Lindsay Legacy C.H.E.S.T. Fund awards over a quarter million dollars

Five local organizations discovered on Dec. 13 they will be the beneficiaries of funding from the Lindsay Legacy C.H.E.S.T. Fund for 2023.
The announcement, made at Kawartha Lakes Council, said that A Place Called Home, the Lindsay Agricultural Society, the Kawartha Lakes Museum and Archive, the Kawartha Art Gallery and the Pinnguaq Association will share total funding of $251,000 between the five groups with Pinnguaq receiving the largest grant at $75,000.
The Lindsay C.H.E.S.T. Fund granting committee met on Nov. 9 to review and recommend applications for disbursement of 2023 funding. The fund gets its money from the interest generated yearly on the total sale price of Lindsay Hydro to Ontario Hydro over two decades ago. Decisions were made at the time that the purchase price paid for Lindsay Hydro would be invested and that yearly the interest from that investment would be made available to Lindsay based non-profit groups that benefit the community. A similar fund exists in Bobcaygeon.
The committee received five applications for 2023 and all five groups received some level of support. The fund had $318,000 to spend for 2023 and council decided to allocate almost 80 per cent of that amount with the remainder being reinvested in the fund for future years.
A Place Called Home asked for and received $40,000 for an agency vehicle replacement. The Lindsay Agricultural Society asked for and received $58,000 for bleachers, line delineators and construction fence panels for their site on Angeline Street North. The Kawartha Lakes Museum and Archives made the biggest ask at $153,000 for new display cases, mannequins and a Smart freezer to store and preserve artifacts, but only received $70,000.
The Kawartha Art Gallery was looking for $78,000 for staffing, framing, a security camera, temperature and humidity controls and shelving and received a little over 10 per cent of their requested amount, being granted about $8,000. Pinnguaq, an organization whose goal is to provide Indigenous youth access to science, technology, engineering, art and math through games asked for and received $75,000 for capital renovations at their new facility.