On Thursday November 14, 2019, the Community Foundation of Greater Peterborough announced an investment of $116,500 in grants to support the work of 26 local charities.
The investment supports projects that strengthen community connections. This granting focus has been informed by local community knowledge and through the Foundation’s Vital Signs® and Vital Conversations initiatives. The funding was announced during a reception at Peterborough Museum and Archives.
“We’re glad to be using the Vital Community Grants to support a range of initiatives that will strengthen the breadth of community connections in our area,” said Jennifer DeBues, Director of Operations and Granting at the Foundation. “Collectively, these initiatives will drive significant impact in our community by bringing people together and increasing participation in community life.”
Click here to read the story from the Peterborough Examiner.
Click here to view the PowerPoint presentation from November 14, 2019. This presentation outlines grant recipients and their funded projects.
Grants that bring people together and increase participation in community life:
- Ontario Turtle Conservation Centre – Connecting community through turtle and wetlands conservation.
- YMCA of Central East Ontario – Promoting inclusivity and building a connected and diverse community.
- Habitat for Humanity Peterborough & Kawartha Region – Supporting marginalized youth to build skills for career aspirations, confidence and leadership.
- New Canadians Centre – Inspiring and supporting newcomer adults and seniors to become more familiar with their new home.
- YWCA Peterborough Haliburton – Fostering a sense of belonging and enabling people to learn new things and make new friends.
- Kawartha Youth Orchestra – Music Foundations Ensemble: A Junior Kawartha Youth Orchestra Expansion Pilot Project
Grants that include those at risk of social isolation:
- Alzheimer Society of Peterborough, Kawartha Lakes, Northumberland & Haliburton – Empowering people living with dementia and their care partners to participate fully in our community.
- St. John’s Anglican Church – Supporting individuals from homelessness to housing; increasing community members’ wellness.
- Kawartha Sexual Assault Centre – Building leadership and resiliency skills for LGBTQ+ youth counsellors.
- The Elizabeth Fry Society of Peterborough – Strengthening community connections and reducing feelings of isolation for mothers who are criminalized.
- Farms At Work – Reducing geographical isolation, contributing to improved mental health and a sense of belonging.
Grants that nurture intergenerational connections:
- Fairhaven Foundation – Alleviating loneliness and bringing joy to Grand Friends (via infants, toddlers, parents, singing, moving, and playing).
- Peterborough Youth Services – Creating stronger family connections by helping parents and teens increase trust and mutual respect.
Grants that remove barriers to inclusion:
- ReFrame Film Festival – Decreasing financial and social barriers to participation, ensuring the festival remains a community event for all.
- Five Counties Children’s Centre – Supporting parents by giving children confidence to express their needs and wants, requests for help and desire to play with friends.
- Kawartha Komets Special Needs Hockey Program – Striving for inclusion by subsidizing registration and equipment costs.
- Second Harvest – Fostering community connections between businesses with surplus unsold food, and non-profits who can use this food.
- The Mount Community Centre – Reducing social isolation and strengthening community connections and participation by people with disabilities.
- Peterborough Public Health – Students creating relationships with inter-generational volunteers and fostering school community.
- Spinal Cord Injury Ontario – Providing multi-level support (information, navigation, emotional) for staying connected to community.
- Heads Up for Inclusion – For adults, increasing community connectedness, reducing social isolation and increasing quality of life.
Grants that work towards reconciliation between Indigenous & Non-Indigenous peoples:
- Camp Kawartha – Grounding programs in Indigenous understandings of stewardship, reciprocity and connectedness between humans and the environment (a partnership with TRACKS Youth Program)
- Trent University – Ensuring access to Indigenous knowledge and facilitating intergenerational relationships and trust building.
- The Canadian Canoe Museum – Building collaborative relations with knowledge holders from local Indigenous communities.
- Peterborough Folk Festival – Bringing awareness of Indigenous stories and life to the community of Peterborough and beyond.
- Peterborough Museum & Archives – Acknowledging the injustices of the Indian Residential School legacy and working toward continued healing and reconciliation.
These Vital Community Grants were made possible thanks to contributions from the following Donor Advised Funds:
- 2040 Fund
- BarM5 Fund
- Betty & Bill Morris Fund
- BG Family Fund
- Kamerin Fund
- Mayor Bennett Fund
- Moustache Fund
And from these Community and Field of Interest Funds:
- Arts & Culture Field of Interest Fund
- Directors’ Fund
- Hallpike Fund
- Housing Field of Interest Fund
- Jack & Pat Bingleman Fund
- Michael Edwards Memorial Fund
- Neighbourhood Innovation Fund
- Simon Says Fund
- Vital Community Fund