ReDi Grant projects need your vote

Revelstoke residents will get a say on what projects and organizations get Resident Directed (ReDi) Grant funding Tuesday, March 10 at the community voting night, hosted at the Revelstoke Community and Aquatic Centre. Applicants submitted project pitches and funding requests to Revelstoke’s ReDi Grant committee and representatives will present to the committee and attendees before supporting votes are cast.

All community members are welcome to attend and only those at the community voting night will get to weigh in on ReDi Grant projects. From food security initiatives to summer festivals, the pitches are all aimed at impacting Revelstoke in a social or environmental way. 

Over the years, the ReDi Grant program has supported the Revelstoke Golf Club, Community Connections Revelstoke Society, Arts Revelstoke, Open Mountains Project Society and more. Last year, the City of Revelstoke was granted over $383,000 to distribute to local ReDi Grant applications. 

Over 40 different projects were pitched by 35 organizations, with a combined request of nearly $824,000. The ReDi Grant committee presented its recommendations for approved pitches at a following general council meeting, which were then sent to the Columbia Shuswap Regional District (CSRD) board meeting for final approval by the CSRD Area B director.

“Applicants and organizations have their people come to support them,” City of Revelstoke community development coordinator Meghan MacIsaac said. “But we want to see the community as a whole come out, even people that aren’t directly involved or impacted by these projects.”

ReDi Grants are funded by the Columbia Basin Trust, an organization that was created to help communities impacted by the Columbia River Treaty dams and reservoir flooding. Part of the Columbia Basin Trust’s work over the decades includes securing assets and payments to impacted communities through revenue generated by the damming of the Columbia River. 

The trust partners with municipalities and First Nations throughout the Columbia River basin to help evaluate applicants and award grants. The City of Revelstoke’s community economic development department oversees the ReDi Grant administration for the city along with surrounding communities such as Beaton and Trout Lake.

“These are resident directed grants. We want to feel, to hear the support from the community and what they would like the monies to go towards,” MacIsaac said, encouraging residents old and new to Revelstoke to come and vote.

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