Collingwood doles out $54K in community grants

Grant recipients include Breaking Down Barriers, Collingwood Music Festival, Magic of Children in the Arts, The Rainbow Club, YMCA Simcoe/Muskoka, South Georgian Bay Music Foundation and Theatre Collingwood

The Rainbow Club of South Georgian Bay was one of seven recipients of a Town of Collingwood Community Recreation and Culture Grant in 2023.Erika Engel/CollingwoodToday

The Town of Collingwood has announced the recipients of their Community Recreation and Culture Grant program, and many Collingwood non-profits are raking in the big bucks this year.

In order to be eligible for any of the financial or in-kind grants, applicants must be Collingwood-based organizations that is not-for-profit, charitable, or volunteer-based. There were 20 non-profits that brought in either a $5,000 or $1,500 grant in 2023 for a total of $54,500 spent, with $35,000 set aside for in-kind grants of town-owned facility rental fees waived.

“We want to congratulate those folks for being successful recipients and thank them for everything they’re contributing to our community,” said Karen Cubitt, manager of culture and events for the town.

In order to be eligible, non-profits must be able to demonstrate they fall into one of a number of categories including active aging, youth involvement, learning programs, live music, cultural innovations, collaboration or intergenerational programming.

Cubitt said members of the public are involved in the selection process for the financial grants through an open call for volunteers, while town staff determine the recipients for the in-kind grants.