Annual Reports Released

From staff training "boot camps" to community theatre presentations, the Nova Scotia Gaming Foundation is financing diverse projects to help Nova Scotians address issues relating to problem gambling, annual reports show.

The Gaming Foundation released annual reports for 2003 and 2004, today, April 26, that detail projects and grants totalling $776,967 for 2003 and $457,297 for 2004. Grants totalling $1.5 million were awarded in 2004-05. They will be detailed in the next annual report.

The foundation is an arms-length organization that provides short-term funding to groups creating programs and conducting research that help address problem gambling in Nova Scotia. Since its inception in March 1998 the foundation has funded more than $4.4 million in projects.

The reports capture the diverse community initiatives and research funded by the foundation, with stories about a dynamic theatre group teaching young people about the serious issues surrounding problem gambling, a "boot camp" for Addiction Services staff to learn how to deliver the best service to problem gamblers, a unique research lab on a university campus, and a front line organization that helps women deal with problem gambling.

In 2003, the foundation provided funding to 18 organizations with grants. In 2004, it provided funding to 22 organizations.

The foundation offers different levels of grants to fund projects that support prevention, education, treatment, remedial intervention and research into problem gambling and its effects. Most community groups, societies and registered charities in Nova Scotia can apply for funding.

The foundation's community-based board was appointed in 2001. Its four-member board reflects the regional diversity of the province and strives to support initiatives in rural Nova Scotia as well as its urban centres.

For more information on the foundation and its activities see the website at www.nsgamingfoundation.org