Family and Community Support Services funding to organizations in Mountain View County will rise by 25 per cent from last year after council approved this year's grants at its Feb. 1 meeting.Grant funding will total $140,236 this year, compared to $112,218 in 2011.The increase is due to higher grant amounts for some groups and new or restored funding for others.Those receiving larger grants this year include Chinook Arch Victim Services (from $5,000 last year to $12,000) for volunteer training, Mountain View Adult Learning Society (from $10,000 to $15,000) for community programs, Water Valley Playschool (from $3,000 to $5,000) for its preschool program, and Didsbury and District Senior Support Association ($7,000 to $8,000) for seniors' programs.First-time grants were allocated to the Youth Empowerment Program ($4,400), Olds and District Hospice Society for volunteer training and startup ($4,200), and Olds High School programs ($1,970). Grant funding was restored to Olds Boys and Girls Club Jungle Junction, which will receive $10,000 for its afterschool care program. The club did not apply last year for a grant but had done so in previous years, receiving $8,825 in 2010.Groups that will receive the same funding amounts as last year include: Cremona FCSS coordinator ($10,000), Mountain View Parent Link ($10,000), Accredited Supports to the Community ($2,500) for the Healthy Families program, Carstairs Preschool ($1,773), and Sundre and District Nutrition for Learning ($1,050) for volunteer training.Grant allocations that are down from last year (based on reduced amounts requested) will go to Chinook's Edge for the Family School Wellness program ($42,800 from $48,537 in 2011), Sundre Daycare Centre/Valley Kids for its afterschool program ($5,120 from $6,000 in 2011), Didsbury Out of School for afterschool care ($3,723 from $4,356), and Didsbury Preschool Society ($2,700 from $3,000).Funding for additional grant applications throughout the year is also down slightly, from $23,000 in 2011 to $20,000. And administration said last week that there is still flexibility in those numbers, so that total grant funding to organizations could end up being closer to last year's level than the budget indicates.Grant amounts transferred to urban FCSS offices are unchanged from last year, with Sundre receiving $47,754, Olds $38,556, Cremona $33,628, Didsbury $32,844, and Carstairs $22,204.For Mountain View County FCSS, funding for administration and programs is up from $13,570 in 2011 to $15,028, and is unchanged for the FCSS director at $15,000. CLC engagement sites funding is unchanged at $2,000, both in-school program contributions and volunteer appreciation are down from $5,000 each to $4,500, and joint program initiatives dropped from $2,000 to $1,000.Total FCSS funding for 2012, including transfers to urban municipalities, is up from $329,775 in 2011 to $357,250.The province covers 80 per cent of FCSS funding with municipalities picking up the remaining 20 per cent.
