$2.4 million in OTF grants for eastern Ontario

The Ontario Trillium Foundation (OTF) announced the awarding of $2.47 million in community grants to 51 not-for-profit and charitable organizations in eastern Ontario's Champlain region on Tuesday, July 27.

The grants were ratified by the foundation's board of directors on June 28, while applications for the grants would have been submitted before the March 1 deadline. Grants are awarded three times per year.

The process of sending out the funding has "in theory" already begun, according to Renée Ouellet, a senior communications officer with the OTF.

"When we approve a grant, we send [the organization] a letter of agreement, and it is up to them to determine the arrangements to receive it," she said.

Letters of agreement - which form a contract between the OTF and the grantee - include the amount granted, conditions attached to the grant, reporting requirements, and payment schedules. Once it has been signed and returned, funds are released.

Asked how the grant approval process is done, she replied: "There is always a local committee from the region that examines the applications. The decisions are made by local people that know the region very well... I think it's important for people to know that."

In Champlain, the grant review team has 19 members, headed by chairperson Gérald Samson, who added, "This is an exciting time for community organizations, as they try new ways of working together and partnering to change their communities for the better."

The Vankleek Hill Farmers' Market will receive $7,300 over one year to provide outdoor shelters for the farmers' market by purchasing canopies, and help improve a gathering place that in turn promotes locally produced foods, arts and crafts.

The Township of East Hawkesbury will receive $30,000 over one year to renovate a gathering space in Ste-Anne-de-Prescott, which will improve community-based structured and unstructured physical activity for the general population in this rural area.

$24,000 will be awarded to the L'Orignal Old Jail, over one year, to enhance the use of the Old Jail courtyard as a performing arts venue. Funds will be used to purchase a mobile stage, lighting and sound equipment, as well as tables, chairs and a tent to accommodate artists and spectators from the community of L'Orignal and surrounding areas.

The Chevaliers de Colomb, Conseil de l'Ascension 9952, will be granted $14,600 over six months for seven sets of mobile soccer goals for use by the 480 players, aged five to 17, of Le club soccer Pro17 in Hawkesbury and Alfred-Plantagenet.

Fraternité (Alexandria) Inc. will receive $47,000 over one year to improve access to the building by replacing the ramp to the front entrance, and to ensure the building remains operational by replacing the leaking roof.

The South Nation River Conservation Authority, as the lead organization on a collaborative effort, will be granted $100,000 over two years to develop the Private Woodlot Advisory Program, with the goal of promoting the sustainable management of existing forest cover and the establishment of additional forest cover in Stormont, Dundas & Glengarry, Prescott-Russell, and Ottawa. In addition to the forest cover, the collaborative will improve the overall health, diversity and productivity of the forest to ensure the local forest-based economy remains strong.

$14,900 will be granted to the Brave-Hearts Riding Club, over one year, to increase the organization's capacity to deliver therapeutic horseback riding lessons to children with special needs by purchasing a round pen, composting toilet, shelter and fencing. The organization is located in Apple Hill and serves the communities within Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry.

The Club Powers in Rockland will receive $18,000 over one year to purchase and install a fire alarm, which will ensure the continued availability of this popular community space.

L'Amalgame des arts de la langue française et du théâtre will receive $10,400 over one year to purchase equipment that will build the capacity of the organization to enhance and expand programs in Cornwall and area including theatre, improvisation, reading and writing sessions.

The Réseau de développement économique et d'employabilité will be granted $64,200 over two years to stem the regional exodus of youth and to facilitate the settlement of post-secondary graduates in rural areas by developing the Place aux jeunes/Make Way for Youth program in Stormont, Dundas & Glengarry.

$30,000 will be granted to the Township of North Stormont over one year to increase revenue-generating opportunities through advertising by purchasing a rink board system and laminate coverings for the newly-constructed covered outdoor rink in Moose Creek. The grant will enhance this community-based space and promote physical activity for people of all ages and abilities.

$157,600 will be granted to the Tucker House Renewal Centre over three years to create a more environmentally-friendly and sustainable building by completing green retrofits, and to share the learning with the community by developing and delivering on-site sustainability tours and workshops for organizations, businesses, schools and residents in Prescott-Russell and Ottawa.