Annual Review & Financial Statements
Annual Review & Financial Statements
The County Foundation is pleased to share our Annual Reviews and Audited Financial Statements to provide insight into our charitable activities, collaborative action, our financials, and our impact in Prince Edward County which only continues to grow and develop along with the needs of our community.
We are delighted to present the highlights of The County Foundation’s 2023 Annual Review.
Despite the economic hurdles of the past year, The County Foundation has been steadfast in providing unwavering support to the Prince Edward County community. This was made possible by the incredible generosity of our donors and fund creators, whose contributions are the cornerstone of our initiatives.
As we step into 2024, we remain committed to enhancing our community’s vitality and addressing pressing challenges through collective efforts. Thank you for being a part of our journey, and here’s to a future of continued collaboration and success!
Highlights include:
- Facilitated over $2.3 million in grants, focusing on healthcare, educational scholarships, farmland preservation, arts and culture, sports, recreational activities, and food security.
- Launched “Vital Signs 2023 – Building Bridges of Inclusion” with a public event at the Regent Theatre. This event drew the largest public attendance to date with over 200 people present.
- Introduction of new educational and donor funds, and legacies from generous County supporters the late Wynne Thomas, and the late Doug and Kathy MacPherson. With these community investments, our fund portfolio witnessed significant growth, now valued at upwards of $8 million.
- Lastly, Brian Beiles, who, after a six-year tenure as President of the County Foundation’s Board, resigned from his role. Brian remains on our Board of Directors and Howard Whittaker has taken on the leadership position as our new Board President.
2022 COMMUNITY SUPPORT INITIATIVES
• Facilitated almost $1 million in total grants.
• Published the 2022 Vital Signs report “Toward Sustainable Change”.
• Supported Communities Building Youth Futures youth leadership program.
• Collaborated in the development of the 2022-25 Community Safety & Well-being Plan.
• Partnered with Thrive Prince Edward County, a community-led development of a collaborative vision for the future of Prince Edward County.
Reflecting on 2022 we at The County Foundation can certainly say it was an eventful one not only for our organization but also for the community that we support.
Early in the year our Executive Director of 7 years, Jefferson Gilbert, bade us farewell to focus on other endeavours. Assuming Jefferson’s role was Dominique Jones, bringing a background of finance, business and social impact.
In the fall of 2022, we released a new Vital Signs report, ‘Toward Sustainable Change’, highlighting the impact the pandemic has had on the County. We also engaged in the valuable process of strategic planning and in organizational training in the area of diversity, equity and inclusion.
Our volunteer Board of Directors continued to give their passion and energy to the mission of The County Foundation, and we were saddened by the sudden loss of one of our Directors, Lynda Mungall. We are very fortunate to have such qualified and dedicated volunteers involved in both Board and project capacities and couldn’t be where we are today without them.
The people of Prince Edward County continue to amaze and inspire us with their generosity and strength of spirit. As we look to 2023, we hope to continue to build on our progress to date and overcome challenges together.
Assets in 2022 total $5,747,955 with 29 funds under management. The administration ratio remains low at 2.02%.
- Facilitation of $750K in grants to support local social causes including Community support services, Health and Wellness, Food Security, Youth & Scholarships, Senior services, Recreation, Arts and Culture, Heritage, Animal Welfare, and Environment. Since its inception, The County Foundation has facilitated grants totalling $3,215,813.
- Advocacy for COVID-19 financial support for local non-profits to adapt existing frontline services to better support vulnerable residents.
- As part of the Food Collective, operated the County Food Depot to provide supplemental food during the pandemic lockdowns.
- Support for research and development of a Food Security Plan by the Food Collective.
- Collaboration with Greater Than County Youth Collective to identify barriers impacting youth well-being and education, and support for new youth leadership programs.
- Development of a Vital Signs online Data Bank in partnership with the municipality. This community resource at PECdata.ca contains hundreds of stats on PEC socio-economic indicators, and is updated monthly.
- And we became one of five Canadian communities that are engaged in Shorefast Foundation’s national community economies pilot.
In 2021, The County Foundation Board of Directors worked tirelessly to review and adjudicate grant applications. Two new Board members were welcomed to our team and internal work included updates to Vision, Mission and Values statements; Accessibility Statement of Commitment including website accessibility updates; and initiation of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion training.
Assets in 2021 grew to 31 funds under management totalling $6,052,083. The administration ratio remains low at 2.2%.
The need for essential support throughout our community quickly became evident. Connecting government funding, local donors and community partners, The County Foundation helped multiple initiatives move quickly from idea to reality throughout the pandemic. More specifically, The County Foundation volunteers and staff:
- Facilitated more than $1.2 million in grants – 2020 is the largest granting year in our history.
- Created the PEC Helping PEC COVID-19 Fund to address local food insecurity and health issues as well as inspired 213 individuals and businesses to donate more than $204,000.
- Administered and contributed to the Municipal COVID-19 Recovery Grants.
- Sponsored the County Food Depot to provide supplemental food to people who are facing food insecurity during the pandemic.
- Conducted research and created “Meeting the COVID-19 Challenge – Social Impact and Response in Prince Edward County” – a report that documents local community needs.t Prince Edward County.
It is evident that COVID-19’s impact on our health and wellness, social interactions, safety, employment, food security, access to affordable housing, education, transportation and environment will continue to evolve.
Now more than ever, we are proud to link the County with local causes that matter.
The support of donors, philanthropists, the Municipality, and volunteers enables us to improve lives today and tomorrow. Collaborating with supporters and local agencies, throughout 2019 we strengthened our ability to serve vital needs of our community.
More specifically, The County Foundation volunteers and staff:
- Helped people create and manage funds, legacies and bequests that met their personal philanthropic goals. A total of 24 funds were managed and 14 young people pursued their dreams supported by a donor-directed scholarship or bursary.
- Digitized our popular 2018 Vital Signs report that signals trends, identifies issues and informs grants. Links to current online reference materials can be accessed anytime, anywhere at thecountyfoundation.ca/vitalsigns
- Made and managed grants that address Vital Signs key priority areas and strengthened community resilience.
- Co-led Vital Signs working groups focused on community safety and well-being, food security, learning and transportation.
- Connected dozens of volunteers with opportunities to collaboratively support the work of 59 community organizations.
As laid out in our 2018 Vital Signs Report, we are leading and working with 59 community organizations and many dedicated community members to address key challenges, especially in food security, learning and transportation.
