2024 Grant Recipients
In our inaugural year, we are pleased to report we received more than 400 applications for rural community grant support. With so many worthy causes, the final decision proved very difficult and we wish all applicants the best of luck with their projects.
Congratulations to the following organizations who will be sharing the $100,000 grant: The Kneehill Historical Society, Rimbey Agricultural Society, Weyburn Agricultural Society and the Wrentham Community Centre.
Jennifer Wood, UFA Agricultural Community Foundation Advisory Board Chair, shares the exciting news in a short video. Watch it now for more detail on our winning recipient’s projects:
The Kneehill Historical Society
UFA Theatre and Seminar Room
Three Hills, Alta.
$15,000
The history of Kneehill County has been celebrated for decades through artifacts, photos and archives at the Kneehill Historical Museum. The newest addition to the museum is a 9,000 sq. ft. “Connections” Building, that quite literally will connect two existing buildings and improve visitors’ experience in the winter. Greeting guests as they enter the new facility will be a 20’ x 30’ multi-media space graciously named the “UFA Theatre and Seminar Room.”
Continue reading...The $15,000 UFA ACF Rural Communities Grant will be used to help cover the costs of the equipment for the new media space that will include a high-gain digital grey screen, a UHD projector, an audio/video receiver and subwoofer speakers. The facility is open to organizations, groups and families to gain a taste of the past. When the new “UFA Theatre and Seminar Room,” is ready, all visitors will be able to learn about and celebrate agricultural and rural history in a unique way.
Rimbey Agricultural Society
Kitchen Project
Rimbey, Alta.
$30,000
The Rimbey Ag Society has long served as the heart of their rural community – a gathering place for events that celebrate an agricultural heritage and lifestyle. A new, larger facility (Agrim Centre) was built to host events for people to come together to learn, laugh, share stories and make new memories. Central to the Agrim Centre is a need for adequate kitchen facilities to enable safe food preparation for agricultural community gatherings for decades to come.
Continue reading...To this end, the kitchen expansion will be funded by the $30,000 UFA ACF Rural Communities Grant. The enhanced kitchen space will allow for a wider range of activities and events year-round in support of agricultural communities, from farm-to-table dinners to large-scale community feasts. The kitchen will support local farmers, producers, bakers and artisans, fostering a sense of pride and connection to its community roots.
Weyburn Agricultural Society
Exhibition Hall Repairs
Weyburn, Sask.
$25,000
Originally built to host farm camps, seed grain fairs, 4-H calf sales and curling bonspiels in the winter, Weyburn’s Exhibition Hall has served generations of people year-round since 1960. It has become a gathering place for family weddings, reunions, cabarets, fundraising dinners and trade shows and is the only facility in the community that can house large numbers of people.
Continue reading...This 65-year-old building has undergone interior upgrades over the years but more work is required to complete the project. The $25,000 UFA ACF Rural Communities Grant will be applied to the repair work that is underway.
Wrentham Community Centre
Curling Rink Revitalization
Wrentham, Alta.
$30,000
The Wrentham Community Centre is nestled in the heart of the small community of Wrentham, Alta. and serves as a gathering place for recreational and social engagements that serve their agricultural community. The facility includes a curling rink, skating rink, kitchen and social hall, and is the only public-use facility in the community. This project aims to enhance the lifespan of this vital space that was originally constructed in 1956-57 and is in need of repair.
Continue reading...The $30,000 UFA ACF Rural Communities Grant will be used to help with one of the most urgent repairs – a new header system within the curling rink. The preservation of this well-used facility will help ensure a thriving future of connection for the community of Wrentham and its surrounding rural areas.