During these past two years, we’ve recognized that having small amounts of funding readily accessible to disburse in a timely fashion became important to our work. Many charities started experiencing funding shortages for essential programs during the pandemic, especially those who saw an increased number of clients walking through their doors. Due to this need the Community Foundation decided to shift the way we grant and have begun offering micro grants; smaller grants disbursed quickly, supporting organizations to remain operational in a pinch.
In 2021 we issued 3 grants to the following organizations:
ELDERS CARING SHELTER
$2,500 for two months support of their utility bills. Due to Covid regulations, the shelter had to restrict tenant capacity and in turn lost funding to pay their basic bills. With a bit of support they were able to keep the residents safe and their basic needs met until they were able to open at full capacity.
GRANDE PRAIRIE FRIENDSHIP CENTRE
$500 for food for the Mamewpitaw Program. Mamewpitaw is a Cree word meaning “Family Gathers Together Again”. Mamewpitaw is an intervention program for families at risk or families who desire reunification. It works with the traditional teaching of the Aboriginal Medicine Wheel that tells us people are made up of four parts: spirit, emotion, mind and body.
Through these four components, a person can see, feel, know, and do.
GOLDEN AGE CENTRE
$500 for Personal Protective Equipment. Part of what makes our Foundation great is that we are constantly connecting with our donors and grantees. During one of these conversations with the Golden Age Centre, it became clear that they were struggling to afford all the PPE to continue to make the centre a safe place for seniors to visit. We were able to provide prompt funding to make this accessible.
