The City of Kimberley, at their meeting on Monday, April 28, approved the 2025-26 Columbia Basin Trust (CBT) Resident Directed (ReDi) Grants and their allocation recommendations.
The ReDi Grant Program is funded by CBT and administered by the Regional District of East Kootenay (RDEK).
"These grants require no funding from local government, but they certainly do make a massive impact on all of our local organizations," said Pam Walsh, Manager of Community Development and Communications.
This year the City of Kimberley was allocated $97,903.76 to distribute and there was $227,000 in grant requests.
"On April 7 we met at Centennial Hall and applicants came and gave short presentations on their projects," she explained. "It was an extensive night, there were 48 applicants, most of them showed and then afterwards, just a few short days later, the Selection Committee met and we adjudicated each grant with the $97,000."
Councillor Jason McBain noted that this year with the Selection Committee the distributions felt "fairly consistent" compared to how things were done in the past.
"It seems like the selection committee was a good idea and it seems like we’re getting at least similar results and consistent in the distribution, so I think that was a good way to go," he said.
Council unanimously approved the allocations and now the program administrators at the RDEK will give final consideration for approval and allocation of the funds by the RDEK board.
"Big thank you to the committee," said Mayor Don McCormick. "In terms of the grant applicants, I think everybody’s happy that they were heard, that their applications were looked at and given serious consideration and hopefully they’re happy with the money."
The full list of the 2025 ReDi Grant allocations is below:
•BC Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, East Kootenay Branch - Low Cost Spay/Neuter Community Voucher Program: $1,000
•Blue Lake Forest Education Society - Blue Paddle Campaign: $1,200
•Caregivers Network for East Kootenay Seniors Society - Food Support for Family Caregivers: $1,000
•City of Kimberley (Sponsoring: Kimberley Youth Action Network) - Youth Engagement Funding: $1,500
•Columbia Basin Environmental Education Network - Wild Voices for Kids in the RDEK: $1,500
•Columbia Basin Institute of Regional History - Unifying the Basin Through Historical Imagery: $800
•Cops for Kids Charitable Foundation - Cops for Kids Program Funds: $500
•Cranbrook Community Forest Society - Enhancements to the Cranbrook Community Forest: $500
•East Kootenay Regional Science Fair Society - East Kootenay Regional Science Fair: $500
•East Kootenay Regional Search and Rescue Society (operating Kimberley SAR) Kimberley SAR - Inflatable Boat Replacement, AED Purchase: $4,260
•East Kootenay Society For Active Living - Soccer for ALL - Free Program for Fall 2025: $1,000
•Freshwater Fisheries Society of BC - Kootenay Trout Hatchery Outreach Programs 2025-26: $500
•Key City Theatre - Society ED Fest 2025: $750
•Kimberley Arts Council Centre 64 (Sponsoring: Kimberley Clay Collective) - Kimberley Clay Collective Community Programming: $4,200
•Kimberley BC Senior Association: Kimberley BC Seniors-Line Dancing and Chair Yoga Classes: $3,300
•Kimberley District Heritage Society - Interpretive Heritage Panel Project: $5,000
•Kimberley Helping Hands Food Bank - Facility Safety Improvements: $2,617
•Kimberley Nordic Club Ski - Program Accessibility: $4,000
•Kimberley Pride Society - Kimberley Pridefest 2025: $2,000
•Kimberley Seahorse Swim Association - KSSC Equipment Enhancement Project: $2,000
•Kimberley Skating Club - Kimberley Skating Club Ice Show: $1,500
•Kimberley Wellness Foundation - E-Van Outfitting: $4,015
•Kimberley Wellness Foundation (Sponsoring S.W.I.M.) - S.W.I.M. (Seniors Wellness in Motion): $4,500
•Kootenay East Youth Soccer Association - Play with Purpose: KESA Soccer Development: $2,000
•Ktunaxa/Kinbasket Child and Family Service Society - Nourish & Thrive - Food Program at Tikxawiikimik – Foundry East Kootenay: $1,000
•LEES Spark Society for Youth - From the Ground Up: Community, Creativity, and Collective Healing: $8,911
•Meant 2B Loved Pet Rescue Society - M2BL Trap and Release (TNR) Project: $1,500
•North Star Rails to Trails Society- Rails to Trails Enhancement and Improvement: $2,000
•Northern BC Friends of Children East Kootenay Branch - Family Support: $2,000
•Original Goat Production Society - Kimberley Horror Fest: $1,500
•Rocky Mountain Metis Association - Weaving Our Future: A Holistic Metis Community Initiative: $1,500
•Rocky Mountain Riders - Livestock Containment Expansion and Upgrades: $500
•Rotary Club of Kimberley - Kimberley Rotary Playground Update: $6,200
•Sullivan Mine & Railway Historical Society - Historical Carpenter Shop Window Restoration: $7,500
•Summit Community Services - Society First Steps Play Yard: $5,000
•Symphony of the Kootenays Association - The Nutcracker: $750
•The Kimberley Curling Club - Curling Rock Refurbishment: $5,000
•Wasa & District Lions Club - Wasa Lions Grounds Maintenance: $400
•Wildsight Kimberley/Cranbrook - Food & Community Project (FCP): $4,000
