We received a record amount of applications for the 2018 Community Investment Grant Program. We kindly thank the representatives from the Halifax International Airport Authority, Junior Achievement of Nova Scotia, My Halifax Experience, Halifax Chamber of Commerce, Nova Scotia Business Inc., Davis Pier Consulting, Venor and The Coast, who served on the 2018 Selection Committee.

The recipients of the 2018 Community Investment Grant Program include:

Youth Go-Getter

Gnawrishing Inc.

Gnarwishing Inc. is a business venture by 17-year-old Cole Harbour High student, Minh Tran, which sells affordable, silicone teether necklaces for children and adults with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism, sensory processing disorder (SPD), and anyone with the need to chew. 

The Youth Go-Getter Grant for $2,000 will allow Minh to launch a new design of his necklace, specifically the cost of building the new mold and manufacturing it.

New Canadian Venture

Yomes 

Yomes is an online communication tool that allows tenants to share their experiences about living in certain properties or neighbourhoods, or about renting from specific landlords. It aims to educate tenants about their rights and responsibilities, while also encouraging transparency into the landlord-tenant relationship to improve compliance and problem resolution. 

The New Canadian Venture Grant for $3,000 will allow Yomes to develop a new module for tenants which would allow them to report any problems they may encounter immediately, while notifying landlords quickly to improve communication and efficiency to solve issues.

Campus Catalysts

Saint Mary University's Speak Up Society 

The Speak Up Society is the University's most intercultural society, helping to build the bridge between hundreds of Canadian and international students. Their main goals include introducing the world's cultures to students through their events, helping students tackle social introversion and anxiety, and helping to improve volunteer opportunities.

The Campus Catalyst Grant for $2,000 will allow the society to fund a campaign and several conferences to encourage students to speak their minds about misconcieved beliefs, mental struggles, stigmas and stereotypes in an effort to help members of the community understand one another.

Dalhousie's Green Chemistry Initiative

The Green Chemistry Initiative is aimed at promoting hazard-awareness and waste-reduction in the University's Chemistry Department. 

The Campus Catalyst Grant for $2,000 will allow the initiative to promote its activities, recruit members and educate others about green chemistry. This includes hosting a series of workshops, renting public spaces, and providing educational materials and refreshments to audience members.

Small Business Trailblazers

Made with Local 

Made with Local is a HRM-based company that gathers ingredients from local farmers and food producers and brings them to social enterprise bakeries, where they're made into nourishing, simple foods. The business has grown rapidly in three years, so they will be expanding into a second social enterprise production kitchen at The Stone Hearth Bakery in Halifax. 

This Small Business Trailblazer Grant for $5,000 will be used to purchase production equipment for the Stone Hearth Bakery's kitchen, ensuring they are outfitted with durable and appropriate tools to create their delicious products.

Creative Urban Timber 

Creative Urban Timber is a social enterprise that sources hardwood from firewood suppliers to create live-edge wood products, including tables, bar tops and countertops. Not only do their products cater to the trend of live-edge wood products, but the wood is entirely sourced from local firewood suppliers who have an abundance of oversized products that are unable to be processed. 

This Small Business Trailblazer Grant for $5,000 will be used to purchase a portable bandsaw mill, offering the option to do hands-on work on sites where large, urban trees are being removed. 

Community Changemakers

The Apple Kids Project

This project through Veith House was started when two school-aged kids arrived hungry on the steps of Veith House for a snack one day after school. Since then, the program has centered around healthy eating and after school activities for students in the surrounding community.

The Community Changemaker Grant for $2,000 will be used to purchase more fun and games for the kids, including ping pong tables, computers, arts and crafts, a foosball table, an air hockey table, plants for the garden, and more.

DIY and Tool Literacy Program (TLP)

This initative is by the Halifax Tool Library, a local library that lends tools. They seek to remove any barriers that prevent students, apartment dwellers, low-income residents and non-profit organizations from home improvements, or from creating their own functional or artistic items. The DIY TLP Program will invite low-income community members to partake in developmental activities to build competency and skill in operating power tools. 

The Community Changemaker Grant for $2,000 will cover prepping and operating the workspace, professional instruction, printed material, and of course, construction material.

Garden Partners 

This initative by the North End Community Circle Garden (NECCG), which has 24 raised garden beds. In 2017, a group of nearby students visited the NECCG and were surprised to learn that they had no actual water source. They then asked if they could assist with the water issue, and since then, their innovative work has led them to win a school-wide competition. From this, Garden Partners was born. 

The Community Changemaker Grant for $2,000 will further support the collaboration between NECCG and the local schools they've been working with, providing rain-collecting barrels, stepping stone pathways, plant markers, and a picnic table.