When the Alberta government announced the Faith-based and Cultural Facilities Relaunch Grant in mid-November, cultural and religious leaders across the province sighed in relief. .Amid some pushback, religious leaders widely applauded the move to provide eligible organizations one-time funding assistance..The $5,000 maximum, totalling $1 million in taxpayer funding, will go to organizations whose mandate includes a religious, spiritual, or ceremonial component and intends to offset the costs incurred to relaunch gatherings while following Alberta’s public health measures..The grant helps with changes to facility spaces that create no-contact areas, better ventilation, procurement of personal protective equipment (PPE), contracted cleaning services, technology upgrades for online delivery of services and language translation of health-related signage. .Raj Sidhu, Director of Operations for Calgary’s Dashmesh Culture Centre, said the relaunch grant is a significant boon that could help keep their doors open..“We applied for the relaunch grant, so we can continue to provide food security to those in need and purchase more PPE to protect our visitors and volunteers,” he said..“This grant provides the relief required for us to keep our community programs going and assist those in need during these difficult times.”.Calgary’s Sikh community accepts food bank donations and prepares over 700 meals a day to alleviate ongoing food shortages across the city before the extended lockdowns. Sidhu said the collaborative partnerships with small businesses, non-profits, wholesale food-chains and private individuals brought Calgarians together amidst unprecedented economic hardship to make this initiative possible..Amid surging COVID-19 caseloads in mid-December, brought in new measures to fight the pandemic..Since December 13, places of worship were limited to 15 per cent of capacity. Dr. Deena Hinshaw, Alberta’s Chief Medical Officer of Health, strongly recommended virtual or online services in the place of traditional practice..Drive-in services where people do not leave their vehicles and adhere to guidance are also allowed..For Jojo Ruba, the Faith Builder International Church’s youth co-ordinator, the relaunch grant is a significant step..“I’m part of a Filipino church in Calgary, and we work with many other Filipino churches in our city,” Ruba said..“Like many ethnic churches, we provide all kinds of services that help new Canadians integrate into Canadian society. This includes helping them access government services, providing support for new Canadians looking for a job or our ethnic foods and helping their kids integrate with other Canadians through youth programs we run.”.The Faith Builder International Church provides support for new Canadians at no cost..“Our church also rents from the Croatian Cultural Centre in Calgary,” said Ruba..“Though we don’t directly benefit from this service ourselves because we don’t have a building, we benefit because it helps the Centre survive these difficult times. My only hope is the government will look at ways to expand the program and help cultural groups like ours that don’t have a building.”.With the deadline for the first round of installments passed, applicants will be notified by March of their application status. Due to limited funds and high demand, priority funding will be given to small and medium-sized organizations..The Alberta government continues to accept applications in advance of the second deadline on March 1, where applicants will be notified in May..DHALIWAL is an Edmonton-based freelance reporter.
