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| Path: Main Street : NewsWeek : Archive : Funder Focus : Article |
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Funder Focus: Joanne Lewis and the Brantford Community Foundation
July 4, 2006
By Elisa Birnbaum
This month in our Funder Focus we feature the Brantford Community Foundation, a nonprofit, charitable organization that exists to oversee endowment funds set up by members in the community and to make charitable grants to local charities. CharityVillage spoke with executive director Joanne Lewis about the strong force of philanthropy in her community, the foundation's role, and its varied and exciting projects.
CharityVillage: When did the foundation start up? What was the impetus behind its creation?
Joanne Lewis: When the City of Brantford [Ontario] was celebrating its 150th anniversary in 1997, a member of the Sesquicentennial Committee heard about community foundations and the role they play in communities. He thought that it would be a fitting memorial of the special anniversary to establish a foundation.
The Brantford community has a long history of philanthropy that continues to this day. Having a community foundation just made good sense in order to encourage philanthropy and to give people a means to help strengthen the community.
CV: What type of organizations and programs do you fund?
JL: Grants from the BCF are given to local charities and municipalities in Brantford, Brant County, Six Nations and New Credit that address current needs and projects that strengthen our community and enhance the quality of life. Our grants cover all sectors: health, arts and culture, social services, seniors, youth, education and the environment.
In particular, I'd like to mention three grants that we feel enhance the quality of life for those in our community. They are from the Sheridan Place Fund, which supports senior programs and activities.
One grant received by the Alzheimer Society of Brant funded their annual caregivers retreat. Taking care of a relative with Alzheimer's disease is a 24/7 job and the caregivers retreat may be the only respite that these people get. It is an opportunity for them to take care of themselves for one night knowing that their loved ones are being taken care of. They have the opportunity to share stories and learn about taking care of themselves so that they can then take better care of their family members.
The YM-YWCA started up a program called "Building Better Bones" for seniors, which focuses on the prevention of osteoporosis. The "Building Better Bones" program provides an opportunity for seniors to design and take part in an exercise program that is appropriate for them.
And, an organization from the Six Nations is producing a weekly CD audio magazine/newspaper for seniors. The project is called the Yah Goh Audio Magazine. Yah:goh is a Mohawk word that loosely translates to, "so they say". The CD includes current news articles and stories that are of interest to seniors, as well as music.
These are just a few examples of organizations and programs that we fund. You can see that we look for ideas that are innovative, enhance the quality of life and will make this a better community. Other grants support large organizations such as the Brantford General Hospital Fund and small organizations such as the Brant Bereavement Network. The main criterion is that the proposals must help to make the community a better place to live.
CV: What is the average community investment made each year?
JL: Our grants to the community are growing each year. This year, our grants will total over $185,000, which is up from our first grants in 2001 of $73,000. As our assets grow, we will continue to invest more each year. As of 2001, when we started giving out grants, we have given out over $800,000.
We have one grant deadline a year so that we review all the grants with the amount of money we have. And the range is usually between $2,500 to $5,000 per grant.
CV: What are some of the challenges associated with being a community foundation generally and specifically in Brantford?
JL: It is difficult to illustrate the purpose of a community foundation without providing some history of our community. In the beginning, we were mistakenly thought to be another fundraising group; however, the nature of community foundations is to assist others in their philanthropy. Our role is to help people carry out their wishes and plans for their charitable giving. Gifts to community foundations are above the donor's regular charitable giving and are a means of leaving a permanent legacy for their community. Donors are able to specify through various funds how their gifts will be invested in the community.
Community foundations support local projects and the area covered by the BCF is the City of Brantford, Brant County, Six Nations and the Mississauagas of the New Credit. Our foundation has some challenges since we cover a large area that has both urban and rural communities. It is more difficult to make sure that everyone is aware of the fact that the foundation has grants available because we are dealing with several different newspapers with different deadlines for press releases. We've realized that it's very important to always have the foundation on your mind when you're talking to people so you can get the word out.
CV: What are you looking for in a grantee?
JL: The easy answer is that the grantee must be a qualified donee as specified by the charities division of the Canada Revenue Agency. But there is more than that. As registered charities, the organizations have a structure in place to ensure that they will be responsible and able to carry out the project that they receive funds for. That is important, but it is even more vital that the organization understands the community and is helping the community.
CV: Has the foundation evolved at all over the years? If so, why and in what direction?
JL: There have been many changes over the years. We started out without any assets and have now reached the $5.5 million mark. We will have approximately $200,000 to give out in grants this coming year and that money can make a real difference in the community.
Other changes came about as the board and volunteers got a better understanding of community foundations and the role they play. Community foundations build endowments by working with donors to help them make a lasting difference in their community. It isn't a fundraising organization and they are learning that.
The volunteers are now taking a leadership role in identifying issues and approaching groups that can help address those issues. Groups that we have given grants to, such as Kids Can Fly - a local organization that does a lot of work with young children (0-6) and have also worked with Roots of Empathy in elementary schools, keep us informed about their programs and how these programs are helping to shape the future of our community. This helps us by increasing our understanding of how our grants work in the community.
Since we started out, we've formed several committees such as our Environment Committee and Youth Advisory Committee. These committees meet regularly to make sure the foundation board is aware of concerns that they have and to help find solutions to deal with these issues.
CV: I understand the foundation is taking part in a tree-planting event. How did this come about and what other type of special programs is the foundation involved in?
JL: This came about because of the interest of members of our Environment Committee in trees. As you know, trees absorb harmful gases and pollutants and make the air easier to breathe. They also add protection from the sun in parks and school grounds. And, of course, they beautify the area.
A member of our committee who works at Apotex Pharmachem approached the city's parks and recreation department in the spring of 2005. Apotex Pharmachem had a triangular area of land that was not going to be developed for a number of years and last year on Earth Day, they planted over two hundred trees in the area. They are taking care of these trees until they grow to a size big enough to replant in park areas and school yards. After working on this project, they thought that a Tree Coalition made up of groups interested in trees should be formed to contact other businesses that might be interested in the environment and planting trees.
The outcome of this partnership is the second tree planting, which is supported by ACIC Fine Chemicals Inc. Two hundred and fifty trees were planted in a ravine area behind their building. The Tree Coalition has prepared an information presentation and will be approaching other corporations in the area to encourage tree planting.
CV: Does the foundation align itself with others groups or government agencies?
JL: Community foundations are locally-run public foundations that are autonomous and governed by a volunteer board made up of people from that area.
We are very fortunate to have a national organization, Community Foundations of Canada, to answer our questions about endowment-building and donor services, grantmaking and community leadership. By being a member of Community Foundations of Canada we are fortunate to have the other members of Community Foundations of Canada as part of our networking group. It's great to have other foundations who share the same experiences to talk to when questions arise.
We do not align ourselves with any government agencies, but we keep them informed about what we are doing in the community. We recently met with MP Lloyd St. Amand and MPP Dave Levac to let them know that we have topped the $5 million dollar mark in our assets and to ensure that they have information about our grants and can refer inquiries to us.
We have a contract with the City of Brantford to review their grant applications for the grant program from the charity casino funds. This is the city's grant program, but we do the administration for them and we get a fee for this service.
CV: What do you see as the next ten-year plan for the foundation?
JL: I see so many exciting things in our future. As donors learn about the foundation, they are realizing that they can start the types of funds that will reflect how they would like to invest in the community. We recently had a donor start two funds that were designated for specific charities only. One was for the local art gallery and the other was for the symphony. I believe that others will take this donor's lead and work with the foundation to establish funds that will closely follow their philanthropic wishes.
Our Youth Committee was formed in 2003. The committee is growing and they sent three members to the national conference in Saskatoon this past May. As part of the Ministry of Heritage partnership with Community Foundation of Canada, the YACs will be reviewing grant applications from other youth organizations. This is the first time that our youths will be reviewing grants and looking at how funds and grants can help out in the community. I see them taking a more active role in the future.
We will be working hard to make sure everyone in our community knows about the foundation, the grants we are making and how we are managing our funds. Our board members and volunteers are the best people to spread this message and will take an even larger role in the future.
I think we're going to be around forever. When we get donations, the donee signs that they understand these donations are going to be kept in perpetuity. So I think that we have to be around, we have no choice!
Joanne Lewis has held the title of executive director since 2001. She came to the foundation after a brief stint at the Brant Community Office, a literal hop, skip and jump away from where she sits today. At one point, she worked at the local art gallery and then tried her hand in the for-profit world. But after seeing how much she missed the not-for-profit sector, she quickly returned. And with her boundless passion and energy, there is no question the Brantford Community Foundation is glad she did. For more information about the foundation, visit: www.brantfordcommunityfoundation.ca.
Elisa Birnbaum is a freelance print and broadcast journalist living in Toronto.
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