The B.C. government is distributing over $8.16 million in new grants to help rural communities diversify and strengthen their economies Minister of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations Steve Thomson and Parliamentary Secretary Donna Barnett announced today.

In the first intake of the three-year $75 million BC Rural Dividend, funding is being awarded to 73 local governments, First Nations and not-for-profit organizations around the province for single and partnership projects.

A total of 118 single (up to $100,000) and partnership (up to $500,000) project applications were received in the first intake.

Successful projects range from supporting development of a value-added agricultural sector in Cranbrook, to a project in Williams Lake that supports youth and seniors’ entrepreneurs, and a bioenergy system for the Kwadacha Nation in remote Fort Ware.

Last month a total of $464,294 in project development grants were awarded to develop strong single applicant, or partnerships projects, for future intakes.

The second intake of the BC Rural Dividend is now open and will close at midnight Oct. 31, 2016. Application forms can be filled out online and are available at: www.gov.bc.ca/ruraldividend.

As part of a continuous improvement process, the program’s eligibility requirements were reviewed over the summer months. The updated BC Rural Dividend Program Guide is now available online and anyone wishing to apply to the second intake can review the changes at the BC Rural Dividend web site.

The Province also released its progress report which highlights actions taken since the 2014 rural development strategy was released. The report, Accelerating Success for British Columbia’s Rural Communities, also contains a map of all the recent successful proponents. The report is available online at: http://ow.ly/2bKl304Vk9H 

Quotes:

Minister of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations Steve Thomson –

“The response to the first application intake for projects was overwhelming. The diversity of applications received reflects that the Rural Dividend is applicant driven. Communities have submitted applications that are best suited to the unique needs of their community.”

Parliamentary Secretary Donna Barnett –

“The second project intake window runs to Oct. 31, which will see more communities benefit. One of the benefits of the Rural Dividend is that communities can apply as often as they like.”

Quick Facts:

• The BC Rural Dividend is part of government’s multi-faceted response to assisting rural communities and complements existing initiatives supporting rural communities.
• The criteria for the BC Rural Dividend were conceived with input from the 13-member Rural Advisory Council, which was formed in March 2015.

Learn More:

Rural Dividend: www.gov.bc.ca/ruraldividend

Rural Advisory Council: http://ow.ly/NFhU301MfRv

A backgrounder follows.