From Our Executive Director

It seems like once again this month’s newsletter has organically come together around a theme – or rather around a demonstration of one of the things that makes the Community Foundation unique:

We serve and support ALL charities in Kingston & Area. 

The words “serve” and “support” are as important as the word “All” in this articulation.

Certainly “ALL” is important. As a “360 degree” funder, we are unique in that we provide grants to charities in all sectors that strengthen and enhance our community – from arts & culture to the environment to social services and youth. You will see this diversity reflected in our most recent Community Grants – which you can read about below.

While we are most well known for our granting through our competitive Community Grants Program (understandable, as that is what gets the most press), we do so much more to serve and support charities in our community.

We also work with charities, often quietly and behind the scenes, to help them establish and grow their own endowment funds to support their work. Partnering with charities, we both do what we do best for the benefit of the community: we facilitate donations and manage funds to generate a reliable income stream, and they use those funds to do the great work they do.

This month I am SO pleased to welcome two beloved local charities under the Foundation’s umbrella of ‘Agency Funds’. I think it is safe to say ‘beloved’ as I can only imagine how much these two organizations mean to the people they serve. (Read below to see who they are!)

We also highlight two existing funds that our staff and volunteers have put significant time and energy into supporting to help promote and grow over the years. We are so pleased that they now provide these two charities with a fairly significant, reliable, source of annual funding. (Yes, Zal & Rose Breakfast Fund fans, one of the updates is about them, announcing this year’s fundraising breakfasts!)

And of course, we also work with donors to facilitate grants directly to other charities, advising them of community needs and funding gaps, and helping them establish funds to support their favorite charities or causes. Each year, on top of our community grants, significant funding (about half a million dollars this year) is sent directly to individual charities selected with direction from our donors.

You will see in this issue there are lots of links to donate to various funds. Rather than thinking of this as fundraising focused issue (although I do encourage you to donate!), I hope you see this as a reflection of the myriad of ways your Community Foundation works to serve and support all local charities.

Happy reading!
Tina Bailey
Executive Director
Fall Community Grants Awarded

This month, 22 local charities received the exciting news that they will receive funding from the Community Foundation. Over $250,000 was granted through our latest Community Grants round. Ranging in size from $1,000 to $25,000, grants were awarded to projects and programs designed to help charities increase community connection, support food security, promote mental health and education, and inspire creativity through participation in the arts.

While we miss our big in-person grant celebrations and hope to be able to hold them again soon, staff and volunteers of the Foundation have been having fun visiting grant recipients individually to present their cheques and learn more about their work and how they are making our community more resilient.

Their positive energy is captivating, and we look forward to sharing the progress of their projects over the next few months.

Visit our website to see the full list of funded projects, and we encourage you to follow us on social media @CFKingstonArea to experience some of the fun as we highlight and learn more about our recent grant recipients.

This year, in total over $478,000 has been granted to 47 charities through our two Community Grants rounds. Thank you to our donors who made all this possible, and to the charities for undertaking this important work.
Announcing Two New Agency Funds

In June, we announced a matching grant opportunity for local charities. Up to ten charities could receive a 1:1 match of up to $10,000 to establish a new endowment fund with the Foundation, and the 25 charities with existing funds with us were offered a match of up to $1,000.

We received a flurry of inquiries from charities of all types and sizes interested in learning more about this opportunity, how endowment funds work, and how it could contribute to part of their long-term sustainable funding.

This month, we are pleased to announce two charities that have formally established permanent endowment funds with us to support their work:



Please click on their names to learn about the important work they do in our community and their goals for their funds (or you can access this directly through our website at www.cfka.org).

You can help them reach their fundraising goal of $10,000 by December 31 by making a gift of any amount, so that they can benefit from the full match we are offering.

A few other charities are still considering this opportunity, so we may have some more announcements next month. (If you are a charity that would like to learn more about this opportunity, contact tina@ckfa.org)

We are pleased to now hold endowment funds for 27 local charities! A gift to a charity’s endowment fund is a great way to invest in their long-term success, as it will benefit them FOR EVER.
2021 Zal & Rose Yanovsky Breakfasts

For the second year in a row, the beloved annual Zal & Rose Breakfasts at Chez Piggy and Pan Chancho will be a delicious TO GO coffee and breakfast.

Last year’s event was a tremendous success – raising over $28,000! With the ongoing COVID safety concerns, Zoe and her team decided to continue with the TO GO events this December.

Tuesday, December 14 at Chez Piggy from 7 to 9 AM. Call 613.549.7673 to reserve.

Wednesday, December 15 at Pan Chancho from 7 to 9 AM. Call 613.544.7790 to reserve.

Call ahead to reserve your coffee and breakfast box to go!
“Reservations” are limited so call early to avoid disappointment.

This special annual event is by donation to the Zal & Rose Yanovsky Breakfast Fund in support of The Food Sharing Project. The Food Sharing Project provides over 6,000 meals each week to students in 88 schools across KFL&A. To date over $188,000 has been granted from the fund. And, as the fund grows with your donations, so does its annual granting power!

Donations can be made online, via cheque payable to Community Foundation for Kingston & Area (with “Zal & Rose Fund” in the memo line) or by calling the Foundation office at 613.546.9696.
Attention Kingston Symphony Lovers!

Did you know that gifts to the Kingston Symphony’s Endowment Funds qualify for up to a dollar-for-dollar match from the Government of Canada?

The Canada Cultural Investment Fund – Endowment Incentives program is designed to encourage private donors to contribute to endowment funds for not-for-profit professional arts organizations. They recognize that building endowments gives organizations greater capacity for realizing artistic expression by supporting their long-term stability.

The match is available through the partnership we have, as it requires a joint application from both a foundation and the arts organization. We have been participating in this match since 2008 and to date have secured over $305,832 in matching funds.

All gifts to the Kingston Symphony Endowment Fund received by November 30 will qualify for the match this year (gifts made after will qualify for next year). Donations can be made online through Canada Helps, or directly to the Community Foundation.

Call us at 613.546.9696 with any questions. 
November 30 is Giving Tuesday

After Black Friday and Cyber Monday is Giving Tuesday.
  
Whether you donate on Giving Tuesday or any other day - or maybe even both! - THANK YOU!

As we kick off the “season of giving” please consider a donation to your Community Foundation. You can support many local charities with a single gift to our pooled Community Fund, or browse our list of funds to find one that aligns with your interests. Or, feel free to give us a call if you’d like some advice on how you can give in a way that is most impactful and meaningful to you. 

GIVE NOW at cfka.org/give
 
End of Year Giving Tip!

Markets are currently strong. Do you hold securities (stocks, bonds, mutual funds) that have gained in value? If so, you can benefit from significant tax advantages by gifting those securities to a charity (DO NOT sell them yourself; you must make the gift in-kind).

  • You avoid triggering/paying income tax on the capital gains
  • You receive a charitable donation receipt for the full market value

Learn more at cfka.org/giftofsecurities or call us at 613.546.9696.

Talk to your investment professional to see if this is a smart option for you. Gifts must be received by December 31st to receive a 2021 charitable donation receipt, so we recommend transfers be initiated by mid-December. 
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