Debate on 2023 rural grants in aid, was referred to a closed section of the May 4 special Sunshine Coast Regional District’s (SCRD) electoral services committee meeting. The reason for the in camera session was for discussions related to a “proposed provision of a municipal service”.
The staff report on the meeting agenda advised that “Year over year there are some requests for items which should fall into a social services type function”. That is a function the regional district does not have but the creation of one has been raised in board discussions over the past two terms.
In 2022, $179,029 in grants were distributed, with over $145,000 of that going to projects classed as “social, educational, and environmental”. The remaining funds were allocated to arts and culture initiatives.
The report also noted that BC Fairs, Festivals and Events funding will provide over $68,000 to 12 coast-based events in 2023. It did not indicate whether organizers of those initiatives had also applied for SCRD grants.
Other staff observations raised for committee consideration included that several organizations have been funded in multiple years for the same purpose. It was pointed out that in some cases, the grant is the only form of funding for an initiative, with some applicants opting to not fundraise, charge fees, or seek support from other Coast local governments or groups for their projects.
The document also drew committee attention to a lack of reporting on use of grant funds (a condition of receiving funding) by some recipient groups. Chief financial officer Tina Perreault commented in the report that including a link to the SCRD’s reporting form in all 2022 grant distribution letters improved reporting only “marginally”.
Requests exceed available budget
This year’s discretionary grant budget balances for SCRD rural areas total $124,293. The report detailed that 38 grant requests totalling $132,836 were received in 2023. Another seven applications were classed as ineligible by staff, based on grant criteria contained in the Local Government Act.
Recommendations from the committee are to be considered by the board meeting scheduled for May 25.
