Thirty-five local organizations presented 46 project pitches to a committee of community members and a room full of residents Wednesday, March 5 for the The Resident Directed (ReDi) Grant 2025 program, a stream of community funding provided by the Columbia Basin Trust.
The ReDi Grant program is operated by Columbia Basin Trust and provides municipalities with funding that can be distributed to various community programs and organizations based on the needs and input of residents. While Revelstoke has been receiving ReDi Grant funding for well over a decade, the latest iteration of the program provides the City of Revelstoke with over $383,000 to distribute.
Attendees were able to vote for which programs they wanted to see supported with a total of 204 votes cast. The ReDi Grant committee will evaluate the pitches, community votes and available funding before presenting its recommendations to a future city council for approval.
Organizations gave a brief summary of what they were seeking funding for, what other streams of funding they would access and how each of the program would benefit Revelstoke. Funding requests ranged from $1,900 for Avalanche Canada’s seeking $1,900 for their Staying Alive Public Avalanche Safety event to $80,000 for Community Connections Revelstoke Society’s seeking $80,000 in support of their food bank program.
Some requests were education focused, from Revelstoke Bear Aware Society looking to increase its education programs to Diverse Family Roots Society supporting its Families Housing that Fits program and other networking opportunities.
Other requests were equipment related, such as Illecillewaet Greenbelt Society seeking funding for a new snowcat trailer and Revelstoke Adaptive Accessibility Society seeking funding for a ski cart and Mobi mat to increase accessible skiing in Revelstoke.
Supporting Revelstoke’s food security was also a focus, with Indigenous Friendship Society of Revelstoke seeking funding for its partnership Food Commons Project with Revelstoke Local Food Initiative Society, which also submitted a request to better support overall food security in town.
Two of Revelstoke’s staple summer events, LUNA Fest and REVY.Live Outside sought a combined $27,900 to help fill the gaps left by other funding streams that were canceled for the upcoming season. Recreational groups like Revelstoke Cycling Association and Revelstoke Nordic Ski Club sought grant support in maintaining trails and resources that increasingly higher levels of locals and tourists are accessing.
In total, nearly $824,000 was requested in funding. The ReDi Grant committee will present its recommendations for approved pitches at a March 25 general council meeting. If approved by council, they will then be presented at the April 17 Columbia Shuswap Regional District (CSRD) board meeting for final approval by David Brooks-Hill, CSRD Area B director.
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