With an amendment to its Community Enrichment Program (CEP) policy, Whistler’s mayor and council voted on Dec. 7 to increase the amount of funding dedicated to Whistler Secondary School scholarships each year.
Since 2004, the program has awarded $1,000 scholarships to two members of the Whistler Secondary School (WSS) graduating class each year.
Last year, due to COVID-19 and other factors, council awarded seven students with $1,000 scholarships (the additional funding coming from the council operating budget).
On Dec. 7, council voted to change the CEP policy permanently, and award $1,000 scholarships to six members of the WSS graduating class each year moving forward.
Council will choose recipients each year from a list provided by WSS’ scholarship committee. Recipients must achieve a B average or higher, and preference will be given to those identifying financial need.
The recipients will be chosen each May, and the scholarships will be awarded in June.
Whistler’s CEP provides annual funding to not-for-profit organizations or societies that contribute to the resort.
The amendment to the CEP policy also included some technical changes to clear up “common questions and misunderstandings” encountered by Resort Municipality of Whistler (RMOW) staff.
The changes clarify that funding is issued on an annual basis, subject to availability in the current year’s budget, and that approval in one year doesn’t guarantee approval the next; one-time events will not approved; and no late submissions will be considered after the Feb. 15 deadline.
Eligible applicants must operate under certain categories, including: environment, social services, community service, recreation and sport, or arts and culture.
Find more info at whistler.ca/cep.
