Community Foundation issuing new grants: Christie
Andrea Klassen Medicine Hat News
After taking a year off from its charitable granting program in fall 2008, Mike Christie, executive director of Medicine Hat’s Community Foundation, says the group is glad to be getting back to its usual business.
The group handed out over $36,000 to area charities in December 2009, and is accepting proposals for its next round of grants until mid-March. Christie says the foundation is already seeing more interest from local organizations than it did in the fall.
Unlike normal charitable donations, money gifted to the Community Foundation is invested, with the interest and returns being used to support local nonprofit groups.
Because the donation isn’t spent, the gift itself is permanent, says Christie. However, he acknowledges, poor financial markets
like the ones in 2008 and 2009 can make it difficult for the foundation to raise enough money to run a grants program.
“It’s been difficult,” he says of the economic downturn, “as I'm sure everyone else will know looking at their RRSP statements. There were some negative numbers on there."
Though the group chose not to give out grants during the worst of the downturn, Christie says the foundation did begin work on a new Immediate Assistance Fund which would support charities hit hard by the recession, especially those providing essential services to the unemployed.
"The idea was, for a short period of time, as an almost emergency assistance thing, we were trying to encourage our donors to make gifts to us, and have them not be endowed,” he explains.
Board members are currently examining
• High academic results • Small class sizes • Technology enhanced learning • Safe and caring schools • Hometown spirit
“Everyone Learning Together”
“Learning, Leadership,
Relationships”
NEWS PHOTO EMMA BENNETT Mike Christie, executive director of Medicine Hat’s Community Foundation, and Jennifer Thompson, community impact co-ordinator, are ready for the year ahead. In December of 2009, the foundation handed out over $36,000 to city charities and according to Christie, the the group is glad to be getting back to its usual business.
the best way to use the fund, which Christie describes as “a bit of money.”
With the economy beginning to stabilize, the foundation is also hoping to attract new donors so it can extend its effectiveness in the community.
"The money we have now is just over $6 million, so the interest we're earning from that allows us to put two or three hundred thousand into the community each year,” explains Christie. “The problem is, we're probably asked for about 10 times that every time we run a grants program."
Visit us online at www.prrd.ab.ca
(403) 527-5516
REPORT ON SOUTHEAST ALBERTA 2010 ■ Celebrating our Community — 39
53781900•03/30/10
52206500•03/30/10
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108 |
Page 109 |
Page 110 |
Page 111 |
Page 112 |
Page 113 |
Page 114 |
Page 115 |
Page 116 |
Page 117 |
Page 118 |
Page 119 |
Page 120