Local community foundation grants $1.8 million

WATERLOO - The Kitchener and Waterloo Community Foundation awarded over $1.8 million in grants during 2010 to support non profit and charitable organizations in Kitchener-Waterloo and area.

“Our non profit community has felt the pinch of lower charitable giving numbers,” says Rosemary Smith, CEO of The KWCF. “In addition, they have struggled over the past two years with leaner budgets, increased needs, and decreased funding.”

The KWCF distributed funds to a diverse number of projects and programs including Strong Start and Pat the Dog Playwright Centre.

In an effort to revolutionize the way they collect and manage program data, Strong Start received a $25,000 grant from The KWCF for their IT and Communications project. “The tools and technology in this project will greatly improve the way we communicate with our sites, volunteers, and donors,” shares Machelle Denison, Strong Start’s Executive Director. “With this expanded capacity and improved efficiency, we will be able to serve more children and impact more lives.”

Pat the Dog Playwright Centre was another organization that received funding from The KWCF. In total $20,000 went to support a number of the organization’s projects. “The KWCF has been invaluable to Pat the Dog’s growth,” remarks Artistic Director, Lisa O’Connell.“ Their support allowed us to give voice to the more than 100 playwrights across our community and province, enabled us to purchase essential equipment, gather stories and support a new artistic associate.”

In total 318 grants were made in 2010 to 181 different non profit and charitable organizations in our community. These numbers are up greatly from 2009.