Grants, sponsorships, and the impact outside dollars have on a community

By Serena Lapointe
 
Grant funding, both from the federal and provincial governments, plays a significant role
in the projects, programming, and infrastructure upgrades that occur in the community.
Rather than solely relying on municipal tax dollars to provide new or existing services or
introduce new extracurricular opportunities for residents, the municipality often seeks
grants first.
At the mid-July regular meeting of Town Council, elected officials learned about a
sizeable part of the grant support that the Town of Whitecourt received through to the
end of June 30 of this year as part of the Quarterly Financial Report, presented by
Director of Corporate Services, Judy Barney.
After doing a deep dive into the financials, detailing innovations and efficiencies
implemented or discovered, as well as unforeseen events and emergencies, which will
be covered here in an upcoming edition, the final piece of the report focused on grants
and sponsorships.
Two of the biggest grants on the list had to do with the Canfor Culture and Events
Centre, and specifically from the convention centre part of the building, where
performances will be taking place. An application to the Canada Culture Spaces Fund,
which is a federal program out of the Department of Canadian Heritage, was
successfully obtained by the municipality for $454,885 to purchase theatre equipment
for the centre.
A similar application, submitted by the Whitecourt Woodlands Performing Arts Society,
was also successful in helping acquire theatre equipment for the centre. The society
applied to the Community Facility Enhancement Program, a provincial grant initiative
which supports non-profits and community organizations in building, renovating, and
upgrading publicly used community spaces, and received $252,000, which specifically
helped fund speaker equipment.
Two more significant grants received this year include FireSmart projects through the
Forest Resource Improvement Association of Alberta (FRIAA). The municipality was
successful in attaining funds to do vegetation work in three zones. The first two, zones
20 and 21, received funding for $199,975, and the third zone, 22, received $198,079.
Another large grant received by the municipality had to do with energy, and how to save
and where. The Municipal Climate Change Action Centre (MCCAC), a provincial
collaboration with Alberta Municipalities and the Rural Municipalities of Alberta, provided
$105,000 under its Energy Manager Program as a staffing grant to hire an energy

manager who will zero in on low-cost energy-efficient measures for the municipality,
including lights and smart stats.
The Whitecourt Food Bank received $11,605 from Food Banks Canada through the
Walmart Fight Hunger Spark Change Campaign. This year was the tenth year for the
national fundraiser, which ran from February 5 to March 4, 2026, raising nearly five
million dollars. The campaign has raised over $55 million since it started.
Other grants included one from Sport Central to provide families in need with sports
equipment and a Wildfire Preparedness Day grant that funded education at the
Whitecourt Trade Fair. The community also received $11,000 for Canada Day
celebrations and $1,500 to support Indigenous Peoples Day.
This summer, thirteen youth workers were hired by the municipality thanks to a grant
from Canada Summer Jobs for $27,300. A further $6,873 was gained to help offset the
cost of training members of the fire department through the Fire Services Training
Grant, a provincial fund, as well as a ParticipACTION grant of $1,000 to promote active
lifestyle opportunities in Whitecourt.
Community support continues to be strong, with $36,000 raised in monetary
sponsorship and in-kind donations to help ensure Party in the Park was a success, as
well as $2,392 that helped support youth programming and related initiatives in
Whitecourt. Also from the community is a monthly free swim funded by Whitecourt
Transport, and another swim funded by the Rotary Club of Whitecourt, which also
sponsors the Rotary Summer Unplugged and 2.0 programs.
The Town also received $15,000 from the Rural Mental Health Grant, provided by the
Canadian Mental Health Association, which is providing two streams of support for
individuals, families and the community at large, by enabling access to activities and
programs that would not be feasible otherwise, including creating a variety of cultural
experiences which encourage community connection.
Two grant-funded projects that are still in the application process, and word has not yet
been received on whether Whitecourt has been approved, include the creation of a
community icon. The Town of Whitecourt has applied for funding of one million dollars
from FRIAA to create an iconic sculpture for the community that would serve as both a
viewing structure and a tourism draw for visitors, as well as a symbolic landmark.
The second project applied for and awaiting approval is also through FRIAA (Forest
Resource Improvement Association of Alberta) and is for just less than the previous
ask, at $900,000. The Town of Whitecourt has asked for funding to help promote the
forest areas at Festival Park and to increase the activity in the forests that surround it by
creating pockets of sports fields and usable areas between the forests. It is unknown at
this time when word on approval for either ask is expected.