There’s the September smell of pencil shavings in the air, and for community groups seeking funding for good ideas that will have a positive impact on our community, it’s time to start sharpening.
The Board of Directors of the Bowen Island Community has approved $25,000 from its Community Fund to be distributed as grants for community projects that will benefit Bowen Island and its residents. Grant applicants must submit an initial proposal to the Foundation’s Grants Committee by October 1st. The Call For Proposals on the Foundation’s website has full details about who is eligible, how to apply, and the minimum and maximum grant amount: www.bowenfoundation.com. The Foundation will announce the recipients of the 2014 grants on December 1.
“We are interested in all good ideas,” says Grants Committee Chair Andrea Verwey. “Everyone on the Foundation’s Board remains energized by the Vital Conversations event held in May that saw 60 Islanders create a snapshot of the community’s needs. We are keen to see proposals that respond to the spirit of one or more of the seven improvement opportunities shortlisted at the Vital Conversations event – civic pride, community gathering place, environment, healthcare services, mobility and transportation, public dialogue, seniors and marginalized. And we are also keen to see proposals for good ideas in other areas, such as youth, the arts, volunteerism, housing, and recreation.”
Verwey notes that the Foundation’s two-stage 2014 Community Grants process has been designed to help ease the time burden on grant applicants. The 500-word proposal limit will allow applicants to focus their time on explaining as briefly and simply as possible what makes their idea so good for the Bowen Island community.
