Anglican Foundation of Canada in Rupert’s Land

Say Yes to Kids is back,
and it’s going to be better than ever!

Who is eligible?

Any parish in Canada with a vision for ministry and outreach to young people.

When?

Apply now and campaign alongside your peers nationwide from April 1 to June 30.

Why?

• Raise the funds you need to bring your church’s vision for youth ministry to life.
• Receive fundraising and communications mentorship from AFC’s experienced team.
• Reconnect with families in your community by raising awareness about your youth programs.
• Benefit from an AFC-led effort to secure leadership donations, including matching gifts!

How much?

• Each team establishes its own fundraising goal.
• Salaries, equipment costs, and capital improvements can be included in your case for support. 

I’m interested. What’s next?

• Visit anglicanfoundation.org/say-yes-to-kids and register for an upcoming webinar.
• Download our campaign FAQs sheet. 

Join the movement and help our church grow a brighter future for young people, today.
 
Michelle Hauser
Development & Communications Consultant
Anglican Foundation of Canada
mhauser@anglicanfoundation.org

Below is a report on their previous campaign:

Say Yes! to Kids proposals
total more than $500,000!

AFC to attempt to close funding gap with quiet campaign 

The Anglican Foundation of Canada (AFC) has received an unprecedented wave of applications from across Canada in response to the Say Yes! to Kids Request for Proposals (RFP). “In the history of AFC, we have never seen anything like this kind of energy around a grant cycle,” says The Rev. Canon Dr. Judy Rois, Executive Director. “We asked people to imagine more for children and youth in a post-pandemic world, and that is exactly what they did!”

At the close of the October 1 deadline, AFC had received more than 80 proposals, representing a total funding request of more than $500,000. “We are having to recruit additional volunteers to our RFP Committee to review the applications,” says Dr. Scott Brubacher, Executive Administrator. “At first glance the vast majority of these proposals are well-articulated and fall within the funding parameters.” 

In the Diocese of Rupert’s Land alone there are 8 applicants seeking close to $50,000 in funding. “This RFP has the potential to be a game-changer,” says Canon Susan Suppes, member, AFC’s Board of Directors. “The enthusiastic response right here at home has given us a much stronger understanding of the willingness and capacity of our churches to stretch themselves to meet the needs of young people in communities across the Diocese of Rupert’s Land.”

Canon Rois says proposals reveal an incredible breadth and diversity, “from podcasts to pilgrimage the vision for new ministry is inspiring.” She says demand has been highest for smaller grants and seed funding for new initiatives, with eighty percent of applicants accessing category A grants of up to $5,000. The majority of these are for pilot projects.

“There are dozens of applications for student enrichment in education, arts, and recreation, many of them designed to reach new Canadians and low-income communities,” says Rois. “Some of the most innovative projects, and new models for outreach to non-church youth, have come from rural parishes.” Rois says partnerships abound as applicants reveal their plans to work with community agencies and the healthcare sector to either advise on, or help deliver, impactful youth-oriented programs. “We are also seeing a remarkable number of reconciliation-focused projects.” 

In terms of geographic diversity, Brubacher says 9 out of 10 Canadian provinces, and 2 out of 3 Territories are represented, and 21 of 30 dioceses. “We have never seen this kind of broad, nationwide representation during a grant cycle. This is truly an exceptional situation.”

The Very Rev. Peter Wall, AFC’s Development Consultant, explains that his team is working hard to address the funding shortfall. “In addition to the $110,000 raised as a result of the spring campaign, we have received two exceptionally generous gifts that might be used towards this effort.”  AFC management and board are developing a contingency plan that, once approved, may result in close to $330,000 in available funding. “Our goal is to bring that funding gap closer to $150,000.” 

Wall says that between now and when the Board of Directors meets in November to approve the RFP grants, he and his team will be having “quiet conversations” with donors who may now wish to support this largest-ever outreach to young people. “Many donors responded very generously to the spring Say Yes! to Kids campaign,” says Wall, “and others were unsure about the timing and if it was too soon to begin planning for pandemic recovery. We didn’t know how many proposals we could expect to receive. Now we know!”

With this new information in hand, Wall and his team will make sure AFC supporters are aware of the many worthwhile projects that await funding. Canon Suppes says, “There is so much compassion and creativity in these proposals—the least we can do is stretch ourselves to try to fund as many of them as possible. It is my hope that all Rupert’s Landers who have the means might make a gift to AFC in support of this important outreach to children and youth.” 

Those interested in making a gift to support the Say Yes! to Kids RFP are may also reach out to Peter Wall, pwall@anglicanfoundation.org, Michelle Hauser, mhauser@anglicanfoundation.org or email foundation@anglicanfoundation.org.  

The Anglican Foundation in Rupert’s Land

The Anglican Foundation of Canada was established to assist ministry projects of many kinds among our parishes across the country. First we’ll discuss what the AFC has been supporting in Rupert’s Land, and then how our parishes might go about accessing this valuable resource.

Rupert’s Land Benefits

Our parishes have applied for all kinds of grants, for such items as:

• Heating system repair or replacement
• Kitchen restoration or rebuilding
• Building repairs and improvements
• New or improved worship space
• Office renovations
• New programme development
• Conferences, consultations and dialogues
• Education programmes
• Media development
• Parish amalgamation

But not all of are fully aware of what options are available or how the might play out. We invite parishes that have benefitted from AFC grants to write us a note describing:

• What needs you faced
• How the AFC came through for you
• And how it’s been a boon for the life of your parish. 

Some of the parishes and organizations that have benefitted from AFC largesse are:

• St. Aidan’s, Winnipeg
• St. Luke, Winnipeg
• St. Alban’s, Kenora
• St. Bartholomew, Winnipeg
• Saint Margaret’s, Winnipeg
• St. Mary’s, Portage la Prairie
• St. Anne’s, Winnipeg
• St. Chad’s, Winnipeg
• St. Mary Magdalene, Winnipeg
• St. Matthew’s, Winnipeg
• St. Bartholomew, Winnipeg
• Holy Trinity, Winnipeg
• St. Mary Magdalene, Winnipeg
• St. Mary Charleswood, Winnipeg
• St. Stephen & St. Bede, Winnipeg
• St. Thomas, Winnipeg
• St. Peter’s, Winnipeg
• Diocese of Rupert’s Land
• St. Aidan’s Christian School, Winnipeg
• St. John’s College, Winnipeg

If any of these parishes would like to tell us about your experience with AFC, consider sending us an email. Please contact us at the email address at the bottom of this page if you can lend a hand in getting the news out.

Application Details

Full information about how to apply is provided on the AFC website, at AnglicanFoundation.org. We recommend you look the site over to get a sense of what they offer and how they work.

Parishes or affiliated organizations that have made a donation to the AFC are members eligible to apply for a grant. Applications are considered in April and September every year. There are some other related grants linked here.

Contact

Our Diocesan Rep can be contacted at this address:

        Canon Dr. Gary Russell, gary@gwrussell.com.