The Victoria Foundation announced the recipients of $280,000 in community grants Wednesday.
A total of 11 local organizations will receive funds between $10,000- $100,000 towards goods and services with social, cultural, or environmental purposes.
Funding is provided for the grants through the federal government’s Investment Readiness Program (IRP) and distributed locally through a partnership with Community Foundations of Canada and the Victoria Foundation.
The full list of recipients includes:
- Canadian Mental Health Association Port Alberni – $25,000
- Habitat for Humanity Victoria – $30,000
- Galiano Conservancy Association – $18,000
- Victoria Native Friendship Centre – $25,000
- HeroWork – $30,000
- Westcoast Community Resources Society – $30,000
- Habitat Acquisition Trust – $25,000
- The Mustard Seed Street Church – $24,500
- Scale Collaborative – $30,000
- Unbuilders Deconstruction – $30,000
- INEO Employment Counselling Inc. – $12,500
The Victoria Foundation says that grants will support projects such as supporting affordable housing, natural habitat protection, Indigenous entrepreneurship and waste reduction and recycling.
Unbuilders Deconstruction, for instance, salvages heritage lumber from deconstruction that would otherwise go to the landfill. Their founder, Adam Corneil, says the funding will expand their service to Vancouver Island.
“We want to ensure building owners on the Island a better way to remove an old building and divert that waste,” said Corneil in a statement.
Applications for a second and final round of funding for the IRP program will be accepted from September 8 to October 9.
Information on eligible organizations and applications can be found on the national IRP website.
