Pandemic Inspires Fearless Generosity

When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, many people wanted to help those in need. Our executive director Tina Bailey was contacted by many existing donors looking to see how they could best help. She was also contacted by Archdeacon John Robertson, who was reaching out on behalf of the Anglican Diocese Foundation of Ontario.

The Anglican Diocese of Ontario Foundation was keen to help the community respond to the increased needs of the COVID-19 pandemic in a meaningful way. It had been suggested that they contact the Community Foundation to leverage our knowledge of where funds might be best targeted during this time of significant need. We were pleased to share our knowledge of the community and engaged in numerous phone calls and Zoom meetings to discuss various options and ideas.

The result? The creation of the Anglican Diocese of Ontario Foundation Fearless Generosity Fund. This new fund – set up as a ‘flow-through fund’ so all money can be granted out* – will help alleviate some of the pressing needs in our community amplified by the pandemic.

It’s off to a great start – in the first week the fund was established, a donor provided a matching gift; $2,000 was donated to Lunch By George to help them provide meals to those in need. The Diocesan Foundation agreed to match a grant from the Foundation to provide a total grant of $6,000 to the Sexual Assault Centre Kingston so that they could staff their crisis and support lines remotely, as well as protect the mental health and well-being of its front-line workers. (Click to watch YourTV interview to learn more about this.)

Archdeacon Bill Clarke, President of the Anglican Diocese of Ontario Foundation, remarked that this partnership with the Community Foundation is a logical next step to respond to the needs of people who are suffering.  “As Christians of the Anglican tradition, we honour our baptismal vow to ‘seek and serve Christ in all persons,’ which, in actual practice, translates to loving my neighbour as myself.  Traditionally, our grants have been made in response to needs presented to us by Anglican parishes in our Diocese.  However, with the outbreak of COVID-19, our Directors were concerned that there were other important needs in our communities for which our assistance was urgently needed.  Our partnership with the Community Foundation has enabled us to respond to these needs in a way that is both timely and impactful.”

Archdeacon Robertson adds, “another wonderful aspect of our collaboration with the Community Foundation is that we have the opportunity to show that the faithful generosity of Anglicans does not exclude people of other faiths or spiritual practices.  The grants that we will be making through the Fearless Generosity Fund will help to ensure that our community remains strong, that those caring for the most vulnerable members of our communities have the support that they need.”

For more information about the Anglican Diocese of Ontario Foundation, please visit www.dioceseofontariofoundation.ca.

 All donations to the Anglican Diocese of Ontario Foundation Fearless Generosity Fund will be used to support non-sectarian, community-based programs/projects.

*The Foundation offers three different payout options for funds:

• Traditional endowment fund – where capital is preserved and only investment earnings are granted out
• Flow through fund – where all funds are available for granting (less an administration fee)
• ‘Spend down fund’ – where a combination of earnings and capital are granted out each year