guidelines on the WCF website, by visiting www.westlockcommunityfoundation.ca/grants
The Westlock Community Foundation is committed to supporting the social, cultural, health, educational, and recreational needs of the community, and through grant programs and community partnerships, will strive to build a strong and vibrant community for generations.
