City grants program sees 79% increase in funding asks

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Need for community grants has never been higher, says the chair of the city’s grants committee.

Saint John council approved $214,000 in grants Monday as part of the 2024 Community Grants Program. Lori Lambert, chair of the six-person grants committee, told council the amount of requests, which totalled $682,000, was 79 per cent higher than last year.

“This is the highest number I can remember in the years I’ve been involved, since 2015,” Lambert told Brunswick News. “It was almost surprising to see so many applicants coming to the grant program.”

The program, in its ninth year, brought together a number of previous grants, including facility assistance for community centres, into one funding envelope. It goes to fund groups in Saint John whose work benefits the community, including support for diversity, equality and inclusiveness, services for residents living in poverty, arts, music and entertainment, resources for newcomers and educational opportunities, according to council documents.

“We consider this pool of applicants to be a part of the extension of services we serve at the city,” Lambert said. “For us to be able to support them, they’re really helping us 100-fold.”

Lambert said the city’s grants cover events and projects as well as organizational support, which is much harder to find for non-profits, she said. A grant can cover up to 30 per cent of an organization’s budget.

“There are very few opportunities for the non-profit sector to get grant funding that relates to their operational needs,” she said, saying many grants value new projects. “This gives a bit of sustainability and seed funding to organizations so they know they can keep the hinges on the door at the very least.”

When asked if economic pressures played a part, Lambert said “certainly, the present economy doesn’t allow for large pocketbooks … or sponsorships.” She said a lot of organizations relied on pandemic relief funding that now ran dry, despite many organizations still feeling the effects.

Lynn MacDonald, executive director of Bee Mee Kidz, said the group was very appreciative to receive funding, saying that groups are facing cost pressures as well as economic pressures on donors.

“In the context of fundraising for us, it’s essential to secure resources needed to do what we do and sustain and expand our efforts,” she said, adding that “every penny is well-used towards programming.”

The non-profit, which received the largest grant at $15,000, partners with the Anglophone School District-South at four centres, two in Saint John, to “empower children and families” by helping reinforce resilience, well being and positive relationships in children, MacDonald said. She said the money would help go toward program delivery.

Applications are received by a six-person committee, which includes councillors Greg Stewart and Barry Ogden, community members Amit Tamrakar and Graeme Stewart Robertson, as well as staff members Kay Kanyandula and Lambert. They are evaluated on a scoring matrix that considers the group’s responsibility, organizational strengths and impacts, Lambert said, as well as how they align with council’s priorities, which are a set of five categories – Grow, Green, Belong, Move, and Perform – decided through public engagement and strategic plans, according to the city’s website.

The city received 47 requests and handed out money to 34 organizations, including nine groups that received more than $10,000 or more, six groups receiving $3,000 or less, with the lowest grant at $1,000 for the Portland United Church’s concert series. Lambert said that includes some repeat recipients as well as some newer applicants, some of which are serving cultural needs.

“It’s great to see that some of these newer cultural organizations are now established and are applying for grants,” she said.

Outflow Ministry, Inc. received a $12,000 grant, and Chroma NB, Elizabeth Fry NB, First Steps Housing Project, the Saint John Human Development Council and Inclusion NB were among those receiving $10,000.

She said the selection process was “very difficult,” and said the committee made a “great deal of consideration determining need and capacity to leverage funding.”

Organizations that didn’t get grants were also doing great work, she said, but some had been in greater need in the past and had now grown. Eleven applicants were not successful, including the Area 506 Festival and Lily Lake Pavilion, according to documents. Three were referred to other grants that were more applicable, the documents said.

“I came away really satisfied with the work of the committee,” Lambert said. “A lot of thought and consideration goes into it from all six of us … and we all walk away satisfied from us that we put our best foot forward.”

The mayor praised the committee’s work, saying Lambert had done a “great job” and the committee’s job wasn’t easy.

“It’s so tough, especially when you have three times the amount of asks as the money to spend,” Donna Reardon told council. “All the applicants are fantastic, but it’s tough.”

Coun. Brent Harris declared a conflict of interest and stepped out of the room for the presentation and vote because he is the founder of the Saint John Tool Library, which received $8,000 in a joint application with the John Howard Society.

Also approved at the meeting was the draft policy around council grants, which are separate funds of $1,500 per councillor that can go to small projects or community groups.

Deputy Mayor John MacKenzie suggested a friendly amendment to remove the minimum of $500 per grant, suggesting instead that councillors be limited to three grants apiece, which was accepted and passed.