Whitecourt town council has awarded $18,604.00 to three organizations through the 2025 Family and Community Support Services (FCSS) Grant program.
The FCSS program is designed to provide financial assistance for community organizations that plan to provide social programs to the community that are preventative in nature.
This year, administration says they received applications from McLeod River Primary Care Network, Wellspring Family Resource & Crisis Centre, the Community Lunch Box and the Soaring Eagle Support Society.
The Wellspring Family Resource & Crisis Centre requested $2,200.00 to update the Whitecourt Community Resource Guide.
McLeod River Primary Support Care Network requested $8,579.00 to assist with providing workshops with a focus on mental health, physical wellness and social engagement.
The Community Lunch Box requested $20,000.00 for Volunteer Coordination and Support.
The Soaring Eagle Support Society requested $20,750.00 to enhance Outreach Services by employing an Outreach Worker to provide support to homeless or hard-to-house individuals.
Officials say the Soaring Eagle Support Society application was not approved because the program is in contravention of the Town of Whitecourt Land Use Bylaw definition of a motel in which the provision of programs and services are not permitted to operate in a C-7 District.
Town officials say the grant applications were reviewed and scored based on several criteria, such as:
- Alignment with the Family and Community Supports Regulation and Framework,
- If the strategy proposed is a best practice to meet the identified outcome(s),
- Amount of residents served,
- Volunteer involvement (hours),
- Overall budget,
- Organization’s financial need,
- Social return on investment for the community.
The Well Spring Family Resource & Crisis Centre application was approved as is and received all $2,200.00.
The application submitted by McLeod River Primary Care Network included $5,769.00 for a kinesiologist and $275.00 for exercise bands. Officials say these do not fit the FCSS grant mandate as they are recreational in nature. Council approved the remaining $2,544.00 from the application and administration recommended providing funding for the kinesiologist and exercise bands through the Community Enhancement Grant instead.
The Community Lunch Box Application requested funding for Volunteer Coordinator and volunteer recruitment, training and development. Only one-third of the volunteer coordinator wages and half of the cost for volunteer recruitment, training and development are covered, for a total of $15,400.00. Based on the scoring criteria, council awarded the Community Lunch Box their eligible amount, prorated at 90 per cent, for a total of $13,860.00.
The 2025 operating Budget includes $20,000.00 in funding for the FCSS Grant Program.
