Andrew Meyer says he’s always impressed with how far Lambton Creative County grants go towards encouraging more local arts, culture and heritage initiatives.
Because applicants tend to make other partnerships to buoy the as-much-as-50 per cent investment in operational expenses, the overall investment in the community through the supported projects is usually more than double the roughly $75,000 per year that comes from county coffers, said Lambton’s cultural services general manager.
“So it’s certainly having an impact,” Meyer said about the grant program started in the wake of a 2010 county cultural plan that’s, to date, backed more than 170 initiatives.
In a typical year, about 30 applications come in, and about two-thirds get funding based on criteria like partnerships, developing new and innovative cultural projects, and having the financial means to back up their vision, he said.
For 2022, there were 29 applicants and 21 projects received funding totaling nearly $102,000.
A reserve account has been built up over the years the grant committee can tap if the quality and amount of applications warrants extra investment, Meyer said.
Applications recently opened for 2023 at lambtononline.ca/creativecounty.
They close Nov. 14 at 4 pm
“We’ve actually received a lot of calls this year inquiring about the grant program,” Meyer said, “and that’s from a lot of new applicants as well, which is great to see.”
Organizations interested, but unsure whether their project might qualify, can also contact the county for advice, he said.
Capital projects like plaques and public art installations were also considered and awarded last year because of the impact of COVID-19 pandemic restrictions on organizations.
Now, it’s back to operations funding-only applications this year, Meyer said, noting that’s how the grant program has generally run since its 2013 inception.
Community consultation and survey work following 2010 found there were other capital grant sources, but cultural and heritage organizations needed operational support to get events going.
The committee, made up of Lambton County council members and citizen representatives, has “always been conscious of supporting new initiatives and avoiding funding that provides sustainability,” Meyer said.
“The idea is these are seed funds to allow organizations to start new initiatives (or expand or incorporate new partners or aspects), but they will then carry them on without the support of the Creative County grant.”