Local community groups will be able to get a few more bucks for their projects, after council decided to help establish a neighbourhood small grants program on Monday night (June 18).
The program will be a partnership between the city and the Delta Foundation, which provides financial support to Delta charities, and will create a fund for small community projects. (The Delta Foundation is in turn partnering with the Vancouver Foundation, a similar and much larger organization.)
The goal is to provide community groups with up to $500 to support neighbourhood projects that will build a sense of belonging and responsibility. These include things like cul-de-sac parties, clothing swaps, invasive species removals and multicultural community kitchens.
There will be $10,000 available in the first year of the program, with $5,000 coming from the Delta Foundation and a matching amount from the Vancouver Foundation. The city will distribute the funds to community groups.
Council voted to contribute $5,000 to the fund in the second year of the program, provided the first year goes well. Coupled with the matching amount from the Vancouver Foundation, that would bring the program’s funding up to $20,000.
“This is a very cool thing,” Counc. Bruce McDonald said during council on Monday. He noted it would be an expansion of some of the projects already supported by the city, and eventually would allow more small groups to move little projects forward.
“I really think this is a wonderful idea,” he continued.
The report to council didn’t include a specific timeline for when the grant would move forward, as it is still in the early stages.
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