Grant and Funding Programs Offered by First Baptist Calgary Foundation (FBC)

First Baptist Calgary Foundation is a registered public foundation, incorporated under the Alberta Societies Act and recognized by the Canada Revenue Agency as a charity. Created in 2000, it was established to receive donations, memorials, bequests and other financial gifts designated for the long‑term benefit of the First Baptist Church Fellowship of Calgary, Alberta. The Foundation invests these funds and uses the investment returns to provide grants exclusively to the church.

The Foundation manages two main internal funds. The Infrastructure Fund provides monetary grants for capital improvements and facility upgrades to preserve and enhance the heritage church buildings, including the historic sanctuary and manse. The Ministry Fund supports ministry projects that are not normally covered by regular church tithes, such as evangelism and outreach, Christian education and leadership development, enhanced worship and music, human betterment initiatives and other ministry activities.

The Foundation’s operations focus on building and preserving a capital fund whose investment income is used for grant making. Donated funds are invested by a professional investment management firm, and a portion of the annual returns is allocated to grants. The long‑term objectives are to preserve the original capital, generate sufficient income to fund grants, and allow for growth and inflation protection. Grants are internally restricted to proceeds from investments rather than the original principal.

According to the Operations documentation, grants are intended for non‑routine capital expenditures related to church infrastructure and for one‑time "seed money" for ministry‑related projects. The bylaws specify that grants may be awarded only to the First Baptist Church Fellowship of Calgary. Routine operating expenses of the church must be covered by regular tithing and are outside the Foundation’s mandate.

The church is required to submit applications for grant funding to the Foundation, and such requests must be approved by the Church Board before submission. This establishes a formal, though internal, application process between the beneficiary church and the Foundation. The Foundation itself has no employees and is managed by a volunteer board of 5 to 9 trustees elected annually at its AGM. Active members of the church are also members of the Foundation with full voting rights, reflecting close governance ties while maintaining separate legal and CRA registration for the foundation and the church.

When the Foundation was formed, the church transferred existing donor‑designated endowment funds to serve as seed capital. Initially, the Board of Trustees handled investments directly until the fund reached a scale suitable for external investment management. From its inception until 2007, grants focused solely on infrastructure needs. In 2007, the Foundation adopted an additional mandate to support ministries, creating the separate "Ministries" side within the overall fund. Today, the Foundation continues to operate as a dedicated financial engine to preserve the church’s heritage buildings and expand its ministry impact through targeted grant support.