City looks at dolling out $3M in grants

Feb. 4, 2015
Mississauga.com
By Chris Clay

The city of Mississauga is considering handing out about $3 million in grants this year to a number of local community groups, festivals, sport and art organizations.

Councillors today (Wednesday, Feb. 4) recommended approving slightly more than $3 million through the municipality's annual arts and culture, cultural festivals and celebrations, recreation and sport and environment grant programs.

The grants assessment panel recommended distributing $1,604,660 to 24 different groups through the city’s arts and culture program.

If the recommendations are ultimately approved at council next Wednesday (Feb. 11) as expected, the Art Galley of Mississauga will receive the largest amount at $325,000. Other organizations receiving funding include the Mississauga Arts Council ($269,670), Heritage Mississauga Foundation ($225,000), Mississauga Symphony Orchestra ($120,000), Sampradaya Dance Creations ($120,000) and Visual Arts Mississauga ($120,000).

A number of groups that organize and present a variety of popular Mississauga festivals will receive $615,304 through the city’s cultural festivals and celebrations program.

The long-running Carassauga festival will receive the largest amount, $114,714, of the 13 organizations that were recommended to receive funding. Others recommended to receive a share include Mississauga Waterfront Festival ($100,380), Southside Shuffle Blues and Jazz festival ($94,583), Paint the Town Red ($64,051) and Bollywood Monster Mashup ($61,514).

Councillors also agreed with the assessment panel's recommendation to grant $748,833 to 15 organizations through the recreation and sports program. Safe City Mississauga is recommended to receive $318,075 with the Riverwood Conservancy ($131,859), Mississauga Sports Council ($85,000), Square One Older Adult Centre ($66,393) and Nexus Youth Services ($40,115) some of the other organizations that will likely receive funding.

EcoSource was recommended to receive $75,000 through the environment grant program.

The grants are just a small percentage of the city’s overall budget, which is an operating budget of about $695 million and a capital budget of about $190 million.