Wilmot council backs $52K in community grants for local groups

By Galen Simmons

Everything from food security and counselling services to arts programming, minor sports and community events could receive township funding in 2026 after Wilmot councillors endorsed this year’s community grants allocations at the May 4 committee-of-the-whole meeting.

The committee comprising all members of council approved staff recommendations allocating $52,000 in grants to local organizations and community groups through the township’s annual community grants program, leaving $3,000 unallocated for potential council-directed adjustments. Final approval will come at a future council meeting.

“I noted that it was $52,000 that had been allocated,” Mayor Natasha Salonen said. “So, am I correct in assuming that we’ve budgeted for another $3,000 that could be used, should council choose, for a few other programs?”

“That’s correct,” Wilmot community services director Chris Catania responded. “ … We received 27 applications totalling almost $140,000, so very difficult to look at how we would spread (the allotted funding) based on our evaluation. There are a couple of groups here that, based on policy and eligibility, might not have received it, however, that $3,000 – like we did last year in 2025 – is there at council’s choosing to (allocate), maybe at a future date or even tonight, or later on this month at council to decide on whether you feel it’s necessary there should be a top-up.

“We wanted to be able to provide some flexibility for council to make sure the community was well represented.”

The largest recommended grant was $10,000 for the Wilmot Wellesley Resource Centre, which requested $15,000 to support food, clothing, homelessness-prevention and mental-health services for vulnerable residents. While the recommendation marked a decrease from the $15,000 the organization received in both 2024 and 2025, it still represented the single-largest allocation in this year’s program.

The Interfaith Counselling Centre was recommended to receive $6,000 to help subsidize counselling services for Wilmot residents unable to afford care, down from the $8,000 requested and the $6,700 received in 2025.

Several community organizations and festivals were also recommended for notable grants, including $4,000 for Love Your Neighbour Communities to support events like Porch Music in the Burg and a proposed social-service fair, $4,000 for Community Care Concepts and $4,000 for the Mannheim Optimist Club toward the purchase of a commercial barbecue and event tent.

Meanwhile, some applicants were recommended to receive significantly less than requested, or no funding at all.

The Baden Community Association, for example, requested $10,000 for community programming and events, but staff recommended $3,000. The Waterloo Region Community Garden Network requested $6,000 and was recommended for $500, while the Dundee Artisan Festival requested $2,500 and was recommended for $1,000.

Other groups, including the New Hamburg Firebirds, Grand River Friendship Society’s capital request, the Wilmot Softball Association and the New Hamburg Hockey Association, were not recommended for funding through this year’s program.

With the remaining $3,000 in the budget, Coun. Lillianne Dunstall moved to direct an additional $700 from that funding to the Wilmot Girls Hockey Association, which had initially been recommended to receive $880 toward coach-development programming despite requesting $2,500.

“This is (for a coaches-development training) that is a requirement from Hockey Canada and the Ontario Women’s Hockey Association,” Dunstall said. “It is always so important for us to make sure that our girls are brought up in a situation where they feel confident, and a lot of times, that has to do with sports. Having the right coaches makes a big difference, so I would ask that we take it back to the $1,500.”

Dunstall said the additional funding would bring the organization’s grant amount in line with last year’s allocation and help support the training of qualified coaches for girls’ hockey in the community. The committee supported Dunstall’s amendment unanimously.