A number of community groups will be receiving funding from the City of Airdrie in the new year to continue providing opportunities for “social connectedness and inclusion,” according to Kim Harris, community developer with Civic Partnerships.
At a regular meeting Nov. 18, council approved the 2020 Community Investment Funds (CIF) allocation for a total of $44,500, meeting the requests of various local organizations for grant dollars to support events like the Airdrie Festival of Lights, the Airdrie Food Bank’s Empty Bowls Arts Festival, Volunteer Airdrie’s Viva Mexico Festival, the Boys and Girls Club of Airdrie’s annual AIRSCARES and more.
“The intent of the CIF policy was to establish a set of guiding principles to facilitate strong partnerships between council and community not-for-profit organizations in nurturing, enhancing and celebrating Airdrie’s artistic, cultural and recreational attributes,” Harris said, noting all funds are provided on a 50/50 matching basis.
A thorough review of the current CIF policy, application and guidelines is underway, she added, and said this process is expected to continue into 2020. According to Harris, the program will be changing in 2021 to “rectify the challenges that both staff and the groups have seen over the years.”
A motion to approve the recommendation was carried unanimously, with Coun. Tina Petrow absent from the meeting.
