The Coquitlam Foundation has begun accepting applications for 2017 grants, bursaries and scholarships.
Applicants have until 4 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 15 to submit their completed e-forms, which can be found on the foundation’s website, www.coquitlamfoundation.com.
And it will have plenty of cash to hand out.
Over the course of 2016, for example the foundation distributed $188,000 in awards to Coquitlam-area individuals and groups — a record amount. The awards included almost $40,000 in grants to the Coquitlam Firefighters Charitable Society to enable it to assist families, including many Syrian refugees, who were displaced by a major apartment-block fire in Burquitlam.
Other highlights included the awarding of: $60,000 to Coquitlam Search and Rescue for the completion of its Mobile Command Centre; almost $30,000 in Wesbild’s Learning Initiatives for Tomorrow bursaries to graduates of SD43’s alternate high-school program; and $25,000 in Community Grants to nine local non-profits.
Award winners will be notified this spring and the bursaries, scholarships and grants will be distributed at the foundation’s annual awards night in June at the Evergreen Cultural Centre.
The Coquitlam Foundation is also planning a gala on April 22 to celebrate its 25th anniversary.
“It’s shaping up to be an exciting year,” says executive director Dwight Yochim. “After 25 years of hard work, the foundation has almost $3 million in our foundation-directed and donor-advised funds, putting us in the perfect position to help students and non-profits reach their goals.”
The foundation manages 29 funds, donations to which can be made through the foundation’s website, www.coquitlamfoundation.com.
@TriCityNews
