This is part of a series examining how local non-profits are doing since changes to the way the city handles grant funding came into effect this year.
Despite functioning with fewer staff and deep cuts from two separate streams of grant funding this year, the St. Albert Community Information and Volunteer Centre (CIVC) is “taking a positive tack” about the future.
As one of four local non-profits that had significant cuts made to its grant funding this year, CIVC has been fundraising to make up for the shortfall.
“We’re taking a positive tack, we’ve had a couple of years where things have sort of declined but we want to turn that around and rebrand and move forward,” said CIVC board chair Dawn McVittie.
Because of recent changes to the city's outside agency operating grant program, the CIVC saw a 43-per-cent funding decrease, down from $52,043 in 2018 to $26,491 in 2019.
Additionally, CIVC saw 15 per cent less funding from St. Albert’s Family and Community Support Services (FCSS) operating grant fund, to $185,658 from $217,212. In total, city council approved $602,000 for that fund in 2019, down 15 per cent from 2018 and the lowest it has been over the past decade.
This is the inaugural year of the revised outside agency operating grant program, which opened the program up from an invite-only system to one that allows more organizations to apply for funding. The revisions, which city council approved last year in an effort to eliminate perceived duplication of funding and make the funding process more transparent, also established a set pot of money of $9 per capita annually, which means the funding available this year was $594,700.
In April, CIVC axed its executive director role, and since then one of three program directors moved on. McVittie said the executive director role was eliminated as a result of a gradual reduction in funding over a few years.
“The operations of the volunteer centre have been cut back a fair bit over the previous years, so it just didn’t really make sense anymore (with) the size of the organization we had become to have an executive director in addition to our three program directors,” she said.
As a result, the program directors will be taking over the executive director responsibilities, including making grant applications this fall for the 2020 year.
The biggest item the CIVC is struggling with as a result of funding cuts is paying rent, McVittie said, adding its rent subsidy was cut in half.
“Rent is not a sexy thing to fundraise for, so that’s a little harder for us. Other than that, we are regrouping and looking at some fundraising, and we should be OK,” she said.
Overall, McVittie said she is supportive of the outside agency grant program changes, and agreed with its intent of allowing a broader spectrum of non-profits to the table.
With the CIVC coming up on 40 years, McVittie said it has a brand new board and staff team, and wants to take the opportunity to refresh its brand.
“We’re working on refreshing our brand, so to speak, so we’re more visible again in the community and just reminding people of what a volunteer centre is about,” she said.
