NT School Sports completed its three-part Funding Opportunities Webinar Series with a presentation from KidSport NWT. The series was created to help schools, families, community organizations, coaches, and volunteers learn more about the support available to get children and youth active across the Northwest Territories. The final session featured Tyler Rentmeister (he/him), Finance Manager and KidSport NWT Coordinator at Sport North Federation.
Tyler oversees KidSport grant administration and works to remove financial barriers that can prevent young people from participating in organized sport. As a former competitive athlete who grew up in Yellowknife, Tyler understands the opportunities, relationships, and mentorship that sport can provide. He is passionate about helping the next generation access those same experiences.
Outside of his professional role, Tyler is a hockey player, fly fisher, and snowmobile enthusiast. He also teaches yoga at a Yellowknife studio that he co-owns with his mother and sister.
Helping More Children and Youth Participate is the key message from Kidsport NWT. During the webinar, Tyler introduced three main KidSport NWT funding opportunities.
Individual Grants
KidSport NWT provides grants of up to $700 per eligible child, per calendar year, toward registration fees and required equipment for one sport. Applications are accepted throughout the year. Families are encouraged to apply as soon as their child has registered for a sport and to allow up to 30 days for processing. Funding is paid directly to the sport organization or an approved equipment provider. Equipment may be accessed through vouchers at participating Yellowknife retailers or through reimbursement when equipment must be purchased elsewhere.
Tyler also explained that families do not always need to provide proof of income. An adult endorser who understands the family’s circumstances may support the application. Adult endorsers can include teachers, principals, social workers, recreation coordinators, community leaders, police officers, clergy, and other approved professionals. This option can be especially important in smaller communities, where trusted local people understand the barriers families may be experiencing.
Community Equipment Grants
Schools, community organizations, sport organizations, and local clubs may apply for a Community Equipment Grant of between $500 and $2,000. The funding supports reusable equipment that helps children and youth participate in sport. This could include balls, nets, racquets, protective equipment, or other items that remain with the school or organization and can support many participants over time. These grants can help communities create new opportunities, replace aging equipment, and make programs more welcoming and accessible.
Community Event Grants
KidSport NWT also offers Community Event Grants of up to $2,000. These grants can support local events that promote sport, raise awareness of KidSport, or help generate funding that can be reinvested into opportunities for children and youth. Tyler shared an example from Hay River, where local volunteers are exploring a golf fundraiser and an outdoor rink event. These community-led ideas help people learn about KidSport while building connections and creating more opportunities for young people.
Finding Northern Solutions to Northern Barriers
Travel continues to be one of the greatest barriers to sport participation in the Northwest Territories. During the webinar, Tyler discussed a pilot approach that may help schools and local teams support eligible children who need to travel to participate. A school or team may establish a registration fee that contributes toward the overall cost of joining the program, including the costs connected to travel.
KidSport can then support that registration fee through its individual grant program, up to the annual maximum of $700 per eligible child. Funding is paid directly to the school or team. This approach may help students from smaller communities join school teams, attend tournaments, and participate in opportunities that would otherwise be difficult to access.
Community Champions Make a Difference
Tyler also spoke about the importance of Community Champions. These are local people who help families learn about KidSport, understand the application process, and connect with available support. Brynn Hill currently provides this support in Hay River. KidSport NWT hopes to identify more Community Champions throughout the territory so that families have someone in their own region who can help them take the next step. Sometimes the funding is available, but people do not know about it or are unsure how to apply. A trusted person in the community can make that process easier and help ensure that fewer young people are left on the sidelines.
Working Together to Create Opportunities
The KidSport NWT presentation completed a webinar series that also featured the Mackenzie Recreation Association and the Indigenous Sport Circle NWT. Each organization offers different forms of support, but they share an important goal. Helping Northern children, families, schools, and communities access sport, recreation, and physical activity.
Here is the recording of the webinar
NT School Sports thanks Tyler and KidSport NWT for sharing their knowledge and for continuing to find practical ways to address the realities faced by families across the North. We also thank everyone who attended the three sessions, asked questions, and helped us learn together.
When organizations share information and work together, it becomes easier for schools and communities to find the right support. Most importantly, it creates more opportunities and possibilities for young people to participate, feel that they belong, and become the best version of themselves through sport.
Families, schools, clubs, and community organizations can learn more and apply through the KidSport NWT Territorial Fund.
