November 2022 - Newsletter

Two Northern B.C. arts organizations have received the Lieutenant Governor’s Platinum Jubilee Arts and Music awards for their efforts to bring quality art and artists to their respective regions.

Skeena Salmon Arts Festival, a First Nations art collective, was recognized for their deliberate efforts to bring high quality public art to northwestern B.C. through murals, sculptural installations, banners and Skeena Salmon Arts Fest.

“We are honoured to receive this prestigious award in recognition of the work we have done in supporting our diverse and highly talented professional arts community in the north,” said Dave Gordon, president, Skeena Salmon Arts Fest Society. “Public art builds pride in our sense of community.  We look forward to continuing this work for years to come.”

Island Mountain Arts Society received the honour for their dedication to bringing world-class and emerging artists to Wells, a small community in the Cariboo, for gallery exhibitions, workshops and performances, as well as supporting multidisciplinary artistic development in the Cariboo region over the past 45 years.

“It was deeply touching to receive this nomination and award,” said Elyssia Sasaki, executive/artistic director of Island Mountain Arts. “We are ever grateful to the folks who put their time into nominating our organization, to our funders, partners and supporters who make our organization’s work possible and to the many volunteers and staff from our past and present that have contributed to who we are today.”

Both of these organizations have received funding through the Trust’s Fabulous Festivals and Events funding program, which supports their respective annual arts festivals.

Island Mountain Arts Society has also been approved for three Marketing Initiatives grants in addition to four Fabulous Festivals and Events grants. To date, they have accessed nearly $40,000 from Northern Development.

The awards are a one-time event that recognizes groups and individuals who have demonstrated exceptional leadership, creativity, community engagement and commitment in visual arts, music or performance. The awards were part of celebrations organized in honour of Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee.

High functioning art societies enrich their communities by enhancing residents’ quality of life by providing access to meaningful art, facilitating avenues for artists to share their work and increasing the tourism economy through signature events.

Tourism Prince Rupert launched their new visitor website on November 28, bringing an engaging and effective platform to benefit those who are travelling to the area and the local businesses they will visit.

The modern website had been in the works for some time, with Tourism Prince Rupert updating their brand identity in 2020 and looking for ways to showcase their new look to potential visitors. The new digital platform also allows them to share new information with viewers, including a robust business directory, Ts’mysen culture and history, a travel pledge and community events calendar.

“Tourism Prince Rupert is excited to have this new digital presence to help market Prince Rupert as unique and world-class visitor destination,” said Ceilidh Marlow, executive director, Tourism Prince Rupert. “The new resources and features will help us support not only visitors with their trip-planning, but also local businesses in the tourism sector by promoting them to visitors. We are extremely thankful for the financial support from NDIT for this project.”

In February 2022, the association successfully applied for a $10,200 Marketing Initiatives grant from Northern Development to assist with 50 per cent of the costs of replacing a former WordPress-based website that was developed in-house many years ago. The new website alleviates problems that the prior version had, including slow loading times, poor mobile experience and hard-to-navigate menus.

The fresh website comes as B.C.’s tourism industry is expecting a resurgence after the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, people searching for their next travel destination will be met with a modern first impression when they view the coastal community’s online presence.

The addition of a business directory and community events calendar will enhance tourism benefits for local organizations, by providing them with a strong web presence in front of those who are unfamiliar with the area and the amenities the city offers.

Since 2006, Northern Development has been offering the Marketing Initiatives grant to local governments, Indigenous governments and non-profits, supporting their efforts to implement new marketing projects that support economic vitality. To date, 0ver 200 projects have received $2,674,080 in funding through the program.

All three of Northern Development’s capacity building programs are accepting applications through their respective annual intakes. The Economic Development Capacity Building, Grant Writing Support and Internships programs are all designed to strategically respond to the needs of government organizations in Northern B.C.

Economic Development Capacity Building:Up to $50,000 is available to municipalities and regional districts each year to assist with the costs of pursing economic development activities or to hire and maintain an economic development officer. In 2022, 44 local governments were approved for $2,159,896 through this program.
Applications to the Economic Development Capacity Building program are accepted beginning November 1 and must be received by March 31, 2023.

Grant Writing Support: Up to $8,000 is available to local and Indigenous governments to support a grant writing position. Grant writers support their communities by helping organizations access external grant funding by preparing application forms. Since 2007, Northern Development has approved 764 grants through the program, totaling $5,585,684.
Applications to the Grant Writing Support program opened on November 1 and must be received by January 31, 2023.

Local and Indigenous Government Internships: Up to $55,000 is available for eligible governments to host an intern for a one-year period. Of this, up to $10,000 may be provided as a housing allowance for eligible interns. The internship programs increase capacity in government offices while providing recent post-secondary graduates with experience and connections to help progress their career. Since 2009, 128 interns have participated in various iterations of the program, with 42 alumni currently working in local government and 11 alumni working in Indigenous government.
Governments must apply to host an intern by January 6, 2023. Potential interns must apply by February 12, 2023.

Help us celebrate your organization’s accomplishments from the past year! Our December newsletter will highlight some of the incredible things that have happened in Northern B.C. with the assistance of a grant from Northern Development in 2022.

Did a local non-profit break ground on a game-changing project? Did an Indigenous government undertake an initiative that will support their community for years to come? Did a local government improve the lives of residents in a unique way? Did a locally owned business introduce a new service?

Let us know! While we try to stay on top of the amazing things that Northern B.C. residents and organizations are doing, sometimes we miss something, or we do not realize the significant impact a project will have.

If you have a story suggestion, please email Anna Duff, senior communications officer, at anna@northerndevelopment.bc.ca.

Did you know that Northern Development has a Funding Program Matrix? This handy one-page document lists all Northern Development’s core programs, including business development, community development and capacity building. Funding programs administered for other organizations, such as Northern Healthy Communities Fund and BC Hydro Peace Agricultural Compensation Fund, are not included.

Ideal for those who are learning about the Trust’s programs, or want to discover new funding opportunities, the Funding Program Matrix provides a funding program description, who can apply, how much money is available and intake frequency.

For those with more specify inquiries, visit the funding program webpage or contact Northern Development via phone (250, 561-2525) or email (info@northerndevelopment.bc.ca) to discuss your project ideas.

View the Funding Program Matrix and other funding process documents.