It’s official!
The Great Outdoors Fund and our favorite neighbors to the north, Unsmoke Canada, have officially opened the application process for the second annual Unsmoke Canada Cleanups grant-giving program.
In case you missed it last year, Unsmoke Canada Cleanups was established in 2020 as a grant-giving program between Unsmoke Canada and The Great Outdoors Fund. The goal of the program is to support litter cleanup projects across the country and to help everyone work together to clean up Canada’s great outdoors.
“Litter is an issue of concern in society whether you’re in an urban or rural area. It impacts diverse locations –from streets and city parks to beaches and oceans—and cigarette butts are among the most frequently littered items,” said Vasie Papadopoulos, Communications Manager at RBH. “The Unsmoke Canada Cleanups program will help raise awareness of littering in Canada with a specific emphasis on cigarette butt waste.
In 2020, the program provided $50,000 in funding to 17 groups that went on to organize local litter cleanup projects throughout the year. From Penticton, British Columbia to Avalon Peninsula, Newfoundland and Labrador, 283,977 volunteers from coast-to-coast dedicated 427,122 hours to collect 1,031,926 pounds of litter—all during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Talk about dedication to the great outdoors!
“2021 is the second year of the Unsmoke Canada Cleanups campaign, and we were so pleased with the achievements during the inaugural year in 2020 that we increased the amount of available funding this year,” said Lori McCullough, Founder and CEO of The Great Outdoors Fund. “We encourage any nonprofit organization in Canada to be a part of the solution to address the global issue of litter by applying for a grant to help keep Canada’s natural resources beautiful.”
The Great Outdoors Fund and Unsmoke Canada encourage nonprofit organizations with a connection to nature, outdoor recreation, outdoor conservation, health and wellness, volunteer engagement, and/or community service to apply for the grant. With these grants, the groups will organize litter cleanup projects that will take place in local communities across Canada in 2021.
To apply for the grant, please visit this link.
And stay tuned!
