The District of Lantzville did not receive a single applicant for its annual grant-in-aid program this year.
According to a staff report, the district promoted the grant application deadline of Feb. 1 on its website and local media. Lantzville had set aside $2,500 for this year’s grants-in-aid fund, but not a single non-profit organization applied.
Lantzville’s grant program was first established in 2004 as a way to provide some financial relief to non-profit organizations whose operations benefit residents within the district.
Last year, councillors made changes to the grant application criteria. Priority is given to first-time grant applicants based in Lantzville and factors for approval now include whether the organization’s grant request will benefit Lantzville residents on a larger scale.
Coun. Bob Colclough said he wasn’t sure if the lack of applicants was due to the change in the policy.
“Maybe there was just nobody that qualified that had something that met the criteria,” he said. “Do we go back and look at the criteria? It’s not like we are looking to give money away. Just if there is an organization that is active in the community that we can help … them do more for the community, then that’s what we want to support.”
Since 2011, Lantzville has handed out 13 grants worth a combined total of $8,479 to five non-profit organizations, including the Boys and Girls Club of Central Vancouver Island and the Errington Therapeutic Riding Association.