City’s partnership with Community Foundation beneficial
Editorial
The Community Foundation of Kawartha Lakes has been an unbridled success since it began in 2019.
Then-president and co-founder of the Community Foundation, Mike Perry, introduced the premise of the foundation this way at the time:
“This is a new tool to help people and build our communities by creating more local funds…It’s a new way of filling gaps using social investments and funds that can be long-term and keep growing with interest.”
Unlike traditional donations, community foundations establish funds for donors from which money is directed in accordance with fund-holders’ wishes. Community foundations pool funds together, using the market to get higher rates of return.
A recent city report provided by CAO Ron Taylor to Kawartha Lakes City Council recommended that the municipality form an official partnership with the Community Foundation of Kawartha Lakes. It was a germane solution to deliver community and municipal funding programs, manage fundraising campaigns and implement community engagement and reporting.
The report recommended that the municipality provide operating funds to the foundation in the amount of $126,000 over a three-year period, beginning this year.
It’s a win for the city for several reasons, including because the foundation can provide access to the Vital Signs tool, a research program used by more than 80 municipalities in Canada. Vital Signs helps municipalities measure progress, identify priorities, and inform investments where they can have the greatest benefit in Kawartha Lakes.
The fund would also address priority areas in making the community a better place to live. This collaborative approach between the city and foundation on specific projects will eventually yield significant opportunities for the community.
The foundation’s goal with its potential partnership with the municipality is to help improve quality of life, create a sense of belonging and ensure more people thrive in Kawartha Lakes. We can’t think of a better partnership for the city to embark upon.
