NCF invests over $207,000 into Niagara charities through fall grant programs.
DECEMBER 15, 2022- The second and final installment of Niagara Community Foundation (NCF) grants has been released, investing over $207,000 into Niagara charities. The charitable sector continues to experience pressure from all sides as they navigate the impacts of the pandemic and NCF is helping to connect communities with resources through its Community and Mini grant programs.
NCF’s Community Grant program is the foundation’s most flexible grant program, offering supports for a wide variety of projects. The Mini Grant program provides quick and responsive funding to one-off events or small projects. This fall, through both funding streams, NCF is proud to fund projects that have tangible impact, like supporting Meals on Wheels in Port Colborne, to capital projects like installing a new roof at Horse Cents for Kids in Fenwick. Investments in the arts and culture sector, school boards and mental health supports, round out this year’s funding allotment.
For the full listing of grants received, please see the attached document.
- Fifteen Community Grants, totaling $198,885;
- Including five grants from the Niagara Casinos Endowment Fund totaling $36,739, supporting emergency food services and educational programming.
- Twelve Mini Grants, totaling $8,800
“Seeing the variety of this year’s projects is an inspiration,” says Bryan Rose, NCF’s Executive Director. “Niagara’s charities are working hard to meet the changing needs of Niagara. We saw this demonstrated within the applications this year, and continue to be amazed at how our charity partners continue to adapt to the shifting landscape of the sector.”
NCF opened applications for the 2023 Environmental Grant program earlier this month. Charities and qualified donees are invited to apply before Monday, February 13th at noon. This granting round will be the first of six grant programs for 2023. For a listing of all application deadlines, please visit NCF’s website. www.niagaracommunityfoundation.org/charities/#grant
Established in 2000, Niagara Community Foundation has raised over $76 million and has granted in excess of $20 million to charities working in the arts, heritage, environment, social services, health, education and community development sectors. NCF connects donor to causes and communities to resources, turning intent into impact.
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COMMUNITY GRANTS
| ORGANIZATION | APPROVED | DESCRIPTION |
| Attachment and Trauma Treatment Centre of Healing (ATTCH) Niagara | $15,000 | Collect and process client standardized assessment data, client and community feedback to demonstrate the efficacy of trauma model and prepare presentation for agencies with mandate to fund mental health treatment. |
| Avanti Chamber Singers | $5,500 | Support the performance of choral work “Considering Matthew Shepard” in April 2023 for the general public focusing on themes of social justice and inclusion. |
| Community Support Services of Niagara | $15,000* | Support the Age-Friendly Niagara Council (AFNC) business plan which focuses on AFNC’s priority of achieving sustainability. |
| Design For A New Tomorrow | $10,365 | Connecting with domestic violence offenders shortly after their referral in order to provide support and create engagement and once completed Partner Assault Response (PAR) Program, supporting offenders/participants in living violence free lives. |
| Gillian’s Place | $6,000 | Invest in front-line staff by providing them with the Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST). |
| Holy Trinity Church | $7,500 | Support monthly Food and Hygiene Program. |
| Horse Cents for Kids | $15,000 | Install new roof on the Horse Discovery Centre. |
| Lincoln Public Library | $5,215 | Expand the Makerspace program by adding a new 3D printer and engage more youth in Lincoln and Pelham in STEM technology. |
| Links for Greener Learning | $7,800* | Support delivery of educational workshops at greenhouse to create awareness about food insecurity in the Niagara region and provide residents with knowledge and skills to grow their own food |
| Meals on Wheels Port Colborne | $8,625* | Support Safe at Home services, specifically, to low-income seniors who would have chosen to opt out of receiving services due to financial hardships. |
| Niagara Catholic District School Board | $15,000 | Support Recess Project which is about reimagining and redesigning outdoor playspaces through schoolyard renovations at Niagara Catholic with the goal to support student well-being by enhancing recess experiences for all students. |
| Niagara Falls Art Gallery | $10,000 | Increase accessibility to renown Kurelek archival materials by providing ingallery ipad and website access to the archival materials for public and researchers. |
| Niagara Pumphouse Visual Arts Centre | $15,000 | Hire a Program Coordinator to rebuild live and virtual art programs (as guidelines allow) and recruit experienced instructors to revitalize programming devastated by COVID. |
| Niagara Region Emergency Management | $4,000* | Expand the capacity of Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) by providing in house first aid/CPR training and disaster preparedness materials for vulnerable populations. |
| Project S.H.A.R.E. of Niagara Falls Inc. | $9,000 | Increase capacity to meet the increasing need for our services with necessary IT equipment, and furniture for additional program and meeting space. |
| St Catharines Public Library | $9,920 | Develop a Gamerspace featuring powerful computers and technologies that will foster social, recreational and educational collaboration within the community, while promoting digital literacy. |
| Start2Finish | $12,000* | Support LIT Project that will give Indigenous children in Niagara consistant access to books/literacy enrichment oopportunities through an innovative “book vending machine” filled with Indigenous books, and through culturally-relevant after-school programming |
| Suitcase in Point Theatre Company | $7,500 | In partnership with Future Black Female, deliver a creative workshop series to young Black Women in Niagara, to provide arts-based learning and promote positive mental health. |
| Thorold Public Library | $12,800 | Digitize Thorold’s rich local history in order to make it accessible on one website for equal and easy community access. |
| Yellow Door Theatre Project | $7,660 | Provide training, mentorship and work opportunities for youth exploring careers as Theatre Technicians to increase capacity of our performing arts programs to benefit family and youth in our region. |
| TOTAL | $198,885 |
MINI GRANTS
| ORGANIZATION | APPROVED | DESCRIPTION |
| Centre de santé communautaire Hamilton/Niagara | $750 | Purchasing BBQ and equipment to be used in activities outside our physical address to help with accessibility, promotion of diversity + inclusiveness by allowing more people to attend events. |
| City of Port Colborne | $750 | Market and promote the newly formed Winter Wonderland – Bring on the Magic, to attract more visitors to downtown Port Colborne and the Main Street district. |
| Grimsby Auxiliary Marine Rescue Unit (GAMRU South Shore Search and Rescue | $750 | Replace Search And Rescue Mannequin to be used in volunteer training. |
| I CAN Therapeutic Equestrian Riding Association of Niagara Inc. | $750 | Revise and print marketing materials for program and services offered. |
| Royal Canadian Legion Branch 230 | $750 | Purchase technology and activity equipment to entice seniors to socialize and exercise in low-cost weekly activities. |
| Start Me Up Niagara (SMUN) | $750 | Fund Uhaul rentals for 13 events held in in partnership with SMUN and the Niagara’s Mobile Closet’s goal is to mobilize 50 free shopping events across the Niagara serving low income and homeless residents. |
| The Welland Historical Museum | $750 | Replace and update materials of the First Nations, Métis, and Inuit kits that are available for schools within Niagara to borrow to allow teachers to indigenize learning in all subjects for grades 3 and 5. |
| Town of Lincoln – Museum & Cultural Centre | $750 | Install wheelchair accessible ramp to schoolhouse to enable children and adults facing physical challenges to enjoy the museum’s unique and enriching programming. |
| Town of Lincoln Concert Band | $750 | Market and promote the band with the additional focus of band recruitment. |
| Welland Public Library | $630 | Purchase books and reading equipment for the free Reading Buddies program that provides a fun and engaging learning environment by pairing trained teen volunteers with children to foster their literacy development. |
| West Lincoln Public Library | $750 | In collaboration with other Niagara Public Libraries, host Canadian author Ivan E. Coyote for the One Book, One Niagara event. |
| YWCA Niagara Region | $750 | Purchase and implement the use of walkie talkies in all shelters to help departments connect with each other in an efficient manner for daily use and in case of emergency. |
| TOTAL | $8,880 |
©2022 Niagara Community Foundation. All Rights Reserved.Charitable Registration Number: 867105322RR0001
