VICTORIA – The B.C. government has rejected more than 60 per cent of funding requests by arts and culture groups made this year through the community gaming grant program, information released by the government shows. The government has approved 350 of 953 grant applications made by arts and culture groups through the grants, totaling $8.9 million. Last year, the government gave out $18 million to 840 arts and culture groups through the same program. Released Thursday, the interim report provides the first comprehensive look at the gaming grants since the money started to be handed out, and follows months of protests over previously announced cuts to funding 
through the program. The documents show that $100.4 million has been handed out so far to close to 5,000 groups. The documents also confirm that despite millions in new money added after the initial uproar, most categories of organizations funded directly through provincial gaming revenues will see a reduction in funding during the current fiscal year.
In arts and culture, the government says the program will contribute a total of $23 million through the program to that sector by March 31, 2010, the end of the current fiscal year. But almost half of that amount will be channeled through the BC Arts Council, money that before this year had been provided by government, but not taken from the gaming grant program. New Democratic Party critic for arts and culture Spencer Herbert said the resulting cuts are having a dramatic effect, including in smaller communities where large corporate sponsors are not present to pick up the slack. “It's pretty bleak out there,” he said, adding many organizations are hoping the government will come forward with other sources of funding.“A lot of people are just hanging on,” he said.“If this continues, it's lights out.”
Minister of Housing and Social Development Rich Coleman was not available for comment on Thursday. In the area of public safety grants, funding is down by $600,000 from last year, meaning a cut of about 10 per cent from last year. The documents show that government will hand out $6 million to 181 groups this year, an amount that includes $180,000 to provide liability insurance to search and rescue groups. Last year, the government gave $6.6 million to 182 groups. Sports funding through the gaming grant program is down $10 million, with 938 groups set to receive more than $19 million. Last year, 1,079 sports groups received $29 million through the program.
In total, the government says it will hand out $175.3 million through the gaming grant program this year, including $15.2 million that was previously distributed through CommunityLINK and the $10.9 million that has been redirected to the BC Arts Council. Last year, the province gave out $156 million in direct grants to 6,685 organizations.
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http://www.eia.gov.bc.ca/gaming/revenue/index.htm
2009/10 Cumulative Report (by community - grants only) [XLS]
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For Comparison Purposes:
2008/09 Full Report (by community) [XLS]
2007/08 Full Report (by community) [XLS]
2006/07 Full Report (by community) [XLS]
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