Millions of dollars worth of creative ideas have been submitted to help commemorate the 150th anniversary of the historic 1864 Charlottetown Conference.
Roughly 400 applications have been made to the large and medium grants with the total amount greatly exceeding the $5 million value of the 2014 Fund, says Penny Walsh McGuire, executive director of the P.E.I. 2014 Inc.
Groups were given until Jan. 11 to apply for a large grant that fell between $25,001 and $250,000. The deadline for a medium grant of $2,015 to $25,000 was Feb. 15.
McGuire says the medium-sized applications tend to be locally focused community activities of a few days whereas the applications to the large grant category tend to be for projects involving major conferences, theatre productions, works of art, and environmental activities.
"There is strong representation from youth, women, and both the aboriginal community and the Acadian community for both the large and medium-sized categories,'' said Walsh McGuire.
"The creativity, diversity and quality of the projects is very impressive. Islanders from every demographic and across the province have certainly answered the call to help shape the celebrations in 2014.''
Walsh McGuire is confident applications for small grants that can run up to $2,014 will also draw a strong response.
Final decisions won't be made on the successful applications until after the small grant application deadline on March 15th.
"The projects approved will represent a balance between large, medium and small grant applications,'' said Walsh McGuire.
All applications will go through a stringent review process with approval hinging in large part on how well a proposal aligns with the P.E.I. 2014 Fund's goals and the impact on the province, its residents and visitors.
McGuire expects the winning applicants in all three levels of grants to be announced in May.
P.E.I. 2014 Inc. is facilitating the planning, promotion and implementation of the sesquicentennial of the Charlottetown Conference, which paved the way to Confederation.
I agree with the simple request to keep the rink is usuable condition. I am curious about the mayor spending habits. How do you know about the credit card?