Community Foundation Kingston looks north

Jeff Green | May 20, 2015

Tina Bailey, Executive Director of the Community Foundation for Kingston & Area (CFKA) says the organisation, which provides grants for community organizations on a twice-annual basis, has been seeking to raise its profile outside of Kingston.

At the announcement for its latest crop of 24 grants, for a total value of $106,000, a healthy number went to organizations outside of Kingston, most of them in Frontenac County.

The list includes the largest grant given out, $12,200 to the Central Frontenac Railway Museum, which will be used to provide half the resources to construct a railway-themed play structure at Railway Park in Sharbot Lake. Slated for installation in 2016, the structure will consist of a steam engine, coal car and ramp surrounded by a safe engineered play surface.

Other grants include $4,000 to the Elbow Lake Environmental Centre (ELEC), which is located off the Perth Road, to fund an outreach assistant this coming fall. This will allow ELEC to encourage all local high schools to visit the center and experience their expanded selection of curriculum-based programs.

A related grant, for $7,000, is going to the Frontenac Stewardship Foundation. The money will be used to set up an invasive species demonstration at the ELEC. This partnership will provide the community with the tools and information to combat the growing problem of invasive species. Some of the target species in question include Purple Loosestrife, Dog Strangling Vine, Lilac, Zebra Mussels, Emerald Ash Borer and many more.

The Howe Island Garden Buds have received $2,393 for the Howe Island Community Development Project, which will be an enduring legacy on the island. The enriched environment will highlight the natural surroundings, beautify the island and develop public access to the waterfront where the Bateau Channel meets the St. Lawrence River.

Finally, the Blue Skies Community Fiddle Orchestra received $5,425 to support an outreach exchange trip for the orchestra to the Rollo Bay Music festival in King’s County, Prince Edward Island, this July. The festival gathers renowned Celtic, Acadian, and Olde Tyme Fiddlers from across the Maritimes.

With over $31,000 of the $106,000 in grants, Frontenac County projects have been well supported this time around.

“It really helps us to promote the opportunities we offer, particular outside of Kingston, to receive such a breadth of applications from projects in Frontenac County. We certainly hope this will help us get our message out and enhance our profile in those communities,” said Tina Bailey.

The CFKA is a local, independent foundation affiliated with 191 other community foundations in Canada and worldwide, an association which now includes over 1,600 members.

“We take a broad view of community , funding projects in all areas from heritage preservation to children's mental health but we are looking to fund more projects that address identified community needs ,” said Bailey, who referred to the recent launch of a new Smart & Caring Communities Fund to further those efforts.

The foundation is always active. As soon as they were finished celebrating recipients of the spring grants at the May 14 announcement, they began preparing for the next application deadline ON September 9. They are also working towards offering some larger grants this fall, when the foundation will consider a select number of applications for between $10,000 and $25,000 for projects related to the following areas: getting started in the community, food security and community engagement..

The CFKA also produces Vital Signs, an annual report card on the health and well being of residents in Kingston, Frontenac County, Loyalist Township and Amherst Island.

Photo by Garrett Elliott