Cemetery Fund
Family & Friends Community Foundation was scarcely incorporated when it was approached to assist in creating permanent endowment funds for the restoration and care of cemeteries in the community.
Today, several endowment funds have been created to provide grants to registered charities who have undertaken the important task of preserving our communities’ cemeteries, many of them historic and no longer used. The interest has also led to the incorporation of Heritage Cemeteries Project Inc., a non-profit corporation intent to restore and maintain several cemeteries in the area.
Those wishing to contribute to a cemetery fund held with Family & Friends Community Foundation have the assurance that the Foundation will hold their donation in perpetuity, with the interest earned each year granted to the registered charity in charge of the particular cemetery, often a church or Heritage Cemeteries Project Inc.
Currently Family & Friends Community Foundation holds endowment funds for the following cemeteries:
- • St. Paul (Marchwell)
- • St. Paul’s (Langenburg)
- • Spy Hill
- • Ingleside
- • Churchbridge
- • Christ Lutheran (Langenburg)
- • Christ Lutheran (MacNutt)
- • Bethel
- • Hoffenthal Cemetery
- • Norwegian Lutheran Cemetery
- • Norwegian Cemetery Fund
- • Rothbury Cemetery
- • St. Joseph’s Cemetery
So long as the Foundation has a reasonable prospect of receiving $5,000, it will create new funds to accommodate any cemetery.
The measure of a community’s respect for those who have gone before is the care it provides to its cemeteries. The Foundation is pleased to hold endowment funds to ensure that the care of our cemeteries is assured for all generations.
Did You Know?
- Saskatchewan has over 350 abandoned cemeteries
- Saskatchewan has a Registrar of Cemeteries charged with enforcement of The Cemeteries Act.
- The Registrar has identified our community (with its involvement of Family & Friends Community Foundation and Heritage Project Cemeteries Inc.) as a model for cemetery care in Saskatchewan.
- The municipalities of Spy Hill, Churchbridge and Langenburg are home to cemeteries.
What happens with money in a specific cemetery endowment fund?
Donors can name a specific cemetery and the Foundation will invest the donation in that fund. The interest will be given only to that cemetery for its care and maintenance.
If my church has a cemetery fund, why should I give a gift to Family & Friends, rather than my church fund?
Family & Friends wants to complement, not compete with, existing cemetery funds. Each donor must decide whether the Foundation’s program better suits his or her needs. Perhaps a donor is not associated with a particular church which cares for a cemetery, but would still like to support the cemetery. Some cemeteries do not have an existing fund dedicated to their care. Once a donor makes a donation to a particular cemetery fund with Family & Friends, the fund cannot be used for any other purpose.
How do I make a donation to a particular cemetery endowment fund?
You can direct the Foundation to accept your donation and name a cemetery you wish to support. The written instructions you give to the Foundation ensures your donation is held in perpetuity (indefinitely) in that particular fund. Donation forms are available online at www.familyandfriendsfoundation.com.