>>> Island Health seeks proposals for wellness grants

Applications are being accepted from people and communities on Vancouver Island for grants of up to $12,000 from Island Health’s Community Wellness Grants.

The focus this year is on community resilience, with projects aimed at promoting a connected, diverse, safe, active and nourished community.

The maximum individual grant is $12,000 per project. A partnership grant — a collaboration among a minimum of three organizations — is eligible for up to $50,000 per project.

The grant pool is up to $800,000.

This is the seventh year of the grants, which enable not-for-profit organizations, local government organizations, and Indigenous Nations and organizations to apply for one-time funding for community-led wellness projects that reduce barriers and increase supports.

“The Community Wellness Grant Program is highlighting community resilience again this year, which is a key priority for Island Health,” said Dr. Réka Gustafson, vice-president population health and chief medical health officer. “These grants provide an opportunity for local organizations to improve the social determinants of health in their communities in creative and community-specific ways.”

Projects that received funding in 2023 included an Indigenous lifeguard training program run by the Strathcona Regional District in collaboration with the We Wai Kai and Nuchatlaht Nations; a discussion and education series on the environmental impacts of wood burning led by the Thetis Island Community Association; and an intergenerational food security learning program for children run by the LifeCycles Project Society in Victoria.

• For more information and to apply, go to communitygrants.islandhealth.ca.