Foundation earmarks $2 Million for new Community Ministries Fund
In a unanimous decision on the first day of its 4th-quarter meeting, the Anglican Foundation of Canada (AFC) Board of Directors has agreed to establish a new Community Ministries Fund with an initial capital investment of $2,000,000.
“The Board has approved a total transfer of $2,000,000 from the foundation’s General Fund, specifically re-allocating $1,500,000 from amounts designated for contingency purposes and $500,000 from amounts designated for loans,” says Dr. Scott Brubacher, Executive Director. The move is intended to increase AFC’s capacity to provide financial support to parishes, dioceses, and other Anglican-affiliated charities that are engaged directly in community ministries.
Peter Fullerton, who has served as AFC’s Treasurer since 2017, says this is a “generous but fiscally responsible” decision that aligns with AFC’s Strategic Plan to provide increased funding for grants, especially in high-impact funding zones. “The balance remaining in the contingency fund will be sufficient to provide for operations in the event of a crisis,” assures Fullerton. “And the loan fund will retain enough of a cushion for potential future loan demand, should interest rates remain high.”
The decision coincides with what is anticipated to be AFC’s highest granting year to date. It also reflects the shift in demand and granting in recent years in support of community ministries, which now comprise nearly one third of all AFC grants.
“The Foundation seeks to be a leader in funding transformational ministry,” says Brubacher. “Fulfilling that objective demands that we grow a culture of abundance, supporting those churches that are reaching beyond their walls. Whether in a rural village, a small town, or a major urban centre, virtually every Anglican church is situated in the heart of a community that has needs, if we open our hearts to the call. In simple terms, AFC’s Community Ministries Fund seeks to build the church’s capacity to respond to these needs.”
The Most Rev. Linda Nicholls, Primate of the Anglican Church of Canada and Chair of AFC praises the Board’s decision as “reflective of the kind of generosity that will equip Canadian Anglicans with the resources needed to be good news for their communities as the hands and feet of Christ in the world.”
Grants will be disbursed by application from eligible organizations according to AFC’s current granting policies and procedures. Donors wishing to support the Community Ministries fund may give directly at https://www.anglicanfoundation.org/community-ministries/.
