Six local not-for-profit organizations receive grant money

MERRITT – The B.C. Government awarded not-for-profits throughout the province with the Community Gaming Grant and six local Merritt organizations were handed funds.

One of the grant recipients was the Merritt Dance Society who received $15,000. President of the Dance Society, Tony Stewart, said this money is going towards keeping the program running and paying the instructors.

“It’s pretty crucial especially since we’re recovering still, like a lot of businesses, from COVID, the fires, and flooding,” said Stewart. “Families just don’t have a lot of extra money to spare, so we try to keep our class fees low and to do that we need to subsidize teachers salaries.”

There was two different sectors that received funding, the sports side and the arts and culture side. Below is the full list of Merritt not-for-profits that was awarded grant money:

• Arts and Culture
  • Merritt Dance Society
    • $15,000
  • Canadian Society for Country Music and Heritage
    • $40,000
  • Nicola Valley Community Arts Council
    • $12,900
• Sports
  • Merritt Otters Swim Club
    • $13,650
  • Merritt Centennial Hockey Club
    • $15,000
  • Nicola Valley Skating Club
    • $10,000

“People’s lives are enhanced by the sports, arts and cultural programming that not-for-profit organizations offer throughout British Columbia,” said Anne Kang, Minister of Municipal Affairs. “Healthy, vibrant communities are key to a healthy, vibrant province and these grants are one way our government is helping people in communities thrive.”

Throughout the Interior, 117 organizations are being awarded a total of $3 million that are focused on arts in culture. Another 201 non-profits in the sports sector got $5 million. Provincially, 1,507 not-for-profits have been given $48 million through both streams. The B.C. Government said the funding will help people participate in a range of activities, such as theatre and music, as well as access cultural centres, museums, soccer, swimming, hockey, gymnastics and wheelchair sports.

Since 2017 4,400 arts and culture and 5,200 sports programs have been supported by the Community Gaming Grant.