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Non-profits secure core funding but struggle with fiscal sustainability on Cortes Island

A child smiles by a big bowl of soup.
The First Years Care Collective is working with the CCHA to bring free soup lunches to young families every Thursday at Mansons Hall. Photo by Desta Beattie.
Loni Taylor - CKTZ - Cortes Island • BC | 01-03-2023
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Several Cortes Island non-profit organizations received grants recently, helping to secure their operations for now. But some of the organizations worry about their long-term financial sustainability.

This winter, the Gender Equality Fund dispensed $40,000 to Cortes non-profits through the Cortes Island Foundation. The organizations are offering programming that aims to benefit women, two-spirited, and non-binary people on Cortes Island. The awarded organizations for 2023 include the Southern Cortes Community Association (SCCA), The Women’s Centre, and the Cortes Community Health Association (CCHA).

The Strathcona Regional District (SRD) also approved $18,000 in Grant-In-Aid funding recently for several non-profits, including the CCHA.

The CCHA received $11,000 between two grants awarded so far this year. Some of the money ($5,000 from the Gender Equality Fund) is providing core funding for a new “Free Lunches for Young Families” program which does not have long-term funding secured yet. Similar to the Women's Centre, the CCHA is still struggling to find sustainable financing solutions.

Desta Beattie, family coordinator for the CCHA, spoke about the financial need to help maintain the new free lunch program.

“We were hoping to have some more funding to be able to do more, so that may happen as we become more established. But at this point, we're still just trying to make sure we have enough cooks in the kitchen to make sure the soup gets made.”

Despite the intentions of these non-profit led programs, they lack secure long-term funding sources. There may be some solutions to be found through support from volunteers, according to the CCHA. 

“We definitely are welcoming anyone who wants to make soup come in, come and make soup for sure. We've relied on mainly two cooks so far. We have a third one coming in next week. But if anyone else out there is interested in coming to make a meal for some really sweet families, please be in touch,” Beattie said.

Beattie clarified that the funding is only covering the cost of ingredients. She estimates they have served a total of 100 meals so far. The lunches are offered every Thursday at noon in Mansons Hall.

Christina MacWilliam is a member of the Cortes Foundation and sat on the community granting jury, awarding the Gender Equality Fund. She noted how rare core funding opportunities are to find and secure.

“Often grants don't allow that. It's only capital expenses that get funded. there's really an effort to try and look at funding and granting and the peripheries of people, the non-usual suspects: who's not at the table? Who's not getting grants?’”

To learn more about the CCHA's efforts, email first.years.cortes@gmail.com 

To hear more about all the programming receiving funding, listen to the CKTZ News Update below:

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