SPC Monthly Minutes (draft) - April 23, 2018
Location:
Community Futures Office (11:30 - 1:00 pm)
In
attendance (from sign-in sheet): Nancy Gale, Larry Stranberg, Ashlee Hyde, Bree
Odd, Shannon Thom, Carla Bullinger, Diane Wright, Marvene Layte, and Jessica
Dunn.
Accept Minutes
& Agenda
During lunch we:
· Reviewed meeting agenda for
Apr 23, 2018
Add - Nancy Gale - Grant Writing
Questions
Motion to accept agenda as
amended - MFSC
· Reviewed meeting minutes
from Feb 26, 2018
Motion to accept minutes as presented - MFSC
Grant Writing Questions - Nancy Gale
Nancy asked
the group to think of three pieces of advice for grant writing, structure etc. Please
share your thoughts about your experiences.
Discussions shared are below:
Applying for
grants is hard to navigate
Decisions
should be made quicker
From
experience, the two tiered application process via Vancouver Foundation was
helpful (allowed stage one applications to not be so defined, yet) - they are also
flexible (some variance in budget is ok if rationale is included).
Be clear in
what you are open to funding (please don't let organizations waste time grant
writing if there is little chance of success).
Have
specific terms right up front.
In Williams
Lake - approx 300 groups, but not a full picture of all the non-for-profits in
our area.
Be realistic
about expectations of what grant funds can accomplish (e.g. sustainability
clauses).
Presentation – Northern Interior
Communities Association Coordinator, Marvene Layte
Geared towards
organizations applying to the BC Community Gaming Grant Program.
These funds
are important in BC (130 Million in funds) - important piece of funding for BC
societies as wages can be paid by
these funds, and is only for not-for-profits.
Other
criteria - a sustainable program that has existed for 12 months.
There have
been some changes this past year - handout outlines these changes (specifically
dates for applying).
Membership
in the Northern Interior Communities Association (NICA) is free.
Marvene is
the liaison for Societies in the northern region (Cache Creek to Prince George)
and the government body overseeing the gaming grants. She has a relationship
with the decision makers and can have questions answered anonymously.
Recommendation
- apply early. This gives the decision makers ample time to consider your
application.
They are
looking for four things:
Community
Benefit
Accessible
Inclusive to
community, and
Sustainable.
Remember the
analysts have no clue who you are - describe your organization (tell your
story, include pictures, anecdotals, etc). Clearly define, concisely who you
are. Get to the heart of your organization.
Spend time
in advance planning what you will say - prepare to tell your organizations
story - you can learn a lot in the process.
Also, it is
wise to have someone else read your application. Preferably someone who knows
very little about your organization.
Don't use
acronyms
Make it "real"
for them - let your story unfold.
Picture a White
board - it only has financials - fill it up with your story and include
pictures.
Programs
evolve over time - like reading a book (wham - you have only a few pages to
capture the reader/analyst).
Note - you cannot
add anything "new" once a
decision has been made.
They are far
more open today than they were in the past.
Capital
grant funding (within the gaming grant up to 20K), or separate capital gaming
grant funding (match able up to 250K).
Reconsiderations
- letter will be sent.
Q: the 20K
within gaming grant is included in the 100K max?
A: Yes.
Q: What are
the categories
A: Listed in
the provided handout, they are:
Arts &
Culture,
Sport,
Environment,
Human and
Social Services,
Public
Safety,
Parent
Advisory Councils (PACs) and District Parent Advisory Councils (DPACs)
Goal -
spread the word - people need to know about these grants so all non-profits in
BC feel included.
Feel free to
contact Marvene via phone, cell or email - that is why she is here, for groups
to utilize.
Summary - Northern
Interior Communities Association (NICA) functions to provide support to groups, thereby
increasing accessibility of gaming grant funding to all groups within BC.
Funding is
available for direct service costs (e.g. delivering training to others), but
not training for employees (note - volunteers can however get training
covered through gaming grants).
Marvene is
willing to come back to Williams Lake to discuss how Thrive WL could
potentially apply for gaming grant funding.
Action -
Jessica will schedule this meeting
THRIVE Williams Lake Project -
update
Handout -
Summary of Local Picture (was distributed). Research about our local picture in
Williams Lake is presented visually.
Service
clubs could possibly assist with funding - they distribute funds to other local
groups for projects.
Comments on
handout:
Poverty is
quite hidden - these statistics could apply to your neighbour and you might
never realize.
Ask the
business community questions (so they have to think about the subject)
Possibly
include a story with each statistic (e.g. 21 % of children - include the number
of local children who go to school hungry each day).
Roundtable Updates
Ashlee Hyde
- United Way
Announcing
UW got summer student grant funding, Psychological First Aid was well attended
and will host another (May or early June). Red Cross Available- April 30th 6 -
8 pm Room 1254 at TRU workshop on grant writing (for Red Cross funding).
Bree Odd -
United Way
New
Resiliency Coordinator in Williams Lake - part of her position is to recognize
gaps in mental health and wellness. Workshop with Dr. Kristin Buire on Children
and their mental well being after traumatic experiences. Another speaker from
Fort Mac will also be scheduled for June. Reducing the stigma of mental health
is another priority.
Shannon Thom
(Workplace BC/ WLES/Horton Ventures)
A formal
request for employment services was completed and they are now waiting to hear
back. They will post any summer student job descriptions online for free.
Carla
Bullinger (CCPL & CTC)
Cariboo Chilcotin
Partners for Literacy has an ESL and immigrant settlement services office with someone there from 9 - 3 pm daily.
Conversation classes are on Fridays - looking for guest speakers. Child minding
and food is provided. Financial literacy classes still take place. Communities
that Care - working on facilitating strategic actions. Outdoor play boxes - two
will be installed asap (one at the end of Beauchaump) and there will be one on
display at the Children's Festival. These are so families can access free
supplies from these boxes to play with their kids.
Jessica Dunn
(SPC and CG)
Cariboo
Growers Farmers Co-op is now open 5 days a week (Tues - Sat).
Nancy Gale
(Child Development Centre)
Successful
first quarter in terms of funding. Youth navigator position is more defined.
More positions - supported child development in rural areas (gaps in this area
related to inclusivity). Fire recovery work - proposal to increase existing
hours for existing frontline staff. Waitlists are reducing. The Autism Centre
(6 children when it first opened in 2015, now over 100 in their caseload = 17%
of total caseloads). Finally, there is now a full time school aged occupational therapist!
Larry
Stranberg (Communities Futures)
At our next SPC
monthly meeting the new executive director for the Chamber of Commerce will be
joining us (background - 30 years in RCMP) - we are looking forward to this
opportunity to consult with business. Workshops - Free workshops this week
(poster was distributed and this information was posted to facebook). Advance
notice - Bill Erichson workshop on May 30th, Understanding Financial Statements
9 - 12 (next day Financial analysts 9 - 12 pricing and costing your products)
at Community Futures (pre-register). Six small businesses were funded this past
month.
Meeting was adjourned at 12:51 pm
- next meeting is scheduled for May 28th
