Requests for municipal community grants in Tantramar are continuing to rise faster than the budget set aside to fund them.
Tantramar council met Monday night for a Committee of the Whole meeting, delayed from Jan. 26 due to weather. A committee of the whole meeting is a council session where all councilors meet informally to discuss reports and policy direction before decisions are brought to a regular council meeting for a final vote. The three-hour meeting covered planning and zoning changes, bylaw updates, Indigenous event approvals, and other policy items being prepared for future decisions.
Hear the story below:
Rising demand, fixed funding
During the meeting, staff told council they received more than $200,000 in community development grant applications this year, while just $137,500 is available in the municipal budget.
Matt Pryde is the director of active living and culture.
“It’s everybody’s favorite time of year where we get to give money to deserving community organizations,” said Pryde, “Overall there was over $200,000 in requests, which is about a $10,000 increase from last year. And the operational budget we have is $137,500 for funding.”
How decisions are made
Councillors asked how staff decide which organizations receive full funding and which receive less.
Councillor Allison Butcher questioned the review process.
“Some of the things, they got something last year, they requested the same this year, they get the same this coming year. Others request a larger amount and get a smaller amount… Can you remind me of what the process is for how you decide if someone gets the full amount that they’ve requested or a portion of it?”
Pryde said staff use a scoring matrix, but acknowledged the limits of the budget.
“There’s only so much money to go around, so a lot of the time it just ends up being what they asked for the previous year, unless there’s something that they’ve added to their application.”
Small increases, hard trade-offs
Some councillors pushed for modest increases to specific organizations.
Deputy Mayor Debbie Wiggins-Colwell pointed to a $200 request tied to seniors programming.
“I know this is not a substantial amount, the 200 extra dollars, but I believe this chapter would really do great at spending the extra $200 they requested.”
Pryde said even small increases would require taking funding from elsewhere.
“It’s a matter of where we’re going to take the other $200 from somebody else.”
Awareness gaps after amalgamation
Council also heard that some groups missed out entirely, not because of merit, but because they were unaware they could apply.
Councillor Barry Hicks raised concerns about lingering confusion following amalgamation.
“They did not realize that they could apply for grants… with the new reform, LSDs don’t know what they can do and what they can’t do.”
Hicks said that context should be considered when reviewing applications.
“So we gotta understand that too when we’re looking at it.”
Partial funding and new applicants
Councillor Bruce Phinney pointed to events receiving only partial funding, despite strong community support. He also raised concerns about the growing number of new applicants.
“People will ask me who are they we’re passing, giving them money, and I have to say, I have no idea who they are, where they’re from or whatever.”
Staff said information about applicants would be shared with council, but no changes were made to the recommended funding list.
In total, 55 organizations applied for funding across all grant categories. Thirty-seven were recommended to receive less than they requested, and two were recommended to receive no funding at all.
Council voted unanimously to move the 2026 Community Development Grants forward to the consent agenda for final approval at its Feb. 10 meeting.
Clinton Davis is a community journalist and audio producer covering the people, events, and ideas shaping the Tantramar region.
