Tauranga Performing Arts Competitions Society has joined the Acorn Foundation and established our own Community Endowment Fund. Who is Acorn Foundation? The Acorn Foundation (established 2003) is a Community Foundation. The underlying principle of a community foundation is that “Generosity begins on Main Street”.  In other words, Acorn Foundation believes that people want to support causes close to home, and often close to the heart. The Acorn Foundation provides a vehicle through which people can make a contribution to the Tauranga and Western Bay of Plenty community every year, forever.  Options include:   Leave a gift in your will.  Donate during your lifetime and have the pleasure of seeing your money make a difference (and receive 33% tax credits).   Features of an Acorn gift are:  Capital is invested in perpetuity and 5% of the total funds are distributed annually. Donors can specify their preferred charities or the trustees decide where the money is best needed at the time. Voluntary trustees are appointed by the local councils and professional bodies.   All funds donated through Acorn Foundation are invested in Acorns capital pool.  The capital stays intact and the income generated provides a regular annual distribution.  You can be sure your gift will still be helping your chosen organisations in 20 years, 100 years, forever.... What is a Community Endowment Fund? A Community Endowment Fund is created by a formal agreement between the Acorn Foundation and a particular charitable organisation.  In our case there has been a formal agreement between Tauranga Performing Arts Competitions Society Inc and Acorn Foundation.  The purpose; to allow us to secure our own long term funding. Supporters of Tauranga Performing Arts Competitions Society Inc are encouraged to contribute directly to the fund.  As the capital grows, so will the annual distributions.  This will allow us to be less reliant on annual grants from an ever diminishing number of funding agencies. We will be able to spend less time chasing funding, and more time focusing on the valuable contributions we make to the young performing artists in our community and beyond. Tauranga Performing Arts Competitions Society Inc TPACS was formed in 1958 to provide a vehicle that would encourage, foster and promote the practice of the performing arts here in the Bay of Plenty and beyond. The competitions movement is the 'Saturday sport for the performing arts'.   The annual competition festival in Tauranga provides a unique opportunity for the young performing artists to perform, to be assessed by nationally and internationally renowned adjudicators and to measure themselves against their peers.  Since inception, the annual TPACS ‘Competitions Week’ has given opportunity to some 40,000 young performing artists, as well as inspiration and entertainment to many thousands of audience members; to young and old alike.  The most talented performers are sent away each year with scholarships and prizes (totalling $25,000 annually for the past several years) which give both financial assistance and encouragement as they further develop their chosen skills. Some, such as Lisa Maree Cullum , Ty King Wall , Catherine Grange and Delia Mathews  (Dance), Jeroen Speak  and Christopher Watson  (composition) have gone on to win national and international acclaim. The management committee of Tauranga Performing Arts Competitions Society Inc pride ourselves in offering an efficient, and cost effective festival.  A festival that is affordable to all potential performers.  The TPACS management committee are very proud of the fact that of all our income 44%  is returned directly back to our competitors in scholarships, rewards and recognition. With a stated aim of keeping our festival affordable, the management committee are committed to keeping entry fees and admission fees as low as possible.  This however, necessitates the need to raise over half of our annual our income from sponsorship and donations. A message from one of our supporters: Christine Tustain – Acorn Foundation donor to the Tauranga Performing Arts Competitions Society Inc  “I have always loved the performing arts and was brought up with classical music.  I played the piano for many years, but alas, did not continue in later life. Whenever possible I attend music and dance performances in Tauranga, and I especially enjoy seeing young people performing. I know how difficult it can be for these youngsters to follow their dreams when it comes to performing arts – it is very expensive to train at the top level, and many people have to make huge sacrifices in order to fulfil their potential. It’s not easy to find the funding.  I would love to help some of these talented young people, so I have set up an endowment fund with the Acorn Foundation. They will look after my money, and each year will provide scholarships from my fund to reward the top performers at the Tauranga Performing Arts Competitions, so hopefully they can go on to an even bigger and better stage.”  Why would you like to assist Tauranga Performing Arts Competitions Society Inc? With your help, Tauranga Performing Arts Competitions Society Inc can ensure their ongoing sustainability.  Your gift to our Community Endowment Fund will give us security and surety for the future; a solid foundation for generations to come. You can decide to either: Leave a gift in your will and/or Donate during your lifetime and have the pleasure of seeing your money make a difference (and receive 33% tax credits). To find out how you can help by contributing to our endowment fund, contact the Acorn Foundation (Ph 07 579 9839 or email info@acornfoundation.org.nz or follow this link http://www.acornfoundation.org.nz/online-donating-form  ).