Steinbach Community Foundation lists 2024 as most grants given
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Since 1998 when the foundation was started, Steinbach Community Foundation (SCF) has handed out more than $1 million and in the last two years has granted $500,000. This year alone SCF will have given out from all funds a total of $212,538, the largest annual payout ever handed out by the foundation.
“It’s very exciting and part of that is because we earned more of course so we can only give out a portion of the money that we earn and it’s very exciting that we are able to grant out more this year,” said chair Mary Jane Hiebert.
“The other thing is because of the new spend down fund that we received, we can go to that anonymous doner and they could decide if they wanted to donate more in a one year or not. That was also done. We could meet with them and go over the applications that we thought they would be interested in and we were able to give out more money.”
The Anonymous Spend Down Fund is a new option for donors. The fund is a limited time spend down fund, meaning it is created with a single large gift that is spent annually within a set time frame. This new strategy at SCF is for donors to provide a greater benefit in a shorter amount of time.
The Thomas Sill Manitoba Fund was set up at The Winnipeg Foundation which then distributed the grants to rural Manitoba community foundations. This is the first year that SCF has received the money from the fund totalling $22,903. The money from the fund is an endowment meaning the money is invested and the interest earned on that fund is what is divided up to all the foundations.
“It’s just a really exciting time and opportunity,” said Hiebert about the funds.
SCF released its financial statement on the evening of June 18 at its AGM where it showed an increase in assets and grants given.
The financial statement listed $3.4 million in assets partially coming from $488,684 in revenue from the Winnipeg Foundation ($266,275) and donations ($218,300) and the balance from the previous year ($2.9 million).
“A lot of that is just good money management. The Winnipeg Foundation takes care of that for us. We also received some substantial gifts in 2024 that has made a huge impact as well,” said Hiebert.
During the evening, $115,372 in grants from five funds were handed out to nine organizations, including Steinbach Fire Department for an inflatable house to teach children about fire safety ($27,198); Steinbach Family Resource Centre for a commercial gas stove and installation ($15,000); and Musee Pointe des Chenes Museum Inc. to move a Métis heritage house ($12,468).
Receiving two adapted tricycles and an iPad this year with money granted to the Children’s Rehabilitation Foundation (CRF) ($10,173) was Olivia Priebe and Cataleya Duarte, and Gunner Boutilier, respectively.
According to Mia Dunn, fund development officer with CRF, the bikes give independence and a social connection for the children who receive them, while the iPad allows the child to communicate.
Eight-year-old Olivia’s father, Viktor, said the bike now means she can spend time with her family no matter where they go. Olivia was born with a rare brain tumor that affects one in one million children.
“We were looking for a long time together to get a tricycle and now that she gets one she can finally bike with us when we go to Bird’s Hill Park…now it’s like a dream come true and it means a lot to us and we are very thankful that we can be a part of this organization and have a bike for Olivia,” he said.
“Those amounts are not necessarily the largest that we grant yet they certainly tug the heart strings the hardest,” said Hiebert.