WBCF’s granting initiatives are an important part of building community in the region. We spoke to WBCF’s new Grants Committee Chair about her role, this year’s grant cycle and the vision for the future.
Q: You’ve recently moved into a new volunteer role at WBCF – the Chair of the Grants Committee. What does the role include?
A: As the chair, I help set direction for the committee’s work in evaluating the needs of the Fort McMurray Wood Buffalo community. We set the focus for our granting initiatives based on what we see in the community. I help support a diverse group of committee members on so there are a variety of voices and backgrounds represented to give the best possible perspective on our funding outreach. The Chair also helps lead the evaluation of the grant process in an unbiased and responsible manner. It’s been an honour to be a part of the WBCF for years, and stepping into the role, I realize the importance of it in terms of community contribution. I feel grateful for the opportunity.
Q: We just finished the 2025 Community Grants call for applications - what comes next for the adjudication process?
A: As a committee, we reviewed the applications to better understand the applicants’ information and data about the need they are requesting funds for, as well as understanding the amount of support some projects may have already received provided already, to ensure we are supporting multiple different demographics and groups represented in our fund disbursement.
Q: This year we saw an increase in grant applications - what do you think that means from the funding perspective?
A: Our grant focus was about mental health and resilience, and we have seen an unprecedented number of applications, which tells us that our research in community need was dead-on. It also tells us the need for building community resilience is greater than it’s ever been. It’s always difficult to make the decision of which applicants receive funding compared to others, as every organization is valued and provides needed services in our community.
Q: Who is on the grants committee? How does the group work together?
A: We have representatives from the business and education sectors, multicultural associations, Indigenous community and the social sector, which gives us great local knowledge to inform our granting initiatives. The group is very collaborative—they are open to discussion and learning about different perspectives to help make the best decision for funding in the community.
Q: What are your hopes for the WBCF’s granting program? What would you love to see in the next few years?
A: I would love for the community to see the impact that the community is providing to itself. Our themes allow us to target areas of needs and provide an avenue for donors to support the community in their area of preference, or urgent needs—something that is always evolving and changing—based on their ability to contribute. Even small contributions make a large impact in the everyday lives of our whole community, so there is no ‘right’ amount to donate to help people both in the Fort McMurray urban area and the surrounding rural areas. We support the whole region, which is very powerful.
