With spots for 38 corporate and environmental non-profit partners, you might think the Alberta Ecotrust Grant Review Committee would be feeling a bit crowded these days.  And indeed, Kim Kiel, the Foundation's grant program manager was apprehensive going into the May 18th meeting of the committee. With an all-time high number of participants at the table, she had only seven hours, including time for lunch, to steer the committee through an ambitious decision-making agenda: winnowing an exceptionally strong field of 50 grant proposals that represented a collective request for over $1 million to eight or nine that could be funded with $165,000.

She needn't have worried:  the members arrived well-versed in the proposals and well-prepped for the process they'd follow.  By mid-afternoon they had settled on nine proposals that collectively spanned both Alberta's geography and Alberta Ecotrust's focus areas of water, wildlife and habitat, and air and climate — with time thrown in not only for lunch but spirited discussions about the role of non-profits in supporting government-mandated work and how best to support  First Nations' initiatives.  In thanking the committee members for their patience, diligence and dedication, Kiel reminded them that no matter how limited the available funding and how difficult the decisions, the projects chosen are excellent investments and all will contribute to a healthier environment for Albertans. 

The spring funding round brings the total Foundation disbursements since 1992 to approximately $6 million dollars.  Contributed primarily by our corporate partners, the funding has supported 468 projects. Short project descriptions can be found here.