MINTO – Seven local non-profit organizations have applied for a grant to cover the cost of an upgraded Zoom account to facilitate meetings.
Minto economic development manager Belinda Wick-Graham advised council on March 2 that five of the grants have already been approved and cheques issued.
The grants are one element of an action plan to support local non-profit service and cultural organizations dealing with the impact of COVID-19.
The plan, developed by the Town of Minto Cultural Roundtable, calls for allocating $17,500 from the town’s pool of federal-provincial Safe Restart funding and $2,000 from the Cultural Roundtable budget to assist local organizations through a variety of grants and training opportunities.
Among the initiatives in the plan are:
- providing promotional aid such as social media training, assistance with posting and promotion of non-profit events;
- providing grants to help groups advertise events through various forms of media;
- providing information/training to organizations on running events safely while making a profit;
- facilitating outdoor events;
- a variety of volunteer recruitment and training activities; and
- providing information on grant availability and assistance with the grant writing process.
Wick-Graham also reported on a new partnership opportunity with the PIN (People and Information) network.
“We have worked with them previously but this is a more formalized arrangement. We’re going to become a member,” she explained.
“They’re offering a lot of great free webinars,” including some the Minto Cultural Roundtable group “had wanted to offer ourselves.
“So instead of reinventing the wheel,” said Wick-Graham, it was decided to join the network and take advantage of the existing programming.”
Wick-Graham said the network offers “all kinds of opportunities around volunteer recruitment and retention,” that would be helpful for Minto organizations.
Mayor George Bridge thanked the roundtable group for their efforts.
“This group keeps coming up with some great ideas,” he said.
