The Grant Writer Services program, administered by the PRRD with partial funding support from the Northern Development Initiative Trust, passed a milestone in July with over 1.6M in funding secured for 12 community groups in the Peace region. While the program has been available in some form since 2017, the PRRD established a new service contract in spring 2021. Clear Course Consulting Ltd., a collective of for-purpose strategic communications specialists and grant writer professionals, has so far connected with over 35 community groups through the program.
As of July 2022, Clear Course has supported 22 groups with grant applications and hosted ten (10) information sessions and workshops to bolster regional grant writing capacity. In addition to a host of new online grant writing resources, subscribers receive an e-newsletter each month that outlines upcoming grant opportunities in the region with application deadlines and writing tips.
The Peace River Regional District has an established history of giving back to its constituents, and the Grant Writer Services program is an important piece of a commitment to growing strong communities. As PRRD Board Chair Brad Sperling notes, “The services of a professional grant writer are extremely valuable to community groups, as they often rely on fundraising and grants to undertake projects and services that benefit us all. The reality is that grant writing can be overwhelming and time-consuming, especially for a not-for-profit group where time and resources are limited. It’s vital that we put this program into the toolkit for our community groups to take the guesswork out of grant writing and applications.”
The team leads at Clear Course are excited about the future of the program as they reflect on its milestones:
“Even though more than 35 community groups have already reached out for support through the Grant Writer Services program, we’re hopeful that many more non-profit groups will take advantage of this free service especially as we head into another busy grant writing season this fall.”
– Dawn Johnson
“Getting to know each organization and their vision for growing services and improving operations is inspiring. Finding suitable grants for projects and writing compelling grant applications is what we do best, and since most organizations are volunteer-run, we appreciate how valuable this service is for the communities in the Peace River region.”
– Monica Sander Burns
The Grant Writer Services program is free and available to all community groups in the Peace River Regional District with projects or services that also benefit the rural electoral areas. The groups that are eligible for the program include not-for-profit societies, charities, church groups, community hall operators, parent advisory councils and emergency services associations. The Regional District encourages all who are interested in the program to sign up for the monthly newsletter at prrd.bc.ca/grants or to direct their questions to a grant writer, at grantwriter@prrd.bc.ca.
