CFKR Reaches All-Time High with 2025 Granting

Elkford, Sparwood, Fernie, and Cranbrook, BC: April 10, 2025 – The Community Foundation of the Kootenay Rockies (CFKR) has reached a new all-time high in its annual community granting, with over $155,000 available to disburse in 2025.

In 2025, CFKR has granted a total of more than $130,000 to 62 community initiatives, six scholarships, and one community volunteer award. In addition, a total of over $25,000 has been re-invested in the principals of 15 endowment funds, to grow future granting.

CFKR Executive Director, Lynnette Wray, said “It’s truly an honour and a privilege to support our communities with this on-going giving from our 47 permanently invested endowment funds. Congratulations and thank you to each of our 2025 grant recipients for their excellent work in our communities. We would also like to share our heartfelt thanks with all our donors, endowment founders, and board/committee members, past and present, for their dedicated support.”

In 2025, CFKR granted to a wide range of community projects and programs. Each grant application was reviewed by CFKR’s local volunteer committees, with granting decisions ratified by the CFKR Board.

 

Elkford Community Fund: $4,420.79

  • Elkford Public Library Association – Story Walks: $1,000.00
  • Fernie Trails Alliance Association for Elkford Trails Alliance Society – Boivin Cabin Loop Trail: $1,420.79
  • Sparwood & District Arts and Heritage Council for East Kootenay Disc Golf Club – Benches: $2,000.00

 

Sparwood Community Fund: $7,261.34

  • The Board of Education of School District No. 5 Southeast Kootenay for Sparwood Secondary School – Ninja Playground: $2,000.00
  • Sparwood & District Arts and Heritage Council for Sparwood Farmers’ Market Society – Live Music and Activities: $2,000.00
  • Sparwood & District Arts and Heritage Council for Sparwood Trails Alliance – Rest Stop Station: $1,661.34
  • Sparwood & District Arts and Heritage Council for Michel Natal Sparwood Heritage Society – Participating in the Sparwood Farmers’ Market: $1,600.00

 

Fernie Community Fund: $ 4,990.29

  • Special Olympics British Columbia Society – Elk Valley – Travel for Bocce: $645.50
  • Rocky Mountain Village Auxiliary Society – Seniors’ Activities: $1,000.00
  • Fernie & District Arts Council – Wednesday Social Kids’ Tent: $1,000.00
  • Cranbrook and District Restorative Justice Society – Training and facilitation: $1,000.00
  • Fernie Women’s Resource and Drop In Centre for The Joan Delich Kindergym Society – Play Equipment and Storage: $581.79
  • Elk River Watershed Alliance for Wild Wapiti Playschool Society – Watershed Education: $763.00

 

In Cranbrook and area, including the South Country, $34,689.60 was granted to a total of 21 community initiatives, funded by several endowments, including the Cranbrook Community Fund; Seniors’ Enhancement Fund; Kimberley-Cranbrook 2008 Winter Games Arts/Culture and Sports Funds; Knights of Pythias Fund; Arts, Culture, and Heritage Fund; Environment Fund; Outdoor Recreation Fund; Neil & Patricia Sinclair Fund, and Addressing Homelessness Fund:

  • Knights of Pythias Community Volunteer Award: $750.00
    • Annual application process in the fall of 2025
  • Addressing Homelessness Fund:
    • ANKORS – After-Hours Peer Outreach: $2,358.79
    • Cranbrook Community Connections Society of Southeast BC – Finishing Touches for the New Homeless Shelter: $2,358.79
    • Cranbrook Food Bank Society – Nourishing Outreach Program: $2,358.80
  • Community Connections Society of Southeast BC – Bellies to Babies Food Security Project: $2,000.00
  • Cranbrook and District Arts Council – Summer Festivals Project: $1,500.00
  • Community Mental Health Association – Kootenay – Mental Health Training: $2,000.00
  • Cranbrook Food Bank Society – Specialized Nutrition Project: $2,000.00
  • Cranbrook and District Restorative Justice Society – Cranbrook Minor Hockey Association U15 Tier 3 Provincial Hockey Tournament: $1,861.95
  • Community Connections Society for Southeast BC – Cranbrook Women’s Resource Centre Senor Women’s Fitness: $2,000.00
  • Northern BC Friends of Children Society – East Kootenay Friends of Children Medical Travel Costs: $2,000.00
  • Triangle Women’s Institute – Galloway Curling Club Kitchen sink and taps: $750.00
  • KidSport Canada – KidSport Cranbrook Youth Sport Grants: $2,000.00
  • Cranbrook Kimberley Hospice Society – Cranbrook Sunrise Rotary Kootenay Rockies Gran Fondo Community Bike Ride: $1,018.32
  • Regional District East Kootenay – North Star Rails to Trails Society Administration Costs: $1,300.00
  • Cranbrook and District Restorative Justice Society – Training and facilitation: $2,000.00
  • Cranbrook and District Arts Council – Senior Citizens’ Association of Cranbrook/Cranbrook Potters’ Guild Slab Roller: $1,577.78
  • BC Community Response Network – Seniors in Partnership Inter-Generational Activities: $1,940.37
  • City of Cranbrook – Spirit of the Rockies Central Fairgrounds Entertainment: $1,018.94
  • Summit Community Services Society – Victim Services Accredited Support Dog: $500.00
  • Cranbrook Community Forest Society – Wildhorse Cycling Club Youth Program: $476.00
  • Wildsight – Watershed Matters: $919.86

 

CFKR’s agency/designated endowment funds provided the following grants: $30,073.67

  • StellerVista Credit Union Fund – Cranbrook Salvation Army’s local food programs: $5,000.00
  • BGC Cranbrook Fund: $526.66
  • Columbia Outdoor School/Blue Lake Camp Legacy Fund: $3,998.22
  • Cranbrook Community Forest Society Legacy Fund: $1,024.60
  • Cranbrook Community Theatre Legacy Fund: $816.77
  • Cranbrook History Centre Endowment Fund: $2,240.69
  • Cranbrook Public Library Fund (QD: Cranbrook Public Library): $1,215.45
  • East Kootenay SPCA Fund: $768.04
  • Friends of Fort Steele Society Fund: $9,716.20
  • Key City Theatre Legacy Fund: $522.37
  • Symphony of the Kootenays Fund: $4,244.67

 

CFKR’s donor-advised funds granted the following: $8,710.15

  • Cranbrook Past and Present Teachers’ Legacy Fund – SD#5 Project TBC: $787.14
  • Community Matters Legacy Fund – EKFH Renal/Oncology project: $795.10
  • Greg Fisher Community Fund:
    • EKFH – Renal/Oncology project: $1,000.00
    • Angel Flight East Kootenay: $1,000.00
    • RDEK – North Star Rails to Trails: $237.65
  • Hough-Ingalls Fund for Animal Welfare – EK SPCA dog bed project: $500.00
  • Janice Regnier Fund for Mental Health and Addictions – Angel Flight East Kootenay: $923.88
  • Jim and Delphine (Bella) Kennelly Legacy Fund – EKFH Renal/Oncology project: $2,735.29
  • Melodie Hull Fund for Mental Health and Addictions – British Columbia Schizophrenia Society for regional support group: $731.09

 

CFKR’s donor-advised Casey & Corrine Hanemayer Fund granted a total of $35,437:

    • Symphony of the Kootenays – The Nutcracker: $2,000.00
    • BC Wildlife Federation – Fishing Forever: $2,000.00
    • Cranbrook Physical Literacy Society – Mobility Enhancement: $2,000.00
    • ANKORS – Peer Art: $2,000.00
    • EK SPCA – Dog Beds: $1,200.00
    • BGC Cranbrook – Youth Entrepreneurships: $2,000.00
    • The Cranbrook Archives Museum and Landmark Society/Cranbrook History Centre:
      • Laptop/projector: $2,000.00
      • Fort Steele Heritage Town: $7,000.00
    • Planned Lifetime Advocacy Network for Diverse Family Roots – Support Network: $2,000.00
    • Blue Lake Forest Education Society – EK Science Fair: $2,000.00
    • Cranbrook Food Bank Society (Addressing Homelessness application, Nourishing Outreach Program) – $2,000.00
    • Living Lakes Canada – Groundwater workshop: $2,000.00
    • Summit Community Services Society – Victim Services Accredited Support Dog: $1,500.00
    • Cranbrook Community Forest Society – Wildhorse Cycling Club Youth Program: $1,500.00
    • Wildsight – Watershed Matters: $1,100.00
    • Cranbrook and District Arts Council – Community programming proposal: $2,000.00
    • Key City Theatre – elevator project: $1,137.00

 

CFKR looks forward to awarding our 2025 scholarships in the coming months:

  • Cranbrook Chamber of Commerce Education Fund: Two $400.00 bursaries
  • Joyce Metcalfe Memorial Scholarship: $500.00
  • Dianne Wray Memorial Scholarship: $500.00
  • Mark Mahovlic Memorial Scholarship Fund: $1,000.00
  • Pidoca Construction Group Memorial Scholarship Fund: $1,500.00
  • Dr. Sparling and Mrs. Mary East Memorial Scholarship Fund: $1,500.00

 

The following endowment funds will continue to grow thanks to the re-investment of some or all of their 2025 grants into their principals, thereby growing their future granting: $25,373.07

  • Casey and Corrine Hanemayer Funds:
    • East Kootenay Foundation for Health Fund: $8,000.00
    • Symphony of the Kootenays Fund: $5,000.00
  • Children First Fund: $2,416.64
  • Cranbrook Chamber of Commerce Education Fund: $48.63
  • Dianne Wray Memorial Scholarship Fund: $219.15
  • East Kootenay Foundation for Health Fund: $2,571.47
  • EKFH Roy and Annabel Maundrell Fund: $371.61
  • Dr. Sparling and Mrs. Mary East Memorial Scholarship Fund: $509.77
  • Hough Ingalls Fund for Animal Welfare: $350.23
  • Joyce Metcalfe Memorial Scholarship Fund: $229.90
  • Key City Gymnastics Club Fund: $856.02
  • Mark Mahovlic Memorial Scholarship Fund: $25.48
  • Niedermayer Family Fund: $2,552.28
  • Northern BC Friends of Children Society – EK Branch Fund: $531.37
  • Pidoca Construction Group Memorial Scholarship: $320.48
  • StellerVista Credit Union Fund: $1,370.04

Each year, CFKR’s annual community granting program opens January 1st and closes February 15th. Further details can be found at https://www.cfkrockies.ca/grants/.