The Anglican Foundation of Canada (AFC) Board of Directors met via ZOOM on September 14, 2023, and approved $270,500 in grants to 24 applicants in 18 Dioceses, bringing the 2023 grants total to date to $628,000.
“When we increased our annual granting cycles and added the July 1 deadline for Q3 grants, we didn’t know what to expect,” says Dr. Scott Brubacher, Executive Director AFC. “The uptake we have seen this additional funding window—which included many ambitious, multi-phase infrastructure projects—has affirmed the wisdom of that decision.”
Among the 17 infrastructure projects approved for funding, there was a noticeable trend in vibrant, community-minded parishes revitalizing their church hall facilities, in particular. Ron Brophy, member of the AFC Grants Committee and Chair of the Strategy Committee commented on the strong spirit of renewal at work in many of the applications. “I was impressed by the steps many of these churches are taking to connect with other community organizations, to rally their own resources even as they come to AFC for support, and the energy they are devoting to serving as community hubs.”
As Grants Committee members commended individual projects, they spoke of both the sense of “urgency” and “delight” in supporting as many applicants as possible and acknowledged AFC’s role in providing not just funding but “peace of mind,” especially to those churches seeking to repair damaged or at-risk infrastructure.
Particularly noteworthy in this grant cycle was the approval of the first-ever Category C grant of $50,000 to the Huron Farmworkers Ministry (HFM) in the Diocese of Huron. It is also the largest-ever grant in AFC history. Category C grants of up to $50,000 were created by the AFC Board in 2022 to enable AFC to be a more flexible funding partner in cases where a diocese might want to rally around a single transformational project in any given year.
“There was a real sense of excitement at the Board meeting in being able to wholeheartedly support this incredible outreach ministry to more than 5,000 migrant workers across the Diocese of Huron,” says Brubacher. “It was poignant, too, to see a community ministry like this as the first-ever Category C grant recipient.” In recent years AFC has driven its granting program to new heights by intentionally shifting the balance of funding in favour of Community Ministries, which now comprise more than one third of AFC’s funding since 2010.
Brubacher says that while the Huron Farmworkers Ministry is unique, it shares much in common with the increasing number of community ministries across Canada that are growing and flourishing as beacons of help, hope, and hospitality—and coming to AFC for assistance with growth and expansion. “On behalf of the Board, I can say that it is our great pleasure and privilege to support them.”
Projects approved in the 3rd quarter granting cycle include:
COMMUNITY MINISTRIES
- Home Again Furniture Bank Inc., St. John’s, NL (Diocese of Eastern Newfoundland & Labrador), Making Dreams Possible – Providing Beds, $10,000
- St. John’s Anglican Church – Huron Farmworkers Ministry, Port Rowan, ON (Diocese of Huron) Huron Farmworkers Ministry Expansion & Support, $50,000
- St. Paul’s Anglican Church, Goulds, NL (Diocese of Eastern Newfoundland & Labrador) Sowing Seeds – Growing Community, $5,000
- Parish of St. Aidan & St. Bartholomew, Gibsons, BC (Diocese of New Westminster) All Who Hunger: Feeding our Need for Connection, $9,000
DIVERSE INFRASTRUCTURE
- Parish of Hammond River – Holy Trinity, Quispamsis, NB (Diocese of Fredericton), Wheelchair Accessible Washroom, $12,500
- St. Stephen’s Anglican Church, Saskatoon, SK (Diocese of Saskatoon) Unless the Lord Builds the House, $10,000
- St. John the Baptist Anglican Church, Fort Francis, ON (Diocese of Rupert’s Land), Parish Plumbing Requirements, $13,500
- Church of St. Andrew & St. George, Baie-Comeau QC (Diocese of Quebec) Church to Community Space, $10,000
- St. Timothy’s Anglican Church 100 Mile House, BC (Territory of the People), Cleaning & Chinking of Log Church, $10,000
- Anglican Parish of the Parrsboro Shore, Parrsboro, NS (Diocese of Nova Scotia & PEI), Faithfully into the Future, $8,000
- St. John’s United Anglican Church, Manning, AB (Diocese of Athabasca), Re-shingling of Church Roof, $9,000
- St. James the Apostle Anglican Church, Perth, ON (Diocese of Ottawa), Survey & Plan for Drainage of Walkway, $5,000
- Wycliffe College, Toronto (Diocese of Toronto) Enhancing Community Accessibility, $10,000
- Christ Church Rawdon, Rawdon, QC, (Diocese of Montreal) Parish Hall Upgrade, $10,000
- Sisterhood of St. John the Divine, Toronto, ON (National) Home for the Heart – Renovation of Convent Guest House, $15,000
- St. Christopher’s Anglican Church, Christopher Lake, SK (Diocese of Saskatchewan) Chair Lift, $7,500
- St. Augustine of Canterbury, Edmonton, AB (Diocese of Edmonton), Lower Hall Refresh, $5,000
- St. Mary the Virgin Anglican Church, Regina, SK (Diocese of Qu’Appelle), Lower Hall and Kitchen Renovation, $9,000
- Church of St. Christopher, Haines Junction, YT (Diocese of Yukon), Stair Replacement & Sign Upgrade, $12,000
- St. Peter’s Anglican Church, Williams Lake, BC (Territory of the People), Re-roofing of Church, $10,000
- Cathedral Church of the Redeemer, Calgary, AB (Diocese of Calgary), Protection of Stained Glass Windows & Repair of Gutters, $10,000
INDIGENOUS MINISTRIES
- Diocese of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Toronto Urban Native Ministry, $15,000
SACRED MUSIC & LITURGICAL ARTS
- Capella Regalis Men and Boys Choir, Halifax, NS (Diocese of Nova Scotia & PEI), Five Choral Sponsorships for Young Choristers, $5,000
LEADERSHIP & EDUCATION
- Huron University College, London, ON (Diocese of Huron) Licentiate in Theology Program, $10,000
For more information on AFC’s new grant categories or to apply for an AFC grant, visit www.anglicanfoundation.org/apply. To receive AFC’s monthly electronic newsletter, visit www.anglicanfoundation.org/subscribe. To become a member of AFC, visit www.anglicanfoundation.org/membership.
Michelle Hauser | Development & Communications Officer
Anglican Foundation of Canada
169 Bridge Street West | Napanee, ON | K7R 2V5
Home office: 613-354-6387 | mhauser@anglicanfoundation.org
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