The Northern Manitoba Food, Culture & Community (NMFCCC) organization has announced that it will be funding projects through 2017 that partner with people in Northern Manitoba to create healthier, stronger communities.
For the last two years, the NMFCCC has funded the Northern Fish Composting Stations. The project turns waste products into valuable fertilizer. Initially centred in three communities, Pine Dock, Matheson Island and Dawson Bay, the project remediates fish waste that would otherwise end up in water systems, contributing to nutrient loading.
The project encountered a challenge when Matheson Island dropped out of the program in its first year. As well, the site approval process for the composting machine was difficult to navigate due to provincial regulations and the requirement of a map of the site, coordinates, proximity to other infrastructure, and past knowledge of the site. Ongoing funding has helped the project move forward.
Julie Price who leads the grantmaking program for the Northern Manitoba Food, Culture & Community Fund, said “We cannot have a food system without a clean, protected, healthy water system.”
While the NMFCCC funds a broad range of projects, many of the projects they support are in response to areas that have been flooded due to hydro-electric projects. Communities in Northern Manitoba struggle with poor food security as a result of increased levels of mercury in the water systems.
The NMFCC is a group of 14 organizations and many Northern Manitoba people. The group exists to learn about and understand northern cultures, values, strengths and challenges through respectful, mutual sharing of stories and ideas.
2017 funding will be awarded under three categories: regular grants, small grants, and planning grants. The submission deadline is December 16th, 2016.
For more information visit the NMFCC’s site or contact Julie Price via e-mail or telephone, 204-452-3611.
