The Grand Bend Community Foundation has  announced the community grants funded in 2013.  The grants for 2013 totaled 69,996.00.  There were a total of 17 grant application reviewed by our grants committee, over Seventy (70.6 %) percent were selected by the committee to receive some level of grant funding.

The grants committee is composed of a blend of community members and Grand Bend Community Foundation board members. The committee meets to review the applications for completeness, eligibility and impact. For some applications the grants committee may ask for an additional information or clarification in order to provide it with a more complete picture of the project.

Grant applications are reviewed for eligibility  which ensures the applicants are registered charities or have a charitable partner, the impact the project will have on our local community or residents  and current community needs and best fit for the community.

The grants committee recommends the grants to the board of the foundation. The board then needs to vote to approve the recommendations  to determine the final list of grants.

In 2013 the following have received funding. (funding provided by)
Grand Bend Historical Plaques -partner Lambton Shores (Community Fund)
Lambton Kent District School Board – local student bursary. (The M J Muma Fund)
Huron County Fdodbank Distribution Centre (Community Fund)
Communities in Bloom, Grand Bend Community garden- partner Lambton Shores ( Environment Fund)
Grand Bend Legion. Washroom upgrades -partner Lambton Shores (Community Fund)
Grand Bend Christmas Decorations – Grand Bend Chamber of commerce and Lambton Shores. (Community Fund)
Big Brothers Big Sisters South Huron – Big Bunch project (The Relouw fund and The 2001 London Alliance Canada Summer Games fund)
Algarva -building window replacement  project  (Community Fund)
Huron County Food Bank -pallet truck project   (Community Fund)
ABCA environment projects (Environment Fund)
Aquafest 2014 -partner Lambton Shores (Community Fund)
Junior Achievement -Grand Bend and Thedford Schools (Community Fund)
Grand Bend Community Foundation Admin (The Krech family Fund)

Through the continued building of the community fund and  funds established by  local donors,  the Grand Bend Community Foundation has been able to grant over 990,000.00 since 2001 .

“We are delighted  to have received so many great quality grant applications this year.  Each grant application was focused on enhancing our community, we wished we could have funded them all at some level.  The grants being made this year to education, youth, food security,  the environment and social services will make a real  difference to our small community. Through these grants I believe we are living our mission: We connect people and charities to build a smart and caring community. “ David Campbell -Executive Director, Grand Bend Community Foundation.

About the Grand Bend Community Foundation.
The Grand Bend Community Foundation was established in 2001 and provides both community leadership and grants to local charities and projects. We have three main activities.

• We build and manage funds that are invested for the long-term
• We use a portion of the income from our funds to support local charities that have bright ideas to improve our community
• We provide leadership in our community.

To learn more about the Grand Bend Community Foundation, please visit www.grandbendcommunityfoundation.ca