The Chatham-Kent Community Foundation (CKCF) reached a historic milestone last year by giving more than $1 million in grants to local community groups and agencies.
The 2023 grant amount doubled 2022's total of $574,000 going to 45 charitable organizations, roughly the same amounts as reported by the Foundation in 2021.
CKCF Executive Director Chris Pegg noted reaching the $1 million mark is an important milestone.
"We're very proud to be in a position to support the community with over a million dollars last year. This has had a positive impact on over 70 agencies that provide services to individuals across the municipality," said Pegg. "The majority of the funding came from the Foundation’s Community Fund, and the South Kent Wind Community Fund, a donor-advised fund within the Foundation."
The Government of Canada’s Community Services Recovery Fund also provided additional funding, according to Pegg. He said the Foundation was able to fund four organizations with $341,000 from that funding stream last year.
Pegg credited a change in Canada Revenue Agency quotas for the sudden jump in grant numbers. He noted that disbursement quotas, which is the amount the Foundation disburses in grants annually, increased from 3.5 per cent of the Community Fund total in 2022 to 5 per cent starting last year, allowing CKCF to grant more moving forward.
He also noted $125,000 also came from Donor-Designated Funds, multi-year grants, and scholarships.
The list of grants is extensive and includes Lend-A-Hand Meals Committee receiving over $5,000 to fund breakfast and snack programs in six schools in Wallaceburg; $10,000 going to help Reach Out Chatham Kent (ROCK) Missions buy food, hygiene, and First Aid supplies for its drop-in centre; and the Children’s Treatment Centre Foundation of Chatham-Kent receiving $7,300 annually over the next three years to support a program that enables adults and children with limited mobility enjoy local lakes and bays.
"Staff are able to share the fun of being in the water with these individuals using Mobi Mats and amphibious wheelchairs," Pegg said.
The New Beginnings ABI & Stroke Recovery Association is also getting a grant of $8,500 to purchase two foldable, motorized wheelchairs for members’ use; over $98,000 was granted to Opportunity Villages Community Land Trust's 30-unit small home development and community centre in Chatham to incorporate life lease, Net Zero, and affordable home ownership for low to moderate-income individuals and families.
Pegg also said the North Dresden Baptist Church got over $1,500 to expand its community garden where volunteers will be building six raised beds to make gardening accessible to community members; the Mary Webb Centre for the Arts in Highgate will receive $7,220 to help cover the cost of a new furnace and A/C unit for the concert hall; and additional funds will allow volunteers to digitally archive historic documents of Orford Township and the Village of Highgate.
The Chatham Kent Community Foundation disbursed its first grants to the community almost 31 years ago. Grants were given to Public General Hospital and St. Joseph Hospital in Chatham, and Sydenham District Hospital in Wallaceburg, as well as to CK Transition House, Chatham Public Library, Tilbury Information Centre, Ridgetown Arena, and the Blenheim Leisure Centre.
CKCF reported in 2021 that its endowment fund had grown to $12 million and added recently that donations have topped more than $1 million over the past two years.
The Chatham-Kent Community Foundation is a volunteer-driven, philanthropic organization that creates, preserves, and grows funds and help donors have an everlasting impact on the community through grants to registered charitable organizations.
The South Kent Wind Community Fund is a fund within the Foundation that was created by South Kent Wind LP and the Foundation. The Fund began with a $1 million donation in the Spring of 2013 and over its 20-year operational life, South Kent Wind LP will contribute another $10 million to the Fund.
