A Year-End Letter from Bath Community Fund Board Chair Rev. Mark Frey
Dear Bath Community Fund Friends and Supporters,
This has been an exciting year for our Bath Community Fund! We celebrated our 10th anniversary, launched our "For Bath, Forever" Campaign, and awarded another $50,000 in grants to Bath nonprofits.
Please find the list of recipients for this year's grant awards online and in the latest edition of the Bath Community Fund newsletter. With the help of some extra donations, we could again grant $50,000 to 22 recipients this year. That means BCF has granted more than $300,000 back into the community! The benefit of a community fund is that this will continue year after year. Your generosity has made this possible.
In August, we celebrated the 10th anniversary of BCF. In 2014, seven donors came together to establish the fund. A decision was made to affiliate with Akron Community Foundation, which handles our investments and provides staff support. After 10 years, we have a fund valued at $1.4 million that generates roughly $42,000 for grantmaking each year. It is amazing what has been accomplished in just 10 years! Your generosity has also made this possible.
This year, BCF received 29 applications for grants requesting $105,000 – more than double the amount we had available for grantmaking. Seeing this need, we launched the "For Bath, Forever" Campaign to raise $400,000 for the endowment and to engage 100 new donors. I am excited to report that we have already received $293,000 – or nearly 75% – of our goal! We are looking for 85 new donors, so please invite your family and friends to join this effort with a donation for the future of Bath! We plan to celebrate the success of this campaign in August 2025, and with your generosity, it will be possible!
Thank you for your gifts, support, and vision for the future of the Bath community.
Blessings for a meaningful holiday,
Rev. Mark Frey
Chair, Bath Community Fund Advisory Board