Is your charitable organization planning an exciting project that would really benefit this community? The Osprey Community Foundation invites community groups to submit applications for its 2011 community grants.
Grant application forms, guidelines and tips are now online at ospreycommunityfoundation.ca. The deadline for applications is April 29.
This year about $20,000 is available for distribution. Grant applicants must have a Canada Revenue Agency charitable tax number or be sponsored by an organization with a charitable tax number.
In addition, BC Festival of the Arts Legacy Fund grants are available to local artists, preferably young or emerging artists, to create or perform a work of art. Each year a different arts discipline is chosen for this grant; this year it will target theatre arts projects.
Money for these grants is generated by the Osprey Community Foundation’s endowment funds. Last year’s grants helped the Nelson Nordic Club build a new maintenance shed, purchased two sewing machines for the Nelson and District Women’s Society reclaimed textile project, supported the Capitol Theatre’s summer youth program, and provided a bursary for a child who otherwise couldn’t afford to attend a wilderness tipi camp.
Grants helped put on Cyber Seniors classes to help older folks learn computer skills and stay connected, contributed to a local fund that provides emergency treatment for disadvantaged residents, and supported arts groups, animal welfare programs, social services, recreation, environmental projects... and more.
Earnings from the foundation’s endowment funds also support scholarships, bursaries, and a range of designated funds that local donors have established to support charitable causes in the Nelson area.
In total, through its various channels, the Osprey Community Fund expects to distribute $200,000 to the community in 2011. That brings its total community distribution to three-quarters of a million dollars over the decade since a small group of local citizens fulfilled their dream of establishing a local community foundation.
All donations to the foundation are pooled and invested in an endowment funds with only the interest being used for grants. The invested capital becomes a community nest egg that will support worthwhile community causes in perpetuity.
For more information, see ospreycommunityfoundation.ca or call 250-352-3643.