Council receives applications for 2024 Municipal Grant Fund 

Written By Paula Brown

Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Shelburne Town Council took a first look at the local organizations seeking funding from the 2024 Municipal Grant Fund. 

During a special meeting on Monday (Oct. 2), council received nine presentations from seven local organizations asking for a total of $34,000 in cash and $31,500 in-kind through the Municipal Grant Fund. 

G.E.T Outreachworks, a local organization focused on education and diversity, specifically through Black History Month, was the first to present its funding request to council. The group asked to receive $3,000 in cash to be used for event supplies, book club, summer camps, and improving the availability of cultural material. 

Haunt in the Park, which is gearing up to celebrate its 30th anniversary, asked to receive $20,000 in kind to hold the annual event at Fiddle Park. Organizers Carola and Jeremy Little said the municipal grant is “vital” to continuing the Halloween event. 

Pickin' in the Park, a country western festival that has been held at Fiddle Park for the last decade, requested $7,500 in kind from council to host the 11th annual event at Fiddle Park in July of 2024. 

The Shelburne and District Agricultural Society requested $1,000 to assist with the Shelburne Fall Fair, which has been a tradition in the community for over 155 years. The funding would be used for activities and prizes at the Fall Fair as well as junior fair displays and the ambassador program. 

Shelburne and District Horticultural Society requested $800 in cash to go towards maintaining entrance gardens, hosting their guest speaker series and purchasing plants, including trees, bulbs, material and mulch for community projects. 

The Rotary Club of Shelburne brought forward applications for three of their programs – the Backpack Project, Community Event, and Hamper Program. 

For the Backpack project, which provides local students with back-to-school supplies, the Rotary Club is seeking $2,500 in order to purchase items such as reusable water bottles, backpacks and lunchboxes for the over 100 students they support. 

When it comes to their annual summer community event, the Rotary Club is requesting $5,000 in cash and $4,000 in kind. The monies will go towards utilizing Fiddle Park and Grace Tipling Hall for the musical event they host in early August. 

The Shelburne Rotary also asked for $2,500 for the Hamper Program to purchase groceries or gift cards for the holiday season recipients. Michael Conte from the Rotary Club said the Hamper Program assists over 160 local families during the constraints of the holiday season.

Shelburne's local food bank, Shepherd's Cupboard, requested $20,000 in cash from the Municipal Grant Fund. According to Ardith Dunlop and Anthony Gagliardi, the Shelburne Food Bank has nearly 300 files for families and individuals, of which 20 per cent are seniors and 43 per cent are children. The Town of Shelburne makes up for 20 per cent of the food bank's customers, and nearly 8 per cent of Shelburne's population uses the food bank. The funding from the Municipal Grant Fund would be used for purchasing groceries and gift cards. 

This year, council has lowered the amount of funding available to be allocated to recipients from the 2024 budget to $38,000. 

“The only change that we've made this year is the amount that has been allocated for the 2024 budget. We've dropped that amount from $41,309 to $35,000 because of the drop in applications and the total amount of asks. That still gives the committee room to base their decisions and also a little bit of extra room for any other asks that may come up throughout the 2024 calendar year,” explained Carey Holmes, director of financial service. 

At the end of the presentation, Council appointed three councillors to a selection committee tasked with choosing which organizations will receive funding from the 2024 Municipal Grant and how much. 

Deputy Mayor Shane Hall and Councillors Kyle Fegan and Walter Benotto were appointed to the selection committee. 

The committee will return to council by Nov. 6 with their recommendations.