MOUNTAIN VIEW COUNTY – The county’s grant review committee has approved $64,850 in funding under the health funding grant program and $13,500 under the crime prevention grant program, say Mountain View County officials.
On May 22 council carried a motion also approving the allocations.
The health funding grant program supports innovative solutions that support health-care delivery within the Mountain View County region.
The crime prevention grant program is intended to support local and regional initiatives and organizations that propose activities or events that have the potential to reduce the impact of crime within a large community area or throughout the county.
During the May 8 council meeting, council referred health funding requests totalling $90,769 and crime prevention funding requests totalling $27,500 to the grant review committee for recommendation.
“We are getting more and more and more requests for grants and to try to figure out how to allocate those dollars becomes very difficult,” Aalbers said,
Chief administrative officer Jeff Holmes said, “Historically those (grant applications) have been reviewed by council. This year, due to the volume of applications, council tasked the grant review committee with reviewing applications and making funding recommendations for council to consider.”
At the May 22 council meeting, the review committee reported back, saying it had approved the amounts of $64,850 and $13,500.
The approved amounts equal the amounts budgeted by council in the 2024 budget.
Under the crime prevention initiative program, Mountain View Emergency Shelter Society will receive $6,000 for outreach coordinator wages, Olds Rural Crime Watch will receive $5,800 for crime watch prevention tips mail-out and sign updates, and Sundre Citizens on Patrol will receive $1,700 for training and gas cards.
The Water Valley Community Association requested $1,800 for crime prevention training but was turned down by the committee.
Under the health funding program, funding approved includes $15,000 for Hope 4 MVC Kids Society for ongoing programs, $8,500 for the Olds & Area Health Professional Attraction and Retention Committee for ongoing efforts, $21,800 for Mountain View Hospice Society (formerly Olds & District Hospice Society) for hospice suite support, and $8,500 for the Sundre Health Professional Attraction and Retention Committee for ongoing efforts.
Also receiving funding under the health funding program are Village of Cremona $5,100, Water Valley Community Association $4,300, and Sundre Volunteer Search and Rescue Association $1,844.
The review committee turned down funding requests from Bethany Care Foundation, Burden Bearers Counselling and the Nina Project.
