Activation Grant recipients named
Nearly $75,000 has been approved to support several events in the first intake of the Re-Imagine Downtown Activation Grant.
Originating in 2021 through the Heart of Our City Committee (HOCC), the grant focuses on activating vacant and underutilized private and public spaces. It aims to support businesses, entrepreneurs, organizations and communityminded individuals in implementing initiatives, events and programs.
Total funding available for the ReImagine Downtown Activation Grant this year is $120,000. Up to $80,000 was made available in the first intake.
New for 2024 is a particular focus on activating Galt Gardens Park. Events held in the park are eligible for up to $15,000 per initiative, and events outside of Galt Gardens can qualify for up to $10,000 per initiative.
Twenty applications were received by the City in the first uptake with funding requests totaling more than $220,000. Through the evaluative process, the review panel prioritized grant funding based on the criteria identified in the application package.
Elven projects are receiving partial or full funding. They include:
• Foodie Fest (Downtown BRZ): a free, week-long event that includes food trucks stationed around Galt Gardens, downtown restaurants offering free samples at their brick-and-mortar locations and a Latin America Street Party on 6 Avenue South.
• Medicine Within-Campfire Conversations (Honouring Traditions and Reconciliation): free monthly events in Galt Gardens, open to people from all walks of life. Events include campfires, traditional drumming and Elder teachings.
• Pride Fest (Lethbridge Pride Fest Society): the annual Pride Parade on Saturday, June 29 moves into Pride in the Park, a family-friendly event in Galt Gardens featuring southern Alberta entertainers from diverse backgrounds.
• Hootenanny (New West Theatre): a free outdoor play session for children and families that takes place in Galt Gardens through the month of July.
• For The Love of Lethbridge (Team Seabound): an art festival event featuring a grand look at the range of works created by artists from Lethbridge and surrounding area. This will include screenings at CASA and Galt Gardens, live performances at Galt Gardens and an interactive ‘Art in the Park’.
• Cultural Mosaic Music Festival (The Lethbridge Jazz Society): this event in Galt Gardens showcases a diverse range of cultural sounds. It’s a family-friendly celebration with activities tailored for kids and a permitted beer tent for adults.
• 2024 Multicultural Spring Equinox Celebration (Sweet Grass Youth Alliance): this event at Galt Gardens will incorporate different cultural traditions and exhibit multiple ways of celebrating the spring equinox. Attendees can participate in activities such as egg painting, face painting, dancing, singing and drumming.
• Downtown Yoga (Family Ties Association): free trauma-informed and inclusive yoga classes in Galt Gardens every Wednesday from April – June.
• Shakespeare in the Park (Lethbridge Shakespeare Performance Society): the Lethbridge Shakespeare Performance Society returns to Galt Gardens, Festival Square and the CASA outdoor plaza in July and August with William Shakespeare’s “Twelfth Night.”
• Doors Open 2024 (Lethbridge Historical Society): walking tours in the downtown that will lead to and explore different buildings of historic significance.
• Go Skateboarding Day (Boarderline): coinciding with National Indigenous People’s Day on June 21, the event celebrates the sport by featuring local indigenous speakers and performers, free skateboard lessons and top-level skateboarder demonstrations.
The second intake runs from April
15 – May 15, 2024 with events awarded in June.
Applicants who were not successful, or received less funding than anticipated in the first intake, may be interested in learning more about the Community Event Support Grant. While this grant can’t be stacked with the Re-Imagine Grant, it may be an alternative and larger funding source for events, says the City.
More information about the Re-Imagine Downtown Activation Grant, as well as other support grants and incentives, can be found on the City’s website.