The Fraser-Fort George Regional District’s Select Committee on Arts, Culture and Heritage Grants approved recommendations to disburse $50,196.63 to nine local not-for-profit groups on Friday, May 9.
Coming into the meeting, the committee had 15 applications worth a total of $127,021 and a budget of $50,000 to allocate.
A report issued by district staff noted that in 2024, $93,980 worth of arts, culture and heritage grants were disbursed. $33,600 were disbursed in 2023 and $26,500 were sent out in 2020.
At the beginning of the meeting, manager of communications and culture Hilary Erasmus gave committee members a breakdown on the financial situation of the cultural endowment fund.
She said the district’s cultural endowment fund was established in 2006 and currently has a balance of $1,631,606. Of that, $1,372,000 comes from capital contributions.
Interest earned on the principle has been $436,000 over the years, but after distributing $203,000, that leaves $233,448 left.
“If the committee chose to award the full amount this year, you’re depleting 18 years’ worth of interest accruals,” Erasmus said.
She added that the amount of accrued interest has changed greatly over the years. In 2020, the fund earned $34,567. In 2021, it was $8,663. In 2022, the total was $1,479.
It then jumped way up to $85,829 in 2023 and even higher to $118,550 in 2024.
“It’s just been all over the map with the volatility of the world,” Erasmus said.
Director and committee vice-chair Cori Ramsay (City of Prince George) said part of that is the result of interest rates over the last couple of years. However, she noted that the Bank of Canada looks ready to drop interest rates below three per cent by the end of 2025 and the district should expect lower earnings as a result.
“The long-term strategy, I think, really needs to be staying within the budget to ensure that we’re not jeopardizing future granting potential,” she said.
Committee member Tracy Calogheros, the former CEO of The Exploration Place, said that when the endowment fund was established in 2006, the goal was to get the balance above $1 million and then distribute the interest going forward.
Here’s a breakdown of the discussion over the nine recommended grants. Applicants were able to request up to $10,000.
$9,921.45 for the Mackenzie Community Arts Council
The council’s application said it relocated to a new facility last year and is renovating the new space.
To facilitate a community space on the ground floor, the floor needs to be levelled to get rid of a lip near the emergency exits that serves as a tripping hazard and prevents the area from being wheelchair accessible. Then, it needs new flooring and insulation.
Committee member Megan Brumovsky, a former member of the council, noted that when the Ernie Bodin Community Centre in Mackenzie was slated for demolition, several groups like the local radio station, a seniors’ group, the museum and arts council had to find new homes.
However, the council was gifted the building that use to serve as Mackenzie’s Sikh temple as its new location.
“Structurally, it’s a great building, but it needed a new roof immediately which was a huge project” Brumovsky said. “And now they’re just taking off bite-sized pieces as much as they can to get things moving forward.”
$8,000 for the Dunster Fine Arts School Society
The society applied for $10,000 to host a youth film camp for kids aged 12 to 19 this summer.
Last year, the society had 12 kids from ages 12 to 15 attend a week-long camp where they created three short films that were presented during a mini film festival in the community.
For this year’s edition, the society is looking to work with Canadian television production company Take 5 Productions to get local facilitators from Prince George and Dunster, which the society’s application said would lower costs.
$8,000 for Wishbone Theatre
The Dunster-based organization was looking for $10,000 to put on a production of Mourning After — A Rock Musical this November and December.
Committee member Sharon Stearns submitted the application for Wishbone Theatre and the document package provided by the organization said they had performed more than 20 productions written or co-written by her since 2003.
She connected to the meeting via teleconference and did not audibly vote for or against the Wishbone grant recommendation.
$7,500 for The Exploration Place
The museum and science centre was looking for $10,000 to help transform its upper biome gallery into a hands-on science, technology, engineering, arts and math (STEAM) gallery aimed at younger visitors.
Committee members talked extensively about whether funding for science initiatives fit within the district’s cultural plans.
Ultimately, they decided that the application spelled out that the gallery was for STEAM, not STEM (science, technology, engineering and math), and that science and art are intertwined.
However, the members decided recommend funding for just 75 per cent of the total request.
$6,000 for the Method Dance Society
The society asked for $8,000 for its annual Community Moves interdisciplinary arts festival, running from May 25 to 30 at several venues across the city.
Committee members noted several typos in the society’s application. That included one form listing the request from the regional district as $8,000 and another listing it as $10,000.
They recommended $6,000 in funding for the event.
$4,000 for the Prince George Community Band
The band was looking for funds to help purchase new sheet music from Canadian and Indigenous artists as well as more modern and popular hits.
Additionally, the band wanted financial support to replace and update some of its percussion equipment.
Ramsay recused herself from this vote, saying she plays with the band though she is not a member of its executive.
The full funding amount was recommended by the committee.
$2,275.18 for Theatre Northwest
Originally, Theatre Northwest had asked for $10,000 to help with several capital improvements.
Those included a new, non-reflective, slip-resistant floor, installing blinds on the lobby windows, replacing lobby furniture and improve washroom facilities by installing a baby-changing table in the accessible washroom and adding menstrual product dispensers in all bathrooms.
The amount recommended would pay for the changing station and the menstrual product dispensers.
Ramsay noted that she had mixed thoughts on the application as a whole but felt this aspect was important and there might not be other funding sources available for it.
$2,500 for the Fraser Lyric Opera Society
The society asked for $10,000 in funding for its 2025 summer camp titled Opera Unleashed: the Art of Acting.
The vote for this application was held when only about $10,000 was left in the budget, with the committee deciding to direct $7,500 to the Exploration Place and $2,500 for the opera society.
$2,000 for the Northern BC Queer Connection Society
The society asked for $7,650 to help put on its annual pride picnic at Lheidli T’enneh Memorial Park on Saturday, July 6 from 3 to 8 p.m.
Committee members said they felt the application was Prince George-centric and didn’t have much of a regional focus. Stearns said she was concerned that no budget for the event was attached to the application.
However, they said they thought it was an important initiative and decided on recommending a $2,000 contribution.
The other applications that were received but not recommended were from:
- $10,000 for the Prince George Folkfest Society to host the “Dak’et, Shun Inli” event in November 2025
- $10,000 for the Robson Valley Music Society to host the Robson Valley Music Festival from Aug. 29 to 31 in Dunster
- $8,000 for the White Spruce City Chorus Chapter of Sweet Adelines International to purchase choral risers
- $7,500 for the Alban Classical Artists Society to host free concerts in Beaverly and Blackburn
- $7,000 for Inspiring Women Among Us at the University of Northern British Columbia for its 2025 series of events in November,
- $5,000 for Downtown Prince George to host Winterfest in February 2026
The district’s board of directors will make final decisions on the grant recommendations at its Thursday, June 19 meeting.
