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Fall/Winter 2017
In November, Bath Community Fund awarded grants totaling $14,135 to eight nonprofit organizations, bringing our cumulative grantmaking total to nearly $30,000 since the fund was established less than four years ago.
Two of this year's grants will commemorate Bath's bicentennial, including a $1,000 grant to support the "Celebrate the Past" family festival in late February at Hale Farm & Village. This free festival will be the first in a yearlong series of events marking the township's 200th anniversary in 2018.
Other grants awarded this year will support youth programs in Bath, including an oral health education program for third-graders, a running-based program for adolescent girls, and a therapeutic horseback riding program for children with special needs.
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Bath Community Fund leaders are in the midst of securing gifts for our "For Bath, Forever" endowment campaign, which aspires to raise $2.018 million by the end of Bath's bicentennial year in 2018. An endowment of more than $2 million would enable BCF to award at least $100,000 in grants to Bath nonprofits every year.
The need for a community fund in Bath has become unmistakable, as the requests for grant funding have grown exponentially. In only our second year of grantmaking, BCF received 16 funding requests totaling nearly $56,000 for deserving programs, doubling both the number of grant applications and the amount requested by nonprofits in just one year. "The significant increase in funding requests is a true indication of the need for a permanent endowment like BCF in the Bath community," said Mary Anne Krejci, chair of BCF's Grant Committee.
By helping us grow the endowment, you can ensure that so many more of those pressing
needs will be met for current and future generations of Bath residents.
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During our first cycle of grants in 2016, Bath Community Fund awarded $14,500 to five local nonprofits to support a wide range of community projects.
One of the largest grants went to the Bath Park Board for the construction of an additional restroom at the Bath Nature Preserve. Previously, the only public restroom was situated at the trailhead, a fair distance from where many community activities take place. Seeing an opportunity to improve the Nature Preserve for current and future generations of residents, members of Bath Community Fund's Grant Committee awarded a $5,000 grant for the project. That funding, combined with the proceeds of recent fundraisers and donations from local residents, allowed the park board to reach its goal just one year later.
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As the holidays approach, a gift to Bath Community Fund is the perfect way to honor a friend, family member or colleague while making a lasting difference in the community you live in and love. The people you honor will receive a card letting them know of your gift in their name. Gifts of cash can be made online until midnight on Dec. 31. For gifts of appreciated stock, transfers should be initiated by Dec. 20 to ensure year-end processing.
Thank you for your generosity!
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Giving to Bath Community Fund through your will or trust is a simple and tax-friendly way to preserve the legacy of Bath Township for future generations. With a single stroke of the pen, you can leave your mark on this community in a more significant way than you ever thought possible. You can even choose to create your own charitable fund that will support Bath Community Fund forever in your name.
Learn more about your planned giving options and get sample bequest language by downloading our free guide.
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