A couple community donations are creating a new endowment fund to support the Southampton Arts Centre.
The combined $20,000 donation from Southampton Arts Board Chair Fred Kuntz and Kitchener resident Merv Redman was given to the Community Foundation Grey Bruce to create the new J. Fred Kuntz Endowed Fund.
This new fund rolls into the existing Southampton Arts Centre Endowment Fund, which Kuntz says with the $20,000 added onto what was already there, they have $65,000 in total.
The Community Foundation will give back a percentage of the fund each year for Southampton Arts to support its various programs.
“That is money the Southampton Arts can use every year to support it’s arts programs, the free public gallery in the old town hall and the art school which teaches courses to about 600 children a year and 400 adults,” says Kuntz. “There is about 40 artists who exhibit all year round, and not just wall paintings, but jewelry, wood vases, ceramic vases, fabric arts, and the public can come in and see all of that.”
He says the endowed fund will give back to the arts centre for many years to come.
“They grow over time too as investments. It’s a legacy way of giving, you can leave money in your will, you can donate money at the time of year when you give to charities, whether that is Christmas or whenever. These funds, they stay there and they grow and so they just keep on giving and that is a wonderful way to support the arts,” says Kuntz.
