Check on after the break for the full scoop!
December is a month to think of others, and to show generosity and kindness. The Brony community has that spirit in spades, and it has shown in the excellent charitable works of the community. The Board of Directors of the Brony Thank You Fund have admired the accomplishments of the fandom’s charitable groups, especially the awesome work that Bronies for Good have done in Africa. Now we have reached our own milestone, and are pleased to announce that we have completed our fundraising drive to endow an animation scholarship at the California Institute of the Arts, with over $50,000 in assets and committed donations in place. We were pushed over the top just before Thanksgiving by a surprisingly generous showing at the New England Ponycon meetup, where we raised $1,000.
We expect to have the final funds in our bank account in time to transfer the funds to the school in this fiscal year. We are currently in the process of finalizing the formal agreement with CalArts, and should be able to announce all the details of the scholarship soon. As of now, the plan is still for the scholarship to carry Derpy’s name, and to be awarded based on financial need. Our hope is hold a formal presentation ceremony with a representative from CalArts at BABSCon.
While our previous goal is now accomplished, we still have lots we’d like to do in December and throughout 2014. We are in the process of forging a partnership with the Dana Farber Cancer Institute in Boston (aka The Jimmy Fund), and future donations will be directed toward that cause. On a practical note, we also have some minor operating costs we need to cover (such as end-of-year reporting fees with various state regulatory agencies), so we can’t empty the bank account entirely. So if you’ve got some money left after your holiday shopping, we could use a bit of it if to keep the lights on.
We also plan to work in cooperation with the other Brony charitable groups in the coming year to support emergency relief efforts after disasters, and to assist where asked with fundraising efforts at conventions. The push to reach our target may have made us a bit goal-driven in 2013, we’d like to refocus somewhat on helping to ensure the success of all brony charitable works in 2014.
As always, donations can be made via the big button on our web site: http://www.bronythankyoufund.org.
