It’s the best time in 20 years to donate to the Northern Neighbours Foundation.
That was one of the messages of the night as the foundation disbursed more than $86,000 in grants July 8 in city council chambers.
Board member Dave Kendall told the audience that a matching program used to create the Northern Neighbours Foundation is back and will be in place until October 2016.
That means every dollar that is donated to the foundation generates a matching gift of half that amount from the Thomas Sill Foundation.
“If we raise $50,000 and they match with $25,000, that’s $75,000 goes into our pot,” said Kendall. “That’s never expended, but that should create us $7,000 or $8,000 a year more to donate out, just from the interest that’s earned on that money.”
A similar matching program from the Thomas Sill Foundation was used to create the Northern Neighbours Foundation in 1994.
At the time, the Thomas Sill Foundation was receiving so many grant requests from across Manitoba that it was difficult to properly assess them all. The foundation created a challenge grant program to establish or enhance 18 rural community foundations in the province. This meant that foundations in each community were able to assess needs and award grants.
This is the first time since 1994 that the matching program has been offered.
“What they’re seeing is that the community foundations, some of them in particular, maybe need a little assistance, a little motivation,” said Kendall. “They found that that the matching grant did the trick.”
Through the program, community groups and organizations can raise funds that will return to their own organization each year.
“You can either donate just to the foundation, or you can specify how you would like the funds used,” said Kendall. “For example, if the library was able to find people that wanted to support the library, then those funds could be raised and put into a separate fund. The interest would be used for the library.”
Kendall added that, if a family or group wanted to create a bursary or scholarship, they could raise funds that would go into the foundation now, and disburse annually from the interest those funds would generate.
Any donation made to the Northern Neighbours Foundation through October 2016, while the program is active, will generate the matching grant from the Thomas Sill Foundation.
Northern Neighbours Foundation must raise a minimum of $10,000 to qualify for the program. Funds raised up to $50,000 will be matched. If the maximum amount is raised, the foundation’s fund would grow by $75,000.
“The money that is donated goes into the foundation and is kept in perpetuity, so it’s the interest that’s earned on these funds that are donated every year,” said Kendall.
Northern Neighbours made its first grants in 1997. With the presentations on July 8, more than $190,000 in total has been granted from the endowment fund to projects in the communities of Flin Flon, Creighton, Cranberry Portage, Denare Beach, Sherridon and Snow Lake.
“We’ve just signed the agreement,” said Kendall of the matching program. “What we have to do now is get out and talk to people and try to get some buzz going.
“Donating $100 now turns into $150. It’s an absolutely great time [to donate].”
