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Annual Report

The Military Families Fund 
Summary Report – to 31 March 2011

Since the Military Families Fund (MFF) was first established in 2007, there has been an exceptional level of generosity on the part of Canadians, who have financially contributed to the MFF for the enhancement of morale and welfare programs and services for the Canadian Forces community.  More specifically, the MFF has been the beneficiary of donations from individuals, small businesses, corporations, and foundations, and has received proceeds from numerous fundraising events. 

The MFF was established as a Non-Public Property account under the Director General Personnel and Family Support Services (DGPFSS).  While the Department of National Defence and the Canadian Forces have excellent morale and welfare programs and services in place to address the unique needs of Canadian Forces members and their families, in certain circumstances, additional support may be necessary. The objective of the MFF is to quickly respond to unique, unforeseen, and often immediate needs of military members and their families. 

This report provides an overview of MFF revenues and expenditures from when the Fund was established in 2007 to 31 March 2011, and highlights some of our key partners who have helped achieve the MFF mandate.     


Revenues

Since the Fund was established in 2007, the MFF has received $5,099,000 in donations.  Of note, the first contributions were made by CANEX in the amount of $500,000 and Electronic Data Systems (EDS) in the amount of $100,000.  In Fiscal Year 2010/11, the True Patriot Love Foundation provided a donation of $750,000 which was to be used at the discretion of the MFF.  During the past four years, other significant contributions have been made by the Government of Canada on behalf of Their Royal Highnesses, the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall, the W. Garfield Weston Foundation, the Calgary Lodge Menorah Foundation, and the Canada India Foundation.  

Fundraising activities by other third party organizations have been a popular way for school, community, and work-based groups to raise funds and show their support for the troops.  Some of these events have been local in nature, while others have taken on more of a national appeal.  Golf tournaments, car rallies, and ‘spin-a-thons’ are examples of some of the activities undertaken by local groups.  The Army Run and Gala dinners have been popular events by which communities have raised funds for the MFF.  More than 100 individual events have been held and more than $2,000,000 has been raised.      

The remainder of funds has been received as individual donations for which income tax receipts have been issued.    

It is significant that many of our individual donors, as well as third party fundraisers, have contributed more than once.   

Expenditures

Since the Fund was established, $1,825,000 has been disbursed ($1,775,000 in respect of cases and $50,000 in overhead) in accordance with the MFF Terms of Reference, to support 609 military members and their families.  It is important to note that the support provided complements, but does not replace benefits provided by public funds.  Each case is considered on its own merits and no case is deemed to be creating a precedent for future expenditures.   

Expenditures are reported in accordance with the following construct:

  • $416,000 – Health Support for members and their immediate families, which includes the cost of medical, dental and mental health treatments not covered by provincial/personal health care plans, travel for members to meet emergency family requirements, families travelling for treatments, and families travelling to support ill/injured members.
  • $365,000 – Memorials, Burials and Next of Kin Travel, which includes the incremental cost of memorial and burial services, as well as travel costs for additional family and close friends to attend services for fallen soldiers.
  • $350,000 – Family-Related, which includes costs to help families address unique needs, often attributed to separation from traditional extended family support, and to change in family status.         
  • $256,000 – Home, Vehicle, and Equipment modifications for military members and/or their families. 
  • $203,000 – Basic Needs, which includes support provided to meet urgent requirements of current and former military members in significant financial distress.     
  • $185,000 – Dependent Children, which includes support for families addressing unique demands of Special Needs children, and for offsetting costs for sending children of military families to camp. 
  • $50,000 – Overhead, which includes costs associated with the 1-800 telephone line, Prepaid Credit Card Administration Fees, Point of Sale transaction fees and Honoraria. 


Other Partners

In addition to the True Patriot Love Foundation, a number of other foundations and charitable organizations also provide invaluable direct support to military families without contributing to the MFF.  These organizations are referred to as our third party partners.  Notable examples are as follows:  

  • Wounded Warriors - is an independent not-for-profit charity that supports Canadian soldiers wounded while serving abroad.  It is primarily a fundraising organization that supports existing programs for injured soldiers.  (www.WoundedWarrior.ca);
  • Military Casualty Support Foundation - was founded in 2007 and works in cooperation with DND/CF to provide emergency financial relief to wounded military members and their families, including funding for such things as psychiatric and medical care, specialized sports equipment, and medical devices.  (www.mcsf.ca);
  • Canada Company - is a registered charity formed in 2006 to financially and morally support members of the CF and their families, as well as improve the links between the military, and business and community leaders.  The Canada Company Scholarship Fund provides up to $4K per year for up to 4 years to support post-secondary education for children of fallen soldiers.  (http://www.canadacompany.ca); and
  • Camp Maple Leaf - was originally established in 1955 by the Canadian Council of War Veterans on an island near Peterborough, Ontario.  In 1995, ownership was transferred to Banyan Community Services to offer a ‘summer experience’ to underprivileged children, with a focus on building self-esteem, confidence and leadership.  During the past four years, the Camp has hosted 200 children of military families for a one-week camp experience. 


FY 2010/2011 MFF Executive Committee Members

BGen (retired) David Martin (Chair)
Ms. Maureen Eykelenboom
Mr. Max Keeping
Ms. Tamara Kleinschmidt
Lt-Gen (Retired) Bill Leach
Mr. David Ready
Mr. David Smith
Rear-Admiral (Retired) Bryn Weadon
Mrs Leslie Natynczyk – Champion of Morale and Welfare programs in the Canadian Forces

Moving Forward

The tremendous level of generous support that Canadians continue to demonstrate for CF members and their families was not envisioned when the MFF was established. This is good news; however, it has compelled DGPFSS to re-distribute personnel resources and to organizationally re-structure to meet the administrative demands on CFPFSS staff to manage the Program.

Moving forward, we are focused on the following three activities:

  • Developing a fundraising strategy that will contribute to the long-term viability of the MFF and the important support that it provides to the military members and their families; 
  • Enhancing our ability to manage the growing number of individuals and organizations that want to make a contribution; and
  • Improving our relationship with our existing partners to ensure there is a clear and definitive alignment of goals and objectives.