2025-05-10 • Halifax • Wayves Staff
Wayves caught some quotes from Erika Rolston, executive director of the Rural Communities Foundation of Nova Scotia (RCFNS), talking about their new Rural Pride Fund.
RCFNS is a charitable foundation focussing on equity and climate change in Rural Nova Scotia. We use a kind of fund where the money goes directly to organizations and projects, rather than into investments.
"The farther you get from any urban cenre, the harder it is to get access to services or infrastructure. This is one way to level the playing field," said Rolston.
How did you get around to setting up the Rural Pride fund?
We were approached by a couple of unincorporated Pride groups. Unincorporated organizations have trouble accessing funds and grants, and this was a way we could support them. By "unincorporated" I don't mean they're not organized - they're very well organized.
How can people donate to this fund?
Sponsors or individuals can donate to the Rural Pride fund, [link below] and those funds will go out to St. Margaret's Bay Pride and West Hants Pride for now, and we're hoping, more in the future. There are lots of other small communities and we're hoping to allow other small Pride events to happen throughout the year.
To access the funds, sponsors or individuals can donate directly to the RCFNS, naming the fund to which they want to contribute. Rural pride organizations can then use the funds, for example, to pay for security for their event, or if someone has paid for a thing, they can be reimbursed.
"Pride month is just around the corner and parades are being organized now, but we're hoping that the organizations will use this funding system all year around," said Rolston.
To donate, or to contact Erica to set up a fund or access the existing funding, go to their website, www.rcfofns.com, or contact Erica directly. Her contact info is here.
