Trillium Grant Gives LaSalle Big Financial Boost

Just prior to getting out on the water for the first time in 2024, the LaSalle Rowing Club received a big financial boost off the water as they received the good news that their application for a Resilient Communities Trillium Grant was approved in March.

Their successful application, which was their second such successful Trillium Grant application in the last three years, was for a total of $121,600. The influx of funding sets the already growing club up well for the 2024 season as they look to further expand their programming and equipment infrastructure.

“We applied for the Trillium Grant in early December, and we found out in early March it was successful,” said Doug Diet, President of LaSalle Rowing Club. “There’s always an embargo in place because the Ontario government announces it first, so we found out and it just killed us not to be able to tell everybody for about three weeks because we were so excited.”

Diet and Club Vice-President Gillian Wilson worked in tandem to put together the grant application, following the same formula they used for their previous successful application in 2021.

“This grant application took probably 20 hours of research, writing and editing,” said Wilson. “But prior to that, there were many hours of brainstorming on how to craft an application that meets the objectives of the grant and at the same time supports the strategic direction of the club. Sometimes that can be the hardest part.”

Part of that strategic direction for the club was to upgrade their boats and equipment to fulfill the needs of their growing membership. After their successful application in 2021, the club focused on upgrading their smaller boats, since rowing in crew boats wasn’t allowed at the time due to COVID-19 restrictions. Since that time, thanks to their expanding programs and hard work by their coaches and volunteers, the LRC’s membership numbers have grown significantly. To service the growing membership the LRC plans to upgrade their crew boats this time around.

“We’ve really revitalized the club over the last few years and made it through COVID with more members than we started with,” said Diet. “We now need the crew boats to host these newer members. We completed a strategic plan recently, and we came to the realization through that process that we got ourselves in a bad predicament with a fleet of old boats. So, we’re going to update our policies with a boat replacement policy, so we don’t end up with a bunch of 30-year-old boats that need to be replaced.”

As a club that has primarily sculled in the past, the addition of larger crew boats presents an exciting opportunity for the club to add sweep rowing to their programming and experience for their members. Additionally, they plan to use a portion of the funding to continue to grow their programs, which reached new heights in 2023. Last year they attended a total of four regattas, and plan on doubling that total in 2024. In the Spring they’re focus is on junior regattas, including the CSSRA Championships, which they attended last year with one affiliated high school program. This year they have three affiliated high school programs they’ll be supporting at the event. The LRC also hopes to attend the Row Ontario Championships as well as the Row Ontario Masters Festival, as well as some head races in the fall.

“We’ve come from borrowing boats and trailers, to having our own,” said Diet, who was also recently awarded the Medal for Good Citizenship by the Ontario Government for exceptional civic leadership and volunteerism. “We’ve made a lot of growth in the last few years and I’m proud of our team and how far we’ve come. It’s going to be a fun summer at LaSalle.”

With two successful grant applications in the last few years, the LRC is keen to share their experience and advice with other clubs in the Ontario rowing community. They point to other clubs such as the St. Catharines Rowing Club, Peterborough Rowing Club and London Western Rowing Club who have helped them out with anything from borrowing equipment to advice over the last few years as they’ve re-entered the competitive rowing landscape and feel any additional funding being put towards rowing is a benefit to everyone in the rowing community.

“The first piece of advice we would give is to not be overwhelmed by the application process,” said Wilson. “Go slowly, give yourself lots of time and apply even if you aren’t sure about the success of your application. It doesn’t cost anything to apply, and clubs do not need to match any funds provided to you through a grant so there is no downside to applying. After your application, even if you aren’t successful, you will have access to a representative from the Foundation who will help you understand where your application could be improved, which will improve your knowledge and chances for the next grant. The second piece of advice is each application gets easier. If you are just starting out, reach out to other clubs who have been successful for best practices and tips on applying.”