Community Grants provide funding to individuals and community groups serving Aurora

November 30, 2023 · 0 Comments

If you’re an individual or organization serving Aurora and looking for some money to make the magic happen, consider applying for a Community Partnership Grant.

An initiative of the Town of Aurora, applications for the latest round of funding will be accepted through Friday and will be awarded to lucky recipients with a helping hand to “assist in the implementation of culture- or recreation-based initiatives and to help them build capacity, further their mandate/mission, benefit the community, and support the Town’s vision and/or strategic plan.”

Applicants’ initiatives must support at least one pillar of Aurora’s Strategic Plan – Community, Environment, Economy – and be in alignment with the municipal Inclusion Charter.

While applications for funding requests up to $500 are entertained year-round, this week’s deadline applies for individuals or groups looking for $500 – $10,000.

“Back in April, Council approved the creation of a new grant program to support recreation and culture organizations, as well as individuals who serve Aurora,” says Nichole Campsall of the Town of Aurora. “That grant is a merger of the previous Recreation & Culture grants and the Sponsorship of Community Events program. We launched our first intake in June of this past year and then we did our second one in September and it has been so successful. There was a lot of interest and we had a lot of calls from different organizations with questions. It has been a great process so far.

“It is really all about supporting the Aurora community, providing them with recreation and culture-type of activities. We have seen a variety (of applications) from the Aurora Farmers’ Market to Shadowpath Theatre, the Pinetree Potters Guild, and Girls Inc. It’s not one particular kind of sport or type of arts, it’s really supporting the community in multiple different ways – community events that Aurorans will benefit from, whatever it might be – whether it is social, learning unique skills, or just getting together.”

Prior to the new process, the maximum grant an individual or organization could receive was $1,000. This new method has widened the playing field that could yield much a much greater potential for Aurora, she adds.

“You can be an individual, you can be an organization, and we’re encouraging [the community] to take a look at the application,” says Campsall. “If you have questions, we’re here top help and it has been really rewarding to hear what the community has been up to and see the community can support these amazing ideas. There are so many people in Aurora who are looking to provide something – whether it is to get people socializing, active, that is what the money is here for. There is nothing to lose, the money is here and it is to support the Aurora community.”

To see if the Aurora Community Partnership Grants program might be right for you and/or your organization, visit aurora.ca/communitygrants or email the Community Partnership Grants team at grants@aurora.ca.

By Brock Weir
Editor
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter