By Lara Fominoff @LaraFominoff on Twitter

Big demand for funding from Lethbridge’s Major Community Event Grant Budget

Feb 23, 2018 | 11:21 AM

LETHBRIDGE – Created just over two years ago, as a way for the City of Lethbridge to fund an ever-increasing demand for event funding, the Major Community Event Grant has become much more popular than anticipated.

At Monday’s City Council meeting, Manager of Recreation and Culture, Lori Harasem, presented a report to council on the fund, explaining what has been reviewed, and what some of the shortfalls and successes have been over the last two years.

“The grant has been extremely popular, much more so than I think that- we had done a lot of research leading up to it, and we did not see the demand that we ended up getting.”

Harasem told council that 18 groups have come forward, seeking funding to host major events in the community, including the Southern Alberta Summer Games (2016), U16 Canadian National Soccer Championships (2016), the World Mixed Doubles and World Senior Curling Championships (2017), and the Exhibition Park 120th Special Anniversary Concert Series (2017). Those events highlighted Lethbridge on either a regional, national or international spotlight.

This year, funding will go towards Pride Fest’s 10th anniversary celebrations, the U Sports Men’s National Hockey Championships and the PGA 2018-2020 tour, among other events. The City is still waiting to hear whether the World Men’s Curling Championships in 2019 will be held in Lethbridge, and whether Lethbridge will host the 2020 Alberta Summer Games.

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The fund itself has a one-million-dollar budget, spread over four years. Funding has been used up for the 2015 to 2018 budget cycle, and Council is already allocating money in the 2019-2022 budget. There have been questions whether the amount in the fund should exceed one-million dollars in future years.

Harasem told council that while the popularity of the grand fund is encouraging, there are a number of groups that are falling through the cracks; their budgets do not exceed $100,000 (a requirement to apply for Major Community Event Grant Funding), but they need more than the maximum $7,500 in funding from the Community Event Support Grant.

“So, we have events that have budgets that aren’t quite $100,000, but they need $15,000. So, while we may have someone come asking for $250,000 or $500,000 from City Council, we also may have a group that needs more than we can give them through the small grant… so it’s made us realize there is sort of this middle level of group that we’re bringing forward to council under the major event grant that needs a bit of a boost,” Harasem explained.

The policy is currently under review, as is the application process and the budget. Harasem said they also want to create a reporting template to capture the same information from each event after it concludes, and to offer an economic impact report using consistent, measurable tools.