The Dragonfly Pond Society received a grant for $3,000 from CFSOS in 2017 for their Art in the Park program, which runs throughout July and August and provides a creative and safe environment for children with disabilities. They also used funding to purchase a new specialized three-wheel bike, which allows the caregiver to steer and use brakes from the back while the rider enjoys the freedom and experience of a safe ride. (Contributed photo)

The Community Foundation of the South Okanagan Similkameen (CFSOS) is pleased to announce the opening of the 2018 granting cycle, which officially began last week and closes on Oct. 20, 2017.

Grant awards will be distributed in January of 2018.

For its 2018 Grant Cycle, CFSOS moved the timeline to better accommodate the local organizations planning for the upcoming year.

“We met with a good portion of the local charities and the feedback was to move the timeline to the end of the year so the organizations can plan for their upcoming year knowing what funding they have confirmed,” said Sarah Trudeau, Manager of Grants and Community Initiatives with CFSOS.

The Community Foundation will be distributing more than $400,000 to charities throughout the South Okanagan Similkameen in 2018.

Grants are open to local organizations in the RDOS region who are a registered charity or who have a qualified donee or a partner charitable organization they work with.

“We provide grants to every area of community need because every area of need is important”, explained Trudeau. “Grants were approved for projects from breakfast programs, to addiction recovery and environmental awareness, to name just a few.

“While there is always a need for short term funding priorities it is always our goal to support a broad cross section of community need through sustainable grants that often include supporting the operating needs for charities, which is often not a priority for many local funders.”

Applying for a grant from the Community Foundation involves a two-step process with the first step being to create a profile on the Foundation’s Community Knowledge Centre website (http://ckc.cfso.net).  The Community Knowledge Centre is a publicly available database of local charities for anyone looking to make an investment in the non-profit sector.

The site is designed to help donors do detailed research when they are deciding on how best to support their community.

The second step in the application process is to complete an online application form.

“We’re excited to offer both a short-form and long-form application,” said Trudeau.  Projects under $1,000 in value will be able to complete the application process in a matter of minutes.  For requests of more than $1,000 more detailed questions regarding project goals and budgets will be required.”

The Foundation is hosting free Grant Writing Workshops throughout the RDOS in September, including one in Osoyoos.

Anyone who applies for grants or is interested in applying to the Community Foundation is encouraged to attend.

The seminars will cover general grant writing strategies as well as outline how to complete the CFSOS application process.

Space is limited so those interested are encouraged to register by calling 250-493-9311 or email [email protected].

The dates for the workshops include:

• September 25 from 1–3 p.m. in the Princeton Library, Meeting Room.

• September 26 from 1- 3 p.m. in the Summerland Library, Meeting Room.

• September 27 from 10 a.m.-Noon at the Sonora Community Centre in Osoyoos.

For more information on applying for a grant, please visit www.cfso.net/apply-for-a-grant or call Trudeau at the CFSOS office, that is located in Penticton, at 250-493-9311.

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