Partnerships forged in recessionary times
CAMBRIDGE, ON—When the global economy collapsed last fall, funding agencies were hit hard with devastating results for some of the charities they supported. But a little more than a year later, a group of Canadian faith-based funders are pooling their resources to help Christian-inspired charities "weather current economic challenges and emerge stronger in years to come.
The funders gathering together for this initiative are: Bridgeway Foundation, Caritate Foundation, Catalyst Foundation, Charis Foundation, J&R Horwood, Legacy Foundation of Canada (Family Hope Fund), Legacy Foundation of Canada (Legacy Trust), and Maranatha Foundation.
"Each of the member funders has a commitment to advance Christian work in Canada, and also a commitment to funding excellence and supporting the ideals of our faith as done through people of like mind," says Bridgeway Foundation president Mark Petersen.
According the a November 6 announcement, the group has "committed to grant up to $1 million in 2010 towards helping these charities build their organizational strength." This capacity building focus is a shift from foundations' more recent emphasis on innovation.
Stronger Together 2010 is explicitly inviting Canadian Christian charities "to apply for grant funding to support projects that will specifically and measurably grow their organizational strength." All applications are submitted online between January 2, 2010 and February 28. Successful applicants will be announced June 15.
"This is beneficial for everyone involved," explains Petersen. "It's better for charities in that it provides access to eight times more funders through one web site portal and one proposal approach." It also elevates the profile of some major donors who have been less widely know.
"For funders," continues Petersen, "it's a huge benefit and needed initiative. It allows us to talk to one another more. Some fundraisers know everybody more than we funders know each other. Coming together creates community among this cohort…. We will learn from others at our granting meetings. We'll be able to share information and background."
Gathering granting partners with the same funding focus also provides some economies of scale and will attract more attention from within the charitable Christian community.
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