Amherst town council approved three community grants worth $19,000 at its regular meeting on June 22, 2026, putting money behind local groups that help kids get ready for school, grow fresh food, and preserve military heritage.
The biggest piece is $15,000 for the Nova Scotia Highlanders Regimental Museum to help it move to a new home at 55 Victoria Street. The museum has been inside the Colonel James Layton Ralston Armoury since 1986, but the Department of National Defence closed the building suddenly in the summer of 2025 because of mould and health concerns. The 1915 armoury had already been marked surplus by the federal government in 2016, making the relocation urgent.
Maggie’s Place is getting $2,500 to buy and fill 350 backpacks with school supplies for students in Amherst and across Cumberland County. The non-profit family resource centre has run the annual program for years, and it has been a hub for free parenting, caregiver, and youth programs since it opened in 1994.
The Amherst and Area Black Education Committee will receive $1,500 worth of in-kind help to put in an outdoor water line at its community garden on East Pleasant Street. The garden grows vegetables and herbs for youth and neighbours, and last summer the committee partnered with the African Arts Education Society on a Young Growers Collective. Chairwoman Lisette Sumbu has called the garden work vital for teaching kids skills they can carry for life.
All three grants flow from the town’s Community Support Grants Policy, which set aside more than $638,000 for local organizations in 2025-2026. That funding also covers social equity projects, youth free ice time, festivals, events, and property tax breaks for people with low incomes.
