CFSEA's Josh Hudson addresses the crowd at the 2024 Founder's Day Picnic Spring Grant luncheon. Hudson is the chair of the Community Leadership Committee.--NEWS PHOTO RYAN DAHLMAN
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The Community Foundation of Southeast Alberta distributed more than $466,000 through all its granting initiatives this spring. Of that amount, almost $215,000 was given to 28 organizations through Community Grants. Community Grants are application-based and recipients are selected by a committee comprised of board and community members.
Many of the grants were given out to representatives of Medicine Hat and Redcliff organizations who were on hand Tuesday at Paradise Valley for the CFSEA’s Founder’s Day Luncheon.
Community Grants support southeast Alberta by enhancing belonging of all citizens and strengthening the nonprofit sector. Donors choose this fund as a way to allocate contributions to support the community’s greatest needs.
Grants are awarded based on potential impact, fund availability and alignment with the Vital Signs priority areas. The 2024 priorities are Connection and Belonging, Work and Economy, and Basic Needs including food, health and housing.
“We are so grateful to work alongside the Rural Advisory Committees in Brooks, Cypress County, the County of Forty Mile and Special Areas & MD of Acadia, to ensure the greatest needs in our communities are being supported. Thank you to our incredible group of volunteers who make up our grants committee,” explained Glenda Hawthorne, CFSEA grants committee chair in a prepared statement.
For Medicine Hat, the 13 recipients include the Women’s Shelter for new beds ($10,000), the Mustard Seed’s Foot Care Clinic ($14,212), Wellspring Alberta’s Cancer Connect Program ($15,000), Alzheimer Society of Alberta and N.W.T.’s Memory Kits project ($2,000), Salvation Army’s computer upgrades ($4,960), Medicine Hat Family Fun and Flight event ($5,000), Town of Redcliff Library Board’s furniture upgrades ($3,500), Medicine Hat SPCA’s Humane Education program ($5,200), Redcliff Legion’s electrical upgrades ($7,712), All Saints Anglican Church chair stair lift ($10,000), Sanare Centre’s group therapy program ($9,158), Medicine Hat Family YMCA’s Camp Jude ($25,000) and Shortgrass Library System’s assistive reading technology ($6,566).
For Cypress County, the two grants provided are for Prairie Rose School Division’s Ag Pro course ($7,500) and Prairie Gleaner’s new dehydrator ($10,000).
Community Grants awarded in Special Areas & the MD of Acadia include the Prairie Land School Division for Altario School, New Bridgen Community Association, Empress and District Historical Society, Oyen and District Historical Society, Oyen Minor Hockey and Sibbald Community Club, for a total of $42,767.
Grants awarded in Brooks and District include the Champion’s Centre, Brooks and District Museum, Bassano FCSS, Duchess Community Garden and Crossroads Clinic Association, for a total of $32,522.
The County of Forty Mile is receiving two grants, one for St. Michael’s Church and one for North 40 Mile Recreation Society, for a total of $3,776.
The next Community Grant cycle will open to applications in early August 2024, kicking off the grant cycle with a virtual workshop at noon on Aug. 8.
