The City of Campbell River has approved its latest round of Community Partnership Grants, which see various arts and culture organizations – and others – receive city money to keep doing what they do.
The Committee Partnership Fund is capped at 1.6 per cent of the city’s general revenue, which next year is expected to be $732,788 based on the city’s current financial plan, and this year’s approvals come in under that total at $648,800.
Beginning last year, organizations that receive core operating funding (Category 1) were allowed to apply for five-year approvals, which some did, meaning they would not have to re-apply unless they were looking for an increase not previously approved. As such, organizations that had multi-year approvals in place did not have applications come before council this time around, including the Museum at Campbell River and the Campbell River Arts Council.
The museum’s operations at Haig-Brown House – which it operates on behalf of the city – did come back before council, however, as the organization needs an increase, it says, to replace its site host and gardener, which it can’t do at the current rate of pay. It was approved for a $4,000 per year increase and will receive $51,000 per year for the next four years. Likewise, the Campbell River and District Art Gallery received $80,000 per year for the next four years.
The Tidemark Theatre Society, which was looking to secure multi-year funding last year – including annual increases – had to reapply this year to secure its desired increases, which it did. The society will receive an increase from $185,000 per year to $188,700 the following year to cover anticipated wage increases, but will need to reapply again after that in order to receive operating funding from the city.
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While not meeting the “Arts and Culture” criteria of the policy that would allow them to receive core operating funding pre-approved for multiple years, is grandfathered into the program “due to longstanding council support of the services they provide,” and the fact that they have permanent staffing positions that partially rely on city funding. It received a $30,000 grant each year for the next three.
Category 2 grants, which provide funding for ongoing events and/or services, were awarded to the Campbell River Salmon Festival for $25,000, the Shoreline Arts Society for $7,500, Volunteer Campbell River for $1,500 and River City Arts Festival for $6,000. These amounts are unchanged from last year.
Category 3 grants – which are discretionary funds awarded on a case-by-case basis – went to Citizens on Patrol ($4,000) and Search and Rescue ($9,500) while Category 4 grants – which are for one-off special events and/or service and travel went to Words on the Water ($3,000) and the 75th Anniversary of the Liberation of the Netherlands ($700).
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