2023 Community Investment Grant Recipients
In 2023, we received 381 applications from across Nova Scotia. Once again, our Member Advisory Council was engaged in the selection process, and we are pleased to share that we have selected 20 recipients who will receive $100,000 in total. We made a concerted effort again this year to support traditionally under-represented groups, guaranteeing that a minimum of $10,000 would be awarded to organizations within the BIPOC and/or LGBTQ+ communities. The successful recipients, listed below, are all creating a positive social and economic impact.
The recipients of the 2023 Community Investment Grant Program include:
Small Business
Sissiboo Coffee Roasters
The $5,500 grant will purchase a continuous band sealing machine, allowing automation for sealing and stamping coffee bags. This will increase the number of bags produced from 5 per minute to 25 per minute.
Visit the Sissiboo Coffee Roasters website»
Sow Local Seeds
The $2,500 grant will purchase commercial grade seed cleaning equipment for local seeds grown using organic practices. This will increase efficiency by 95% as well as improve overall annual order fulfillment.
Visit the Sow Local Seeds website»
Pathways to Employment
The $6,000 grant will increase the tools and shop supplies to expand The Woodshop’s employment opportunities. The Woodshop is a social enterprise dedicated to engaging individuals living with mental health and substance use problems and preparing them for the workforce.
Visit the Pathways to Employment website»
Simply Good Form
The $7,500 grant will support expansion of their free, 5-week online upskill course for 2SLGBTQ+ young adults ages 16-to-25 years old into rural communities. This is part of their THRIVE Queer Connections and Resiliency Program.
Visit the Simply Good Form website»
Mad Macs Farm
The $7,500 grant will convert a 40’ shipping container into an insulated “cool” room for produce as well as freezer space to store frozen goods. Developed as an idea after losing power during Hurricane Fiona, this project will create new food storage capacity at the farm.
Woodshed Press
The $1,000 grant will purchase electric heaters for the woodshed, making it useable in winter and preventing dampness that is currently rusting the centuries-old printing press.
Visit the Woodshed Press website»
Community
VON Nova Scotia
The $7,500 grant will build two sensory rooms, which will provide clients with dementia an environment to explore, relax and find stimulation. These rooms will deliver stimuli to various senses, using lighting effects, color, sounds, music and scents, designed to help people living with dementia live a better quality of life.
Visit the VON Nova Scotia website»
Antigonish Affordable Housing Society
The $7,500 grant will purchase generators for two comfort stations. In times of extreme weather or emergency, these stations will provide electricity, hot water, refrigeration, heat, washrooms, water and food/drink to both the tenants and town residents.
Visit the Antigonish Affordable Housing Society website»
Leave Out Violence (LOVE) Nova Scotia
The $3,500 grant will purchase tech equipment, including laptops, lighting and microphones, for the launch of Conversations for Change. This is a “by youth, for youth” virtual discussion around race, racism, environmental justice, gender, sexuality, the job market and being a young person in the 21st century, allowing NS youth the opportunity to engage in positive discussion, build confidence and become ambassadors of non-violence and relationship-building.
Visit the Leave Out Violence (LOVE) Nova Scotia website»
Parker Street Furniture and Food Bank
The $6,500 grant will create a working and learning facility for repair and refurbishment of donated furniture, and for teaching woodworking, furniture-making and related skills to youth and under-employed individuals.
Visit the Parker Street Furniture and Food Bank website»
Health, Wellness and Recreation
Blue Nile Massage and Wellness
The $8,000 grant will deliver a 12-week health and self-care program to BIPOC and other marginalized communities, aiming to alleviate pressures around healthcare and empowering individuals to take control of their health through education.
Visit the Blue Nile Massage and Wellness website»
Municipality of Victoria County
The $2,000 grant will provide free access to accessible and diverse physical activities year-round, including pickleball, ultimate frisbee and speedminton.
Visit the Municipality of Victoria County website»
PuncHIIT Fitness
The $5,000 grant will create a free youth kick-boxing program for low-income areas. This program will reduce barriers such as cost of equipment and membership fees, create a lifelong interest in health and fitness, and encourage participants to challenge themselves in fun and healthy ways.
Visit the PuncHIIT Fitness website»
Sustainability
Rising Tide Nursery
The $5,000 grant will purchase a vertical grow operation in a climate-controlled greenhouse setting for locally grown coastal plants, increasing winter growing capacity by 3000%. These plants are used for natural infrastructure, habitat restoration and nature-based shoreline projects.
Visit the Rising Tide Nursery website»
Recircle Waste Management Solutions
The $5,000 grant will automate their decontamination technology, increasing their recycling capacity from 30 to 100 pounds of plastic per hour. Their community-based recycling program collects plastic from local businesses and transforms it into a superior, differentiated commodity.
Visit the Recircle Waste Management Solutions website»
Syd Delicious
The $3,000 grant will allow this vegan bakery to transition from plastic, vacuum-sealed bags to sustainable, recyclable packaging.
Visit the Syd Delicious website»
OK Sea Salt
The $2,000 grant will purchase four new commercial countertop warmer pans that will use 25% less energy for their production facility, while also enabling them to increase production capacity for their hand-harvested sea salt blends.
Visit the OK Sea Salt website»
Arts & Culture
Cape Breton Centre for Craft & Design
The $5,000 grant will launch Craftivism, a series of conversations and workshops to learn sustainable crafting practices, while prioritizing indigenous perspectives and environmental practices. Artists will learn about opportunities to use craft techniques to respond to political and social issues using an activism lens and emphasize the role of artists in making societal change.
Visit the Cape Breton Centre for Craft & Design website»
Lunn’s Mill Beer Company
The $5,000 grant will support the Summer Showcase Concert Series, a weekly concert from May to September, featuring performance opportunities for those identifying as BIPOC, First Nations, Neurodivergent, LGBTQ2+ and youth. The series is focused on providing a safe space for those in marginalized groups and giving back to the community through showcasing local talent.
Visit the Lunn’s Mill Beer Company website»
Confederacy of Mainland Mi’kmaq
The $5,000 grant will revitalize hunter/gatherer knowledge of food sources and traditional medicines. Promoting “two-eyed seeing,” which merges strengths of Indigenous and Western knowledge and using both together for the benefit of all.
Visit the Confederacy of Mainland Mi’kmaq website»
