Foundation awards grants
The Community Foundation of P.E.I. has awarded $54,500 in funding to five social purpose organizations across the province, as part of the government of Canada’s Investment Readiness Program (IRP).
The foundation received a high volume of applications for the highly competitive program, with the following project selected:
• $17,100 to the Cooking Fire Theatre Festival, a registered charity, to conduct research and community consultations for improving the accessibility of the River Clyde Pageant for the audience/participants and to create tailored arts and food programming for newcomer and refugee families on P.E.I.;
• $ 12,900 to the P.E.I. Cultural Human Resources Sector Council, a not-for-profit organization, to analyze potential social enterprise opportunities within Creative P.E.I.'s Creative Hub facility to generate sustainable revenue to provide affordable space and programming for youth, low-income and marginalized artists in P.E.I.;
• $ 11,500 to the Stars for Life Foundation Inc., a registered charity to create an information guide explaining how to access services for adults seeking an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) diagnosis and how to navigate the system of services once diagnosed;
• $ 10,000 to the Community Seniors Co-operative Ltd., a not-for-profit cooperative, to assist with the development and operation of a 40-unit community care home in O'Leary for seniors and adults challenged with activities of daily living;
• $3,000 to fund the Abegweit First Nation to further develop their Epekwitk Gardens and Preserves operation, which grows fresh produce for use by the community and for sale and trains Indigenous youth in sustainable agricultural practices. This project also received $10,000 in funding support from the Ulnooweg Indigenous Communities Foundations for a total of $13,000 funding through the IRP.
“As Canada enters a period of pandemic recovery, it’s crucial we invest in organizations who are helping us think and do things differently,” says Andrew Chunilall, CEO of Community Foundations of Canada, a national partner in the Investment Readiness Program.
“We don’t want to go back to the status quo. We want to build back better and create more resilient, sustainable and inclusive communities, where economic opportunities are fair and the benefits of wealth are shared.”
Business isn’t just about the bottom line,” says Jonathan Ross, CFPEI president. It can be a source for good and a catalyst for social and environmental change in communities across Canada.
The second round of IRP funding in Prince Edward Island starts on Sept. 8.
“It’s another opportunity for local organizations to play an active role in rebuilding more resilient and inclusive communities,” says Ross.
More information about eligibility, and how to apply for this assistance is at https://www.communityfoundations. ca/initiatives/the-investmentreadiness-fund/,https://cfpei.ca/ or by contacting Cathy McPhail, CFPEI IRP co-ordinator, cmcphail@cfpei.ca.