Call for Applications for Provincial Wellness Grants Funding

Applications are now being accepted for the 2011 Provincial Wellness Grants Program. Funding is available to community-based groups and not-for-profit organizations that are engaged in wellness initiatives throughout the province. A total of $500,000 has been made available through Budget 2011 Standing Strong: For Prosperity. For Our Future. For Newfoundland and Labrador.

“The Provincial Wellness Grants Program encourages communities and groups to take action for health and wellness,” said the Honourable Jerome Kennedy, Minister of Health and Community Services. “More than 170 community-based projects have benefited from an investment of almost $3.5 million by our government since this program’s inception in 2005.”

As a key component of the Provincial Wellness Plan, the Provincial Wellness Grants Program is intended to promote community involvement in healthy, active lifestyles. Grant funding will support projects with an emphasis on one of the wellness priority areas: healthy eating, physical activity, tobacco control, injury prevention, mental health promotion, environmental health, and child and youth development.

Proposals for Provincial Wellness Grants must demonstrate the existence of strong partnerships among community organizations and describe how the project will build community capacity for wellness. Not-for-profit, community-based organizations in Newfoundland and Labrador who are working on one or more of the wellness priority areas are eligible to apply. To be considered for funding, provincial organizations must demonstrate how they plan to deliver their project on a province-wide basis. All applicants must provide information on how the project can be continued after the funding period has ended. Grants awarded will range from $5,000 to $50,000.

“Our government is committed to providing people with the supports they need to adopt a healthy lifestyle,” said Minister Kennedy. “By investing in community-led initiatives, we can work together to improve the overall health and well-being of residents in Newfoundland and Labrador.”

Visit www.gov.nl.ca/health or call 729-7443 to obtain a copy of the application. The deadline for applications is September 30, 2011. Proposals will be reviewed at the regional and provincial level, and funding will be awarded based on the consolidation of reviews and recommendations made to the minister.

Through an annual investment of $4.2 million, the Provincial Wellness Plan assists communities in identifying and addressing wellness priorities on a local level and allows them to use their own strengths to build capacity in support of health and wellness.

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Media contact:

Jennifer Tulk
Director of Communications
Department of Health and Community Services
709-729-1377, 699-6524
jennifertulk@gov.nl.ca 

2011 08 23                                                                       9:25 a.m.