Community organizations receive over $364,000 in grant funding
Lethbridge, AB (December 20, 2021) — Today, the Community Foundation of Lethbridge and Southwestern Alberta is pleased to announce the recipients of grants awarded as the result of the fall call for applications to the Community Priorities Fund and the Henry S. Varley Fund for Rural Life. These grants will support 32 projects from organizations throughout Southwestern Alberta with over $364,000 in funding.
The Community Priorities Granting Program is awarding $269,300 to twenty-six projects. Funded by the endowment of the same name, this granting program is the Community Foundation’s oldest and largest, supporting charities and organizations that are working to address the needs of the day throughout Southwestern Alberta. As the Community Foundation’s granting programs are made possible entirely through donor support, individual fundholders also contribute significantly to these grants. Field of Interest Funds, established by donors to support a cause or area meaningful to them, provided over $13,000 to three projects. This fall’s disbursement brings the amount granted by this program in 2021 to over half a million dollars.
The Henry S. Varley Fund for Rural Life is awarding $95,300 to six projects, including one project that received additional support by a Field of Interest Fund. Established by a bequest from Pincher Creek-area rancher Bill Long and named in memory of his uncle, the Rural Life Granting Program funds projects and initiatives that enhance quality of life for residents of rural Southwestern Alberta. In 2021, applicants to this granting program received a total over $173,000.
“We received many great applications for diverse projects from across our region this fall, and we are proud to be able to support those projects with these grants,” said Community Foundation Executive Director, Charleen Davidson. “We acknowledge and thank our many donors for their generosity because our ability to fund these projects is due to their continued support. Together with our donors, we help build a vibrant Southwestern Alberta.”
These grants support important projects and initiatives aimed at improving quality of life throughout Southwestern Alberta, notably by improving accessibility, performing necessary renovations and repairs, enhancing spaces for safe community gathering, providing tools for improved learning opportunities, and increasing capacity for the delivery of social services, to name a few. Click here to view a list of grant recipients.
The Community Foundation expresses its gratitude to the Lethbridge Auto Dealers Association for generously supporting nine projects during this granting period with a total of $17,000.
