BACF donors ‘stepped up’ to top $1M mark

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This article was published 16/02/2021 (1760 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Tallying up the final numbers for 2020, Brandon Area Community Foundation executive director Laura Kempthorne said the end result was “shocking.”

The foundation granted a record-breaking $1,052,065 last year, marking the first time in their 55-year history they’ve broken $1 million.

“It wasn’t something we planned out to do, at all,” Kempthorne said — quite the contrary.

When the pandemic hit early last year, uncertainty clouded whatever plans they might have otherwise had for the year.

Looking back, she said the COVID-19 pandemic and the hardships it brought many people might have actually contributed to the foundation’s success.

Fund holders saw greater need than usual and pledged money toward various causes to help improve things for their Westman-area communities.

“I shouldn’t have been so surprised because we are in a great community,” Kempthorne said of Westman at large.

“They really wanted to help, and allowing us to grant their surplus to these projects really allowed them to get them off the ground or finished.

“People step up, and they stepped up to the best of their ability. It turned out really well for everyone involved we were able to help this year.”

The Brandon Area Community Foundation manages an investment fund just shy of $16 million held in perpetuity, the interest of which goes toward various community efforts. This fund is made up of not only a general community fund, but also various endowment funds whose holders earmark money toward specific causes.

Through their action in freeing up funds, Kempthorne said fund holders sent a clear message this wasn’t the year to hold back community support.

It wasn’t only the pandemic that spurred them to action, but specific projects they deemed worthy of support.

The foundation also benefitted from a federal grant of $259,000 and a $50,000 matching grant from Manitoba Build 150, the latter of which went toward Keystone Centre greenspace renovations and the building of an accessible playground at the Riverbank Discovery Centre.

Though there are many other projects of note in 2020, Kempthorne also pointed to a $28,000 contribution toward renovations at the Onanole & District Recreation Centre and $20,000 toward the purchase of pediatric mannequins for Assiniboine Community College’s nursing program as being unique.

“That’s going to help nursing students who are going to get a much better hands-on experience,” she said. “Those students are going to go back into their communities and work in the health-care profession.”

A full accounting of 2020 contributions is available online at bacf.ca.

Between grants, donations, new endowment funds and additions, the foundation also brought in close to $600,000 last year.

Approximately half of this amount was comprised of “flow-through” grants they received with specific purposes and timelines for expenditure, which do not factor into their investments.

Looking forward to the balance of 2021, Kempthorne said they’re looking at the current year with a similar degree of uncertainty as they did 2020.

They do, however, intend on participating in the annual Endow Manitoba Giving Challenge in November — an annual fundraising initiative to grow their community fund.

For every $5 they raise during the weeklong fundraiser, the province contributes $1 and The Winnipeg Foundation pledges $1.

They’re also taking applications for the Canada Healthy Community Initiatives, for which the federal government has allocated $1 million to Manitoba.

Other than that, it’ll be business as close to usual as possible, Kempthorne said — “Just seeing where we can help.”

» tclarke@brandonsun.com

» Twitter: @TylerClarkeMB