OTF Grant Helps Us Recover from Pandemic
On Friday, April 8th, MPP Dave Smith met online with representatives from the Alzheimer Society of Peterborough, Kawartha Lakes, Northumberland, and Haliburton (PKLNH) and Tom Rowden, an Ontario Trillium Foundation (OTF) volunteer to hear how a $119,800 Resilient Communities Fund grant awarded by OTF in 2021 has made a difference. The Resilient Communities Fund program was developed to help non-profit groups to rebuild and recover from the impacts of COVID-19.
“This $119,800 grant has helped the Alzheimer Society in their recovery during the pandemic and strengthened their digital infrastructure as they transitioned from traditional procedures to online,” MPP Dave Smith said. “Now they are able to continue focusing on the important work they do best, which is helping to support those affected by dementia,” MPP Smith said.
The grant has been used by the group to help it recover from lost revenue throughout the pandemic by investing in digital communications that will help it increase its fundraising capabilities when traditional methods weren’t possible. The pandemic put an end to all in-person events, programming, and services which led to significant decreases to the Alzheimer Society’s revenue. At the same time, the need for support for people affected by dementia increased, and the Society had to move its services online. Funding from OTF allowed the Alzheimer Society (PKLNH) to hire a communications associate to develop new avenues for communicating with clients and increased the effectiveness of fundraising communications. Thanks to the grant from the Ontario Trillium Foundation, the Alzheimer Society (PKLNH) has increased its fundraising revenue by 16 per cent and increased its donor retention rate by 19 per cent.
“The impact of this Ontario Trillium Foundation grant has been significant!” said Sarah Cook, Education Program Supervisor. “In addition to boosting our ability to fundraise, this grant has allowed us to increase awareness of dementia and how the Alzheimer Society can provide support, education, and important wellness programming to the countless individuals who are impacted by dementia and need our help.”
Due to the lack of additional funding from Ontario Health, the Alzheimer Society must increase its fundraising revenue to ensure it can meet the increasing need from the community. Its services include one-on-one counselling, educational workshops for family care partners, and social and recreational programs for families managing dementia. Growing these services to meet demand requires more staffing and resources, so investing in fundraising is essential. To learn more about the work the Alzheimer Society (PKLNH) does in the community, please visit the website at: https://alzheimer.ca/pklnh.
The Ontario Trillium Foundation (OTF) is an agency of the Government of Ontario, and one of Canada’s leading granting foundations. Last year, nearly $112M was invested into 1,384 community projects and partnerships to build healthy and vibrant communities and strengthen the impact of Ontario’s non-profit sector. In 2020/21, OTF supported Ontario’s economic recovery by helping non-profit organizations rebuild and recover from the impacts of COVID-19. Visit otf.ca to learn more.