Council faces decision on grants

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This article was published 30/01/2024 (598 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Days away from budget deliberations, Brandon city councillors may deny grant funding to more than a dozen local organizations that submitted their requests last September.

Thirty-eight requests from non-profit organizations — adding up to $667,000 — were received by the city’s grants review committee to be considered under the 2024 budget, which councillors will discuss later this week.

Of the more than half a million dollars that was requested, the grants review committee recommended that council approve a fraction of that amount, totalling $171,000, Coun. Bruce Luebke (Ward 6) told the Sun ahead of Monday night’s pre-budget special council meeting.

“We do think there has to be a certain amount of accountability with these organizations when they are receiving taxpayers’ money and that they are, number one, using the funds for what they applied them to be, and number two, ensuring that there is an actual need for their organization,” said Luebke. He is also on the grants committee with fellow councillors Heather Karrouze (Ward 1) and Jason Splett (Ward 8).

The grants review committee was established in 1985 to examine applications and make recommendations to city council.

The City of Brandon provides grants and funding for several initiatives including libraries, museums, athletics, tourism, performing arts, and multicultural activities.

Grant requests make up five per cent of the city’s general revenue fund, including $4.4 million in multi-year agreements, from organizations like the Keystone Centre, the Riverbank Inc., Westman Regional Library and Brandon Downtown Development Corporation.

This administration’s committee of three — Karrouze, Splett and Luebke — started screening the applications last September.

Using a risk assessment outline, they determine if the organization is funded by another level of government, if the group does other fundraising and if the funding will help provide core services to Brandon for recreation, youth services or social issues.

In the last three years, the committee has seen the number of applications stay the same with a slight variation, from 37 requests in 2021, 34 requests in 2022, to this year’s 38.

What has increased, Luebke said, is the amount of money each organization is asking for, adding that it “shows a greater need in our community.”

“It started with the pandemic and now with inflation, a lot of these non-profit organizations that support people that are near or at the low-income level, they have a greater need than they’ve had in the past when you start thinking about food banks and things like that,” Luebke said.

The committee recommended that council grant full funding to nine Brandon organizations: Brandon Bear Clan Patrol ($5,000), Brandon’s Food for Thought program ($7,000), Brandon Santa Parade ($3,000), Royal Canadian Legion Branch No. 3 ($3,000), Samaritan House Ministries’ food bank ($20,000), Samaritan House’s Safe and Warm Shelter ($15,000), Brandon Westman Christmas Cheer Registry ($500), Westman Manitoba Science Fair ($2,000), and the Women’s Resource Centre ($5,000).

There were 11 organizations that the committee recommended be denied, including, Brandon Food Council ($30,000), Brandon Housing First ($50,000) and Habitat for Humanity Manitoba, Brandon Chapter ($75,000).

Other groups that the committee recommended receive less funding include Helping Hands soup kitchen, recommended to receive $30,000 of a $50,000 request, Brandon Friendship Centre ($15,000 of a $20,000 request) and the United Way Brandon & District ($5,000 of a $15,000 request).

In an ideal world, Luebke said, council would be able to approve all of them, but along with the non-profits, he added, the committee also has to be accountable with taxpayers’ money.

“We have to recognize what is needed in our community right now. So, when you consider some of our social issues, Samaritan House Safe and Warm Shelter, the food bank and Helping Hands are almost automatically fully funded for meeting those kinds of social needs,” Luebke said.

Additional requests came to council after the fall of 2023 deadline totalling $257,000 and they will also be considered during budget deliberations later this week. The five groups are the Brandon Downtown Biz, Brandon Downtown Development Corporation, Commonwealth Air Training Plan Museum, Riverbank Inc. and Westman Multicultural Festival.

Decisions about grant funding will be made during budget deliberations which begin at 8:30 a.m. on Friday and conclude on Saturday.

» mmcdougall@brandonsun.com

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