NDP MLA Melanie Mark say non-profit grants will support accessibility in Vancouver

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New Democrat MLA Melanie Mark says grants for local non-profits will support projects that advance accessibility and inclusion across Vancouver.

“Everyone deserves the opportunity to fully participate in our community, while also feeling safe and respected,” said Melanie Mark, MLA for Vancouver-Mount Pleasant. “Our government understands how systemic barriers and discrimination has held people back and today’s funding is just part of the grassroots changes we are making to create a more inclusive province for everyone.”

In Vancouver, the following organizations will be receiving funding for local projects:

  • Italian Cultural Centre – $39,879. Project: Artists with Disabilities Exhibition Project
  • Health Justice Society – $40,000. Project: “I am a person”: Accessible Participation in Mental Health Public Policy Project
  • Great Vancouver Association of the Deaf – $40,000. Project: IBPOC Deaf Interpreter Training for BC Project
  • Nidus Personal Planning Resource Centre Association – $40,000. Project: Learn, Access, and Plan through Visual Storytelling Project
  • Community Arts Council of Vancouver – $37,000. Project: NeuroArts Collective Project
  • WISH Drop-In Centre Society – $40,000. Project: Strengthening Engagement and Leadership of Women and Gender-Diverse Street-Based Sex Workers Project
  • Yarrow International Society for Justice – $33,2000. Project” Intergenerational Chinatown Disability Advocacy through Arts Project

The local investment is part of nearly $450,000 in grants being provided to 12 non-profits across B.C. for projects that reduce barriers and showcase solutions for an accessible province.

The intake for this round of grants opened in August of this year, and invited local projects that focused on employment, emergency planning and response, arts, culture and tourism, sports and recreation, and more.

Since 2018, the New Democrat government has granted nearly $2.25 million to 72 non-profits for accessibility projects. These grants are administered by Disability Alliance BC, a non-profit that assists and supports people with disabilities.

Learn More: https://news.gov.bc.ca/27891