Funding can be a tough go for community organizations but sometimes the news can be good.
Two Sudbury organizations, sharing the same premises on Larch Street, reThink Green and Eat Local Sudbury Co-operative, breathed a sigh of relief March 22 when they both received the top Ontario Trillium Foundation grants this last round. ReThink Green (formerly the Greater Sudbury Environment Network) was granted $149,000 over the next two years to help develop a social enterprise that helps community organizations and youthful entrepreneurs be more self-reliant.
“We are both thrilled and appreciative of the ongoing support from the provincial government and the Ontario Trillium Foundation for supporting our vision and the strategic approach we are taking to addressing sustainability in Greater Sudbury,” James Morin, executive director rethink Green, said.
Eat Local Sudbury, a local organic and local food retailer took second place in the granting sweepstakes with a $123,000 cheque over the next three years to incorporate local foods into the Good Food Box program in secondary schools.
“The Local Food for All Project will assist the development of new and existing farmers while ensuring everyone has access to healthy and sustainable local food,” Peggy Baillie, managing director of Eat Local Sudbury, said. “The Ontario Trillium Foundation’s support will help ensure that this project will be successful in growing a robust regional food system for generations to come,” she added.
In all, seven local not-for-profit organizations, added $632,000 to their budgets, according to Sudbury MPP Rick Bartolucci, who was on hand for the announcements.
“Our government has always been committed to strengthening local services in Sudbury, and through the Ontario Trillium Foundation, has been successful in enhancing the lives of many people in our community,” Bartolucci said.
Other organizations receiving funding included:
-$115,000 for Myths and Mirrors to hire an administrative director
-$110,000 for the Salon du Livre du Grand Sudbury to support the position of a development and communications coordinator and to purchase equipment and marketing material
-$50,000 for the St. Joseph’s Health Centre to help fund the implementation of a music therapy program for older adults
-$46,800 towards the operations of the Northern Artist Gallery and to promote Artists on Elgin
-$37,500 for the Sudbury Theatre Centre towards the production ‘Black Dog: 4 vs the World’
In the case of Artists on Elgin, the cooperative artists gallery and retail store is able to keep on the current intern they have on staff thanks to the Trillium support because normally funding for interns is for one year only. That makes it difficult to retain quality staff. For rethink Green, the support is vital to keeping the organization’s networking alive and serving the variety of environmental organizations that use its premises to meet, for developing their ngo sustainability support and for the continuation their annual earth Day programming in late May. A new emphasis on helping youth to start green businesses will also be helped by the funding.
Bill Bradley is a local writer and journalist. To keep abreast of his activities visit www.northernpecan.ca .
