OHSWEKEN – Last week, the Six Nations of the Grand River Economic Development Trust (EDT) announced their shortlist list for the 2016 Trust distribution. A total of 34 applicants have been shortlisted including 18 General applications and 16 Grassroots applications.
“This year, the Economic Development Trust received a total of 46 applications, 27 from the general application stream and 19 from the grassroots application stream,” said Jill Hill, chair of the EDT. The total ask of all submissions amounted to just shy of $9 million. This is the augural year for the EDT who has committed to investing no less than $2 million into programs and initiatives which benefits the Six Nations community collectively. “The Economic Development Trust is delighted to see so much interest in this year’s round of applications.”
The newly formed EDT is the mechanism which will invest the profits generated by the Six Nations of the Grand River Development Corporation (SNGRDC). Funds from the Trust are invested in Six Nations for the benefit of the community collectively.
This model of distribution was a direct result of the 2011 community engagement study We Gather Our Voices. This study asked community members, through numerous think tank sessions and community surveys, for insight on the potential creation of a Development Corporation and the distribution of any profits generated. The majority of participants expressed a desire for profits generated by the Corporation to be distributed to the community at large versus individual distribution to its members. This resulted in the creation of SNGRDC governance structure, including the formation of the EDT.
The EDT is in the process of finalizing the recipients list for community investment of the 2016 Trust funds. As part of this process, the Trust has requested applicants to complete an in-person presentation to provide clarification on specific points of their applications. These presentations will be held at the Six Nations Tourism Building on Aug 19 to 21. Community members are invited to observe the presentations and learn more about the shortlisted proposals.
A complete list of shortlisted applicants and presentation times are available at www.sndevcorp.ca/trust. For more information on SNGRDC, the Economic Development Trust, Community Plan or We Gather Our Voices study please visit www.sndevcorp.ca.
