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'I did a happy dance': How WBCF streamlined giving for the Efu family
WBCF Announces the Recipients of the 2021 Community Grants
(Fort McMurray, AB – September 24, 2021) The Wood Buffalo Community Foundation (WBCF) has selected the recipients of $200,000 in Community Grant funding.
This funding will support valuable community projects that are needed in the areas of Mental Health or Crisis Supports; Community Connections and Reducing Isolation. Local charities and community groups were invited to apply this past May.
This year’s grant cycle marks the fourth round of grant funding issued by the WBCF. The 2021 grant recipients are:
Organization and Program / Project:
Pastew Place for Pre-Treatment / Client Coordinator
The Hub Family Resource Centre for Rural Community Outreach / Hub on Wheels
St. Aidan’s House Society for Senior Outreach & Advocate Program
King’s Kids Promotions Outreach Ministries for Great Bannock Bake-Off Event and Community Connection Pilot Program (Fort Chipewyan)
“COVID-19 highlights the need for community support for mental health, addictions and crisis support, rural community outreach, and community connection projects. The outcomes of these programs and initiatives will have a huge impact within Fort McMurray Wood Buffalo. WBCF would like to thank all our donors and community partners in making this funding possible.” Gaylene Weidlich, Executive Director, WBCF.
Founded in 2017, WBCF has provided over $1.3 million to social profits in Fort McMurray Wood Buffalo. WBCF strengthens the social fabric and quality of life in Fort McMurray Wood Buffalo by forging relationships to match interests to needs.
Wood Buffalo Community Foundation takes part in new Healthy Communities Initiative
Wood Buffalo Community Foundation announces nine local recipients of 2020 Community Grant Funding
(Fort McMurray, AB – October 15, 2020) WBCF has selected nine local community groups as the recipients of nearly $300,000 in community grant funding. This is a large increase from last year as Intact Insurance and BrokerLink, through Intact Financial Corporation, donated $100,000 to the Wood Buffalo Community Foundation Rapid Response Fund.
This year’s funding will help support valuable community projects that are needed in the areas of Mental Health, Covid-19 Support and Environmental. Local charities and community groups were invited to apply this past June.
This year’s grant cycle marks the third round of grant funding issued by the WBCF. The 2020 grant recipients are:
Organization and Program / Project:
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Wood Buffalo for Community Focused Mentoring Services
Habitat for Humanity Wood Buffalo for Energy Efficiency in Affordable Housing
St. Aidan’s Society for Senior Outreach & Advocate Program
Waypoint’s Community Services Association for Family Violence Outreach - Pandemic Supports
Girls Inc. of Northern Alberta for Reaching SMART
KidSport Wood Buffalo for Return to Sport
McMan Youth Family & Community Services Association for NEAFAN Rural Bus Tickets
Willow Lake Metis and The Resilience Institute for Stories of Resilience - Bison & Adapting to Climate Change
Centre of Hope for COH Outreach Mobile Service Unit
Since being founded in 2017, the WBCF has been building its endowed funds to help support and strengthen the social profit sector in the Wood Buffalo Region. Part of this support comes in the form of strategic grant giving, which helps to provide financial assistance for community projects in the areas of health, education, arts, culture, social services, sports and recreation, the environment and other emerging community needs.
The WBCF is a registered Canadian charity. Our mission is to enhance quality of life in our region by supporting community members and organizations in building long term, mutually beneficial relationships between donors and grantees. We provide grants to improve and enhance the stability and sustainability of the community.
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WOOD BUFFALO COMMUNITY FOUNDATION HOLDS ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
(Fort McMurray, AB - June 23, 2020) Wood Buffalo Community Foundation (WBCF) held its 2020 AGM virtually on June 23, 2020. The Board elected three new Directors, confirmed terms for nine current Directors, received audited financial statements for the period ended December 31, 2019 and appointed its public accountant for the financial period ending December 31, 2020. The audited financial statements can be found here.
Accomplishments outlined at the AGM included:
Raising $1,000,000 in donations in 2019, including matching funds from the Suncor Energy Foundation, bringing endowed funds to almost $3,000,000
Completion of second granting cycle distributing local grants of $200,000 to five organizations
Recruiting five new board members in 2019
“We are very much in our infancy as a foundation with this being only our second annual report,” said Tony Mankowski, Chair of the WBCF Board. “I am pleased to say we are progressing in our mission: To enhance the quality of life in our region through grants and partnerships that improve the capacity and sustainability of our community.”
The WBCF is a registered Canadian charity. Our mission is to enhance quality of life in ourregion by supporting community members and organizations in building long term, mutuallybeneficial relationships between donors and grantees. We provide grants to improve andenhance the stability and sustainability of the community.
For more information, please visit wbcfoundation.ca.
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WOOD BUFFALO COMMUNITY FOUNDATION ANNOUNCES CALL FOR GRANT APPLICATIONS
(Fort McMurray, AB – May 27, 2020) The Wood Buffalo Community Foundation (WBCF) is ready to accept applications for its 2020 granting cycle. Considering the current pandemic and flood situations, the grant cycle will prioritize mental health support programs as it is expected that mental health support is going to be the greatest need coming out of these crises.
The WBCF 2020 grant cycle is part of the organization’s regular granting activities and is separate from the recently announced Rapid Response Fund.
For this grant cycle, WBCF is calling for applications that address the following target areas:
Programs or projects that increase accessibility to mental health supports for specific populations such as youth, seniors, health care and emergency service providers.
Environmental initiatives that enhance or create community connections that focus on environmental education; renewable energy, energy conservation, and climate change; land, habitat, and wildlife conservation. There is a $50,000 cap for the environmental grant target area.
Adapting programs and projects that are assisting vulnerable populations in managing the impacts of COVID-19.
The deadline for grant applications is July 7, 2020. Details on the application process can be found on wbcfoundation.ca/community-grant. WBCF’s grants committee aims to shortlist the applications by early August and make final decisions on awarding of grants before the end of October 2020.
The WBCF is a registered Canadian charity. Our mission is to enhance the quality of life in our region through grants and partnerships that improve the capacity and sustainability of our community. In 2019, the Foundation awarded grants to five local agencies in the social profit sector.
For more information, please visit wbcfoundation.ca.
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Wood Buffalo Community Foundation Launches Rapid Response Fund
Wood Buffalo Community Foundation (WBCF) is coordinating a Rapid Response Fund to help address the urgent and longer term needs of the non-profit and charitable sector in the Wood Buffalo Region. We are partnering with Edmonton Community Foundation to accept donations and will collaborate with United Way of Fort McMurray on fund distribution. We are pleased to acknowledge the support of the Government of Alberta, which is matching donations.
As the magnitude Covid19’s impact becomes more evident, so does the need for a strong social support system in our community. Our region is still struggling to deal with the social, economic and mental health impacts of the wildfire. For many, Covid19 and the associated economic fallout could be the proverbial straw that breaks the camel’s back.
Income and social supports from the federal government are welcome, but we need to ensure the local agencies who provide direct services in our region have the resources to address increased needs. Like governments, these agencies are being called upon to address immediate impacts due to COVID19 while preparing for longer term impacts. The whole sector is in danger as events are cancelled, people are laid off, and revenue is restricted.
Following the Fort McMurray wildfire, the social profit sector learned the value of information sharing and collaboration. WBCF will collaborate with United Way and others to ensure we build on these lessons.
WBCF is adapting our fund development and granting strategies to address the urgent needs created by this pandemic and the associated economic hardships. This is not an endowed fund and we are not publicly fundraising. If you see the potential for this kind of nimble and strategic response, we invite you to contribute, by using Edmonton Community Foundation’s Rapid Response Fund. Donations to this Fund will be accepted until May 31st, to align with Edmonton’s campaign and the deadline for achieving the government match.
How does it work?
Edmonton Community Foundation will receive donations on our behalf via a web page set up for Edmonton’s Rapid Response Fund. Donors should assign their donation to Wood Buffalo Community Foundation or WBCF in the “comments” section on the web page or via the designated phone line when they make their donation.
Please note: to help save on fees charged for online donations, if you plan on making a gift larger than $1,000, please contact Matt Mandrusiak (mmandrusiak@ecfoundation.org) to discuss your options.
Edmonton Community Foundation will forward the donated funds along with the corresponding matching support from the Government of Alberta to WBCF when the campaign ends.
WBCF will leverage our extensive granting experience and strong relationships with other funders in the region to determine grant recipients and amounts granted. WBCF’s grants committee includes representatives from United Way, municipal government, education, arts, recreation and social services. They understand the urgent needs of the region and will help ensure those needs are met.
What else is WBCF doing to support our region during this crisis? In March, WBCF advised 2019 grantees not to worry about reporting on projects and to let us know if they need to use the grants they received for other purpose.
Grants from WBCF’s endowed funds in 2020 will focus on addressing programs or projects that increase accessibility to mental health supports for specific populations such as youth, seniors, health care and emergency service providers. The call for applications for these grants will be announced soon.
If you have any questions or comments, please reach out to Fund Development and Donor Stewardship Chair Brenda Erskine at bmerskine2@gmail.com or (587) 432-5325.
In closing, WBCF thanks you for your ongoing support. Stay healthy, stay home and be kind to each other.
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About Wood Buffalo Community Foundation
The WBCF is a registered Canadian charity. Our mission is to enhance quality of life in our region by supporting community members and organizations in building long term, mutually beneficial relationships between donors and grantees. We provide grants to improve and enhance the stability and sustainability of the community.
Contact
Wood Buffalo Community Foundation announces five local recipients for 2019 Grant Funding
(Fort McMurray, AB – September 25, 2019) The Wood Buffalo Community Foundation (WBCF) has selected five local community groups as the recipients of nearly $200,000 in community grant funding. The funding is part of the Foundation’s 2019 grant cycle, which invited applications from local charities and community groups in early May.
This year’s grant cycle marks the second round of grant funding issued by the WBCF. The 2019 grant recipients include:
The Canadian Mental Health Association
FuseSocial Wood Buffalo Society
St. Aidan’s House Society
The Multicultural Association of Wood Buffalo
Pastew Place Detoxification Centre
Since being founded in 2017, the WBCF has been building its endowed funds to help support and strengthen the social profit sector in the Wood Buffalo Region. Part of this support comes in the form of strategic grant giving, which helps to provide financial assistance for community projects in the areas of health, education, arts, culture, social services, sports and recreation, the environment and other emerging community needs.
This year’s funding will help support valuable community projects such as the Peer Support Program offered through the Canadian Mental Health Association, the Senior Outreach & Advocate Program run by St. Aidan’s House Society and FuseSocial Wood Buffalo Society’s Leadership & Education Program.
“We’re very pleased to be able to support these great charities and community groups that are providing valuable programming and assistance to the individuals and families in our region who need it most,” said Tony Mankowski, WBCF Board Chair. “It is our goal to contribute to a sustainable social profit sector that will help support our region for decades to come, and our annual grant cycles are just one of the ways we work to achieve that goal.”
For more information on the WBCF’s 2019 grant cycle, visit www.wbcfoundation.ca.
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About Wood Buffalo Community Foundation
The WBCF is a registered Canadian charity. Our mission is to enhance quality of life in our region by supporting community members and organizations in building long term, mutually beneficial relationships between donors and grantees. We provide grants to improve and enhance the stability and sustainability of the community.
Contact
Now Hiring: Wood Buffalo Community Foundation (WBCF) Manager
The Wood Buffalo Community Foundation is now seeking applications for the position of WBCF manager.
The WBCF Manager will report to the Chair of the Board of Directors and work with Committee Chairs to achieve the goals outlined in the Wood Buffalo Community Foundation Strategic Plan. The successful candidate will be responsible for the organization, management and execution of key activities of the Foundation.
Interested in the position, or know someone who would make the perfect fit? Find the full posting here:
