Thunder Bay staff continue to navigate the internal program that will help them keep track of grant funding applications.
Council directed administration in April to review the process, which included discussion and determination on whether there are sufficient resources assigned to the task, whether a decentralized approach continues to be best, what changes ought to be made, and whether opportunities have been missed.
Related: City Seeks Easier Way To Apply For Grants
From that point meetings happened in the middle of may which led to the IT specialists to create the database that will make the job easier.
“It’s all about an overarching collaboration amongst the departments that are filling out these applications,” says Treasurer Linda Evans. “The database will also allow us the chance to look back in history and see what have we applied for and how successful were we.”
City Manager Norm Gale said when the corporation applies for grant funding it’s complex work and not just anybody can do it.
“Only certain people can fill out or do the work required to seek grant funding for certain programs,” Gale mentioned. “For example if we’re looking for more blue widgets, we need a person who understands blue widgets very well.”
Evans notes that the database should be fully operational by August.
