Granting over $1 million to charities this spring, Niagara Community Foundation (NCF) is making significant investments in our community, touching all sectors across Niagara. Through NCF’s Environmental Grants, David S. Howes Fund Grants, Mini Grants and Summer Camp Grants, 54 charities in Niagara received a boost to their programming and services, across all sectors.
One notable grant was given to St. Catharines World Rowing. Through the David S. Howes Fund, $29,597 was awarded to the charity to support an accessibility project that will ensure athletes coming to Niagara for the 2024 World Rowing Championships in August, will have no restrictions based on their abilities to compete, and the on-course experience will be safe for all. This permanent enhancement to the facilities will have an impact on this summer’s games and to all future athletes to come.
“When PARA athletes approach the victory ceremony at the Grandstand, they must dock and make their way to the podium to receive their medals,” says Bill Schenck, Chairman of the St. Catharines World Rowing. “This project will make the dock accessible allowing for an easy transition from the shells to the dock that includes an 18-inch rise from the dock to the Grandstand. The project design has created a seamless pathway that allows PARA rowers to access the podium and be given their medals in the same way that all others winning rowers will experience.”
“Projects like the PARA Accessibility and Water Safety Project fully align with the original intent of the David S. Howes Fund,” says Bryan Rose, Executive Director of NCF. “Fundholders come to us with a desire to make an impact in Niagara and it is our privilege to turn that intent into impact, in noticeable, sustainable and effective ways.”
A full listing of all the grants can be found below:
- 11 Environmental Grants = $200,025
- 18 David S. Howes Fund Grants =$741,874
- 17 Mini Spring Grants = $24,684
- 20 Summer Camp Grants = $38,295 (298 kids supported)
- TOTAL= $1,004,878
Established in 2000, Niagara Community Foundation has raised over $82.3 million and has granted in excess of $27.5 million to charities working in the arts, heritage, environment, social services, health, education and community development sectors. NCF connects donor to causes and communities to resources, turning intent into impact.
About the 2024 World Rowing Championships
From August 18-25, 2024, St. Catharines is set to welcome the world for the 2024 World Rowing Senior, Under 23 and Under 19 Championships at the historic Royal Canadian Henley Rowing Course. Known for its legacy in hosting major competitions, including two previous World Rowing Championships, the Henley Rowing Course will bring together 2,500 athletes from over 80 countries in what is the biggest and most important World Rowing event of the season.
Media Contact: Vittoria Wikston | vwikston@sportniagara.ca | 905-321-5979
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2024 Environmental Grants
ORGANIZATION NAME | GRANTS | PROJECT SUMMARY |
| City of Niagara Falls | $4,500 | Environmental Action Committee will partner with local school groups to plant native Carolinian trees within Preakness Park to help enhance the urban forest canopy. |
| City of St. Catharines (Haig Neighbours) | $3,525 | ArborSTC will canvass residences in the Queenston neighbourhood of St. Catharines to offer native species trees and/or tree planting services to property owners and tenants at no cost. |
| City of Welland | $12,000 | Support tree canopy replacement project along the Kingsway/Canal Lands is a proactive step toward environmental responsibility and community improvement. |
| Heatland Forest Nature Experience | $33,000 | Restore forest and wetland habitat, providing citizen science opportunities and educating through signage, interactive programming and a new Water Quality educational exhibit within the Discovery Atrium. |
| Niagara College | $13,000 | Fill knowledge gaps with the necessary equipment to install a Motus tower at Welland Campus that will allow for complete coverage of Niagara Region, providing valuable data to inform conservation decisions on local & global scales. |
| Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority | $47,000 | Restore 6 ha of wetland habitat and enhance 160 m of Lake Erie shoreline within Lakewood Conservation Area, including managing invasive species, planting of native trees/plants, and installing nature-based shoreline solutions. |
| Scouts Canada | $30,000 | Restore 12 Mile Creek, vital to Niagara's ecosystem, ensuring the return of brook trout and other species to Camp Wetaskiwin and remove invasives, plant native trees for shade, and curb erosion to revive the cold-water stream. |
| Show Festival Theatre, Canada | $10,000 | Assess current practices and carbon footprint and, using the Theatre Green Book as a guide, we will create a roadmap for us and for the Canadian theatre industry, on how to become more environmentally sustainable. |
| The Niagara Parks Foundation | $20,000 | Restore and expand 1km of riparian vegetated buffers along the Niagara River shoreline through the removal of invasive species and the planting of over 7,500 native plants. |
| The Regional Municipality of Niagara | $10,000 | Create and deliver hands-on learning opportunities to teach the community about stream science, how water moves across the landscape, why erosion happens, and how conservation practices can be implemented to prevent erosion and water quality impacts. |
| The Town of Lincoln | $17,000 | Support Mini Forests Pilot Project, using the Miyawaki model that aims to naturalize our urban spaces with a forest habitat, in compact areas, this project combats climate change, boosts urban biodiversity, and forms a green oasis. |
TOTAL | $200,025 |
2024 David S. Howes Fund Grants
Organization Name | Grant | Project Summary |
| Alzheimer Society of Niagara Region | $41,420 | Establishment of a Niagara Family Physician Dementia Community of Practice will invoke system changes to improve diagnosing dementia and post-diagnostic supports in Niagara for both family physicians and persons concerned about cognitive changes. |
| Attachment and Trauma Treatment Centre for Healing (ATTCH) Niagara | $50,000 | Provide pretreatment assessment and support to vulnerable people with complex, mental health needs while they wait for trauma specific therapy and offer neurofeedback sessions for therapists to facilitate wellness and avoid burnout. |
| Boys and Girls Club of Niagara | $45,000 | Replace HVAC unit, gym divider system and renovate existing underutilized space for the organization. |
| Central Station Education Initiative | $26,532 | Preserve a uniquely designed heritage Fire Station with over 100 years of firefighting history and deliver programming to enlighten visitors about firefighting history. |
| Heart Niagara | $48,877 | Purchase state-of-the-art holter diagnostic devices to support family medicine practices in timely diagnosis and treatment of chronic disease while all net revenues are reinvested in Niagara families. |
| Kids Care Oncology Central West Ontario | $75,000 | Support RMHC Family Room at St. Catharines Hospital that will provide respite areas, laundry, and food services directly inside the hospital to ensure families can rest and recharge while remaining close to their hospitalized children. |
| Kristen French Child Advocacy Centre Niagara | $27,500 | Support new innovative play space and multipurpose room will serve as a hub for therapeutic afterschool programs and Camp Acorn, as well as allow the Centre to support more Niagara kids in more meaningful ways through new programs and services. |
| Lincoln Pelham Public Library - Fonthill | $33,000 | Support Driving Literacy and Community Connection – a Bookmobile service throughout its communities by retrofitting a vehicle to act as a mobile library branch supporting underserved populations in Lincoln and Pelham. |
| Literary Link Niagara | $15,000 | Support WrapAround model, where learners benefit from a team of supporters who encourage successful completion of their program, including friends, family members, educators, employment & social services. |
| Niagara Foundation for Family & Children's Services | $42,000 | Purchase six-person vans to support the transportation needs of children between the ages of 9-14 living in a ten-bed residential treatment home in Welland, which is due to begin operations in January 2025. |
| Niagara Regional Sexual Assault Centre | $55,264 | Support mentoring program that will increase capacity to serve clients through a structured trauma training curriculum aimed at cultivating skills, refining evidence-based interventions and increasing proficiency in the nuances of trauma work. |
| Port Cares | $27,500 | Support the provision of outdoor furnishings and equipment for new housing development providing deeply affordable rental housing for vulnerable low-income independent seniors and female led single rent families with young children. |
| St. Catharines World Rowing | $29,597 | Support the accessibility project that will ensure athletes coming to Niagara will have no restrictions based on their abilities to compete and the on-course experience will be safe for all. |
| St. John Ambulance, Niagara Region Branch | $37,500 | Support repairs required at St. John House to ensure Community Services Units and volunteers are able to receive high quality training to serve all of Niagara. |
| The Bridge Church | $42,722 | Develop a Food Recovery Program to leverage existing food resources in Niagara Falls through a system that allows for the collection and redistribution of untouched food to food-insecure community members. |
| The Town of Lincoln | $42,962 | In partnership with the Niagara Regional Native Centre and Plenty Canada, support the planning and developing of Sho'aríshon Park into a gathering space that recognizes longstanding Indigenous presence in the Niagara Region through arts and culture. |
| Victim Services Niagara | $87,000 | Over two years, support an A-HT coalition that will work in tandem with the A-HT protocol to benefit survivors by improving access to services, assist in system navigation, service mapping, and identify gaps in service delivery and client needs. |
| Wellspring Niagara Cancer Support Foundation | $15,000 | Renovate an unfinished room to accommodate the increased demand for program, services and office space. |
TOTAL | $741,874 |
2024 Summer Camp Grants
ORGANIZATION NAME | GRANTS |
| Autism Ontario - South Region | $2,000 |
| Carousel Players | $1,425 |
| Cave Springs Camp Inc. | $1,000 |
| City of Welland | $2,000 |
| Community Living of Fort Erie | $2,500 |
| Community Living Port Colborne-Wainfleet | $2,500 |
| Community Living Welland Pelham | $2,500 |
| Faith Tabernacle Pentecostal Assembly (Faith Welland Outreach) | $2,000 |
| Femmes du Feu Creations | $1,600 |
| Heartland Forest Nature Experience | $1,500 |
| Kristen French Child Advocacy Centre Niagara | $1,600 |
| Learning Disabilities Association of Niagara Region | $2,000 |
| Links for Greener Learning | $1,000 |
| Red Roof Retreat | $2,000 |
| The Niagara Pumphouse Arts Centre | $1,500 |
| The Town of Lincoln | $1,670 |
| Thorold Community Activities Group | $2,000 |
| Town of Pelham | $2,000 |
| YMCA of Niagara | $3,500 |
| Young Caregivers Association | $2,000 |
TOTAL | $38,295 |
2024 Spring Mini Grants
Organization Name | Grants | Project Summary |
| Caribbean Workers Outreach Project | $1,500 | Hire seasonal Program Coordinator to arrange for buses, recruit leaders and volunteers, book venues and arrange for food and refreshments, for weekly community gatherings and special events. |
| Cave Springs Camp Inc. | $1,500 | Purchase 80 Personal Flotation Devises for canoeing and pond studies areas ensuring safety of all participants. |
| Femme du Feu Creation | $1,500 | Purchase supplies for summer camps for youth to explore and learn about circus arts in downtown Welland with expanded aerial performance and juggling elements. |
| Folk Arts Council of St. Catharines | $1,500 | Support event to address anti-Asian racism, by creating a safe space, using art to encourage dialogue, compassion and understanding with a focus on accessibility; sensory friendly. |
| Heart Niagara | $1,500 | Update organizational bylaws in compliance with ONCA standards and provide trauma-informed service training for staff, prompted by expanded services to 2SLGBTQ+ communities. |
| Horse Cents for Kids | $1,500 | Purchase new horseback riding saddle for use in horsemanship programs. |
| I Am Compelled Collective (I Am Compelled) | $1,500 | Using film to championing Treaty 6 histories and culture by sharing the untold stories of Frog Lake First Nation. |
| Lincoln Pelham Public Library - Fonthill | $1,500 | Support Baby’s First Book program which includes free book and library information package to create awareness of library programs and services and support early literacy for healthy brain development. |
| Niagara Falls Public Library | $1,500 | Support The Puzzle Collection, including jigsaw puzzles with a mix of themes including for people with dementia, children, a general adult audience, and a selection of custom printed puzzles featuring images from Local History Collection. |
| Project SHARE | $1,500 | Re-purpose storage room into board room and create additional office space to increase physical building capacity to meet the community need. |
| The Brown Homestead | $1,500 | Support the attendance of staff members at national and provincial conferences to gain knowledge, skills and experience as well as build connections with industry leaders in our sector. |
| The Hope Centre | $1,500 | Develop Case for Support that will showcase the compelling stories of the Centre and will form the basis of annual giving campaign for major donors aimed at supporting ongoing operations. |
| The Niagara Pumphouse Arts Centre | $1,500 | Upgrade two printers to improve overall organizational capacity and improve efficiency, productivity and cost savings. |
| The Willow Community Support Services (Willow Arts Community) | $1,000 | Increase visibility and outreach through marketing materials; helping to reach broader audiences and foster more community engagement, which amplifies impact and promotes meaningful connections within community. |
| Wellspring Niagara Cancer Support Foundation | $1,184 | Develop and maintain mini gardens for fresh herbs and vegetables for healthy eating programs while fostering volunteer and member connections while nurturing relationships and supporting each other through shared experiences. |
| West Niagara Agricultural Society | $1,500 | Have volunteers build bleachers and a bench for community use. |
| YMCA of Niagara | $1,500 | Provide key day camp staff with enhanced pre-camp training (NVCI) to support the needs and well being of individuals who are in distress and may demonstrate inappropriate or risk behaviours while in the camp environment. |
TOTAL | $24,684 |
