The B.C. government has announced that 42 sport organizations on Vancouver Island are slated to receive funding to help them recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.
As part of the Local Sport Relief Fund, the Province will be providing up to $7,500 in grants to non-profit sport organizations in order to assist with expenses such as insurance, administrative costs, rent, storage costs and equipment essential to providing sports programs.
These funds are in an effort to compensate for the loss of registration fees, event revenues and sponsorships that sport organizations experienced as a result of COVID-19.
This marks the second round of government funding for sport organizations during the pandemic, totalling $1 million in grants going to 214 organizations across the province — with 42 of those organizations located on Vancouver Island.
“As B.C. makes its way through Step 3 of the Province’s restart plan, I want to thank the sport and recreational organizations for the central role they play in bringing people back together and in returning to the activities we love,” said Melanie Mark, Minister of Tourism, Arts, Culture and Sport. “Volunteers have done an amazing job adapting to the pandemic. Our government is proud to support these community-based sport organizations as they work to get people back in the game.”
In the first round of funding, a total of $1.5 million to 288 local sports organizations was issued through the provincial fund.
The Province said it is focused on enhancing opportunities for more inclusive, diverse and affordable sport, suggesting it prioritized organizations serving underrepresented populations, including girls and women, persons with disabilities, underprivileged youth, racially diverse and LGBTQI2S communities.
“The Local Sport Relief Fund is helping to protect the resiliency of B.C.’s sport sector,” said Grace Lore, MLA for Victoria-Beacon Hill. “We know how difficult it has been for local sport organizations during the pandemic. These grants are exactly the type of support they need to offset the absence of registration fees, event revenues and sponsorships and to help meet costs in the return to sport.”
The Local Sport Relief Fund is administered by viaSport on behalf of the Province.
More information about the latest round of funding can be found online here.
Graham Cox
