Community Grant Recipients
November 2025
The ambitious people driving the organizations and initiatives in our community are a constant source of inspiration. We are forever grateful to live, work + play in a place where so many folks are invested in making change happen! As members, your continued support helps strengthen our community, contributing to the success of these incredible initiatives and projects.
Each quarter your Kootenay Co-op gives out four grants valued up to $500 for projects or initiatives that help strengthen and support our local community. This November we were able to give out $2,000 in community grants to 4 amazing community initiatives!
McKim Cottage
The McKim Cottage is a 6 bed psychosocial rehabilitation house in Nelson, BC run by Interior Health.
Funding from this grant will go towards Sunday Outings for residents of McKim Cottage. The Sunday Outings are an important part of the psychosocial rehabilitation program as this enables residents to connect with the community and find pockets of joy. A lot of McKim Cottage residents are low income and there is no longer funding available for Sunday Outings. This grant funding gives residents the opportunity to interact with the world again in a positive light and impact their outlook on their recovery positively.
Mt Sentinel Secondary School
Mt Sentinel Secondary School is currently working to revitalize and modernize the school’s fitness centre—a 750-square-foot space located above the gymnasium that serves as a vital hub for student health and wellness. The fitness centre is used daily by students enrolled in Physical and Health Education, Fitness and Conditioning, and Active Living 12 courses, and it also remains open before school, at lunch, and after school for independent and staff use.
Funding from this grant will be used to support the purchase of a new functional trainer (dual cable machine) to replace the current unit, which is non-operational and beyond repair. This equipment is one of the most versatile and popular components in Mt Sentinel’s fitness programming, as it supports a wide range of exercises suitable for all ability levels. By upgrading and modernizing the equipment, Mt Sentinel is creating a safe, welcoming, and motivating space that encourages students to develop lifelong fitness habits and confidence in their physical abilities.
The purpose of the Nelson and District Museum, Archives, Art Gallery and Historical Society is to run a sustainable, integrated organization that actively promotes – through exhibitions and programming – the knowledge, appreciation and understanding of history and art. The central facility houses two contemporary gallery spaces, a permanent museum exhibit, archives, administrative offices, and boardroom/workshop space. The Society develops eight or more temporary exhibitions per year covering a broad spectrum of visual arts, craft, and history.
Grant funding will support Winter Accessible Public Programming. Five low-cost workshops will take place before the new year. This grant will go directly to help NMAG purchase workshop materials, keep workshop fees low and pay local artists a fair fee for their facilitation. These workshops are designed for a variety of ages and abilities and to provide an opportunity for the community to make low-cost gifts during what can be a financially challenging time of year for many.
Repair Cafe Nelson is an initiative to create community event spaces where people can bring broken or damaged items to be fixed for free with the help of skilled volunteers. Repair Cafe Nelson has at least 90 local individuals who have signed up with interest in volunteering their time and knowledge at Repair Cafe events. Their first two events is 2025 allowed them to repair over 100 items.
Repair Cafe Nelson is hoping to increase the number of events in 2026. Funding from this grant will go to helping cover the cost of renting space for events.
