Handing out grants to community groups will be different this year, as cancellations, delays, and general uncertainty hangs over Langley Township non-profits due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Municipal grants help fund everything from dry grad events, to community festivals large and small, to scholarships.
Langley Township council was preparing to vote on handing out grants at the meeting scheduled for the afternoon of Monday, April 20.
But the deadline to apply for grants was Feb. 28 of this year – before the COVID-19 crisis had ramped up and weeks before physical distancing had begun in B.C.
A report to council says that some grant applications have been withdrawn entirely. Events have had to be cancelled due to the size or scale of them.
Other groups have been difficult to reach, though Township staff have been trying to reach out to them to find out if plans and projects have changed.
Some groups are facing funding shortfalls and a loss of revenue as they have had to shut down.
Staff have recommended still paying out grants to some groups to help them survive and continue providing services and events for local residents.
The report recommends funding some grants fully, others to 50 per cent with the remainder of the funding to follow, and for others, funding would be contingent on showing that events can actually go ahead, assuming there might be a loosening of social distancing regulations sometime later this year.
Council was set to consider the grants at its afternoon meeting on Monday, April 20.
