By David F. Rooney
Hundreds of people from local non-profit groups attended the Columbia Basin Trust’s annual Affected Areas and Community Initiatives Program hoping for funding for their particular projects.
Representatives from groups ranging from the city’s various museums and cultural societies to Community Connections, environmental organizations and youth sports groups, and others each made 2.5-minute pitches for support.
There originally were 50 projects up for consideration, but a proposal by the Climbing Coop (Item No. 46 on the master list below) was dropped at the last minute. The total budget for these projects amounted to $1.8 million and the total amount of money requested was $727,044.
The amount of money available was $339,519.
Different communities have different ways of determining who should get what. In some places it’s up to the town or village council. Here in Revelstoke, members from all of the groups vying for funding are encouraged to attend the hours-long evening. They listen to the descriptions of the projects then, at the end of the evening they are given forms that allow them to pick their top 10 choices for funding.
There is also a group of five evaluators who, behind closed doors, dissect the different projects and then, guided in part by the public’s 10 choices, they determine who gets how much. This year’s evaluators are Linda Chell, Gary Starling, Fraser Blythe, Cindy Maloney and Janet Lemieux.
The final decision on this funding will be officially made public by City Council, likely by the end of March.
Please click here to view page one of this year’s list.
Please click here to view page two of this year’s list.
